The Society for the Advancement of Ecclesiological Theology

January 23, 2010 by Gerald Hiestand

Biblical Evidence that Pastors Are Called to Serve as Wider Theologians: Part 1

As mentioned, I’m working on an essay that attempts to make a preliminary case for pastors serving as wider theologians to the whole ecclesia. Of course, nearly everyone will agree that pastors should function as astute local theologians to their own parishes. While a point worth making, it’s not the one I’m trying to make with this essay. My intent is to argue that the pastoral community must once again serve as wider theologians to the church at large, reclaiming a function now being fulfilled by our academic theologians. In short, I am arguing for the theological primacy of the ecclesia over the academy, and of pastors over professors. This assertion is perhaps more controversial than the former, and certainly more ambitious.

The following excerpt from the essay details the function of the apostles as wider theologians, with a view to demonstrating (in the next excerpt) how this function was passed to the pastoral community. From the essay…

I. Biblical Evidence that Pastors Should Serve as Wider Theologians

That the apostles—and subsequently the pastoral community—functioned as the wider theologians of the early church is sufficiently evident that it hardly needs demonstrating. But it’s not enough to simply observe the theological primacy of the apostles and pastors as a point of church history. We must press beyond mere description toward prescription. Does the New Testament speak to the issue of who bears final responsibility for guarding the theological integrity of the church catholic? Upon whose shoulders must the mantle of the wider theologian rest? As we will see below, the apostles explicitly transmitted their theological self-understanding to the emerging pastoral community, charging the pastoral community with the task of the wider theologian; Scripture does not leave open the question of who must serve as the theological guardians of the church. Inasmuch as this fact is often overlook, and even more often under-applied, it bears touching upon briefly.

A. The Apostles as Wider Theologians

Given the unfolding of Luke’s history in Acts, as well as the New Testament documents themselves, it’s clear that—on the whole—the apostles saw themselves as the guardians and announcers of the New Covenant message regarding Jesus Christ. Likewise, it is evident that they exercised this responsibility as theologians—as men who thought carefully about how to relate the Jewish Scriptures with the Christ-event and their own personal experience, and to bring all of this to bear on the reigning cultural/religious assumptions of the day—both inside and outside of the covenant community. Matthew’s gospel records Jesus’ distinctly theological charge to the twelve; it was theirs to bind and to loose, to teach and to baptize, to ready the Lord’s people for his return (Matthew 16:13-19, 28:18-20). And so they did, with theological acumen.

1. Apostolic Sermons

Peter’s speech at Pentecost, for instance—directed inward, toward the covenant community—shows his firm grasp of salvation history, and his ability to relate the present occasion (the outpouring of the Spirit) with the overall purpose of God to redeem his people through Messiah. His speech is inherently theological and synthesizing, demonstrating the continuity between the new message of the apostles and the ancient message of the Jewish prophets. With his sermon, Peter seeks to shape a new worldview for the covenant community in light of the Christ-event; a new age has dawned, the ancient message must be must be proclaimed with a new voice.

Along similar lines, Paul’s speech at the Areopagus equally demonstrates the apostolic commitment to theological articulation. Unlike Peter’s speech in Acts 2, Paul’s sermon is directed outward toward the pagan culture. He shows a keen ability to bring his own Jewish religious tradition (with its post-Messianic twist) into contact (and conflict) with the starting philosophical/theological assumptions of Athens. In both cases, the speeches of Peter and Paul demonstrate the ability of the apostles to function as theologians—not simply practitioners.

2. The Apostolic Councils

More broadly, the first ecumenical counsel in 70 AD highlights the willingness of the apostles to serve as the final arbitrators on theological matters. The issue of circumcision—like many issues that have arisen in the last two millennia—was not directly addressed by Christ. How then should the church think about the conversion of Gentiles and their subsequent integration into the church? What was the relevance of the Jewish Law to the Gentile community? Or even of the Law to the Jewish community itself now that Messiah had come? It is clear that the apostles (and the elders) felt the collective weight of responsibility to provide decisive leadership on the matter—a matter that was profoundly theological. Further, the apostles’ decision on this matter became the rule by which the larger church governed itself. That the wider church looked to the apostles for theological leadership on this matter is seen in their submissive response to news of the council’s decision.

3. The Apostolic Writings

But even more relevant for our present purposes is the fact that the apostles wrote for the broader ecclesia. That the apostle’s collective sense of responsibility extended beyond their own local provinces is seen clearly in the writings of Matthew, John, Paul and Peter—all of whom wrote theological works specifically intended to reach a readership beyond their own personal connections. Writing, more so than sermons, reveals a commitment to function as a wider theologian. Sermons—regardless of how theological—are generally intended for a local assembly. But treatises and epistles are meant for the whole church.

In sum, the apostles took upon themselves the collective responsibility of the wider theologian—to maintain and prosecute the gospel entrusted to them by Christ.

In the next post, I will explore the transition of theological leadership from the apostles to the pastoral community.

Categories: Pastor-theologian | Wider Theologians