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  • December 22, 2009 by Gerald Hiestand

    Who Needs the Pastor-Theologian?

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    The pastor-theologian programs of organizations such as the Center for Theological Inquiry, and the Presbyterian Church USA (both programs are discontinued) follow a nearly identical organizational model as the SAET—we each host symposiums, bring together a diverse body of pastor-theologians and academic theologians, present papers, and pursue publishing, etc. Yet for the CTI and the PCA, such activities are meant to further the pastor’s effectiveness as a local-theologian, not primarily to season the body of orthodox theological reflection.

    The SAET however, is primarily concerned to further the pastor’s ability to serve as an ecclesial theologian to the broader theological community. We encourage writing not primarily because the pastor is lacking (or even his local church), but because orthodox theology is lacking. Orthodox theology itself is most fundamentally in need of the pastor-theologian.

    Categories: Ecclesial Theology | Pastor-theologian | The SAET

    Recent Comments

    • Ed Eubanks said...

      Good points; I wonder, too, if another reason is that orthodoxy is more closely preserved in the local church than in academia?

      At least historically, it seems to be the case that heterodoxy has been primarily introduced via academic channels, with the local church the last bastien of orthodoxy. (Witness, too, the same course of influence in the opposite direction, taking place in some parts of the Southern Baptist conference, wherein the seminaries– especially Southern– have engaged in a deepened recommitment to orthodoxy, which has slowly resulted in the local churches also increasing in their orthodoxy.) Could this be coincidence in history? Or could Ecclesial Theology/Theologians be a means for protecting orthodoxy because of this tendency?

      Also, two minor points of question/correction: first, I believe you may have the above references (to the other institutions) backwards, as it appears at first glance that CTI is still active, while the program for the PC-USA is now defunct. Second, I’m sure it was a typo for you to refer to the “Presbyterian Church of America” instead of the “Presbyterian Church- USA” which is the current iteration of the former. But some of your readers, less acquainted with American Presbyterian history, might mistake you to mean the Presbyterian Church IN America, which is a very different denomination.

      12/26/09 1:10 PM | Comment Link

    • Gerald Hiestand said...

      Ed,

      Thanks. Good point about the local church being more theologically stable than the academy. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, but I’d have to think more about why there’s a correlation.

      And thanks for the corrections. CTI is still active, but their pastor-theologian program is not.

      12/26/09 3:08 PM | Comment Link

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About the SAET Blog

Welcome to the SAET blog. Herein you will find the theological/pastoral ramblings of the Rev. Matthew Mason, the good Doctor Jason Hood, and Pastor Gerald Hiestand. All three write under the premise that theology and the pastorate belong together, and that (at least some) pastors must once again function as writing theologians for the wider church, for the ecclesial renewal of theology and the theological renewal of the church.

Contributors

Gerald Hiestand
Gerald has served as the SAET board president since 2006. He has been in pastoral ministry since 1999, and serves currently as the Senior Associate Pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL.

Jason Hood
Jason is a graduate of Rhodes College, Reformed Theological Seminary, Highland Theological College and the Univ. of Aberdeen. Jason works as Scholar-in-Residence and director of Christ College Residency Program at Christ UMC. He's trying to figure out the twitter thing, @jasonbhood, and sometimes writes for ChristianityToday.com.

Matthew Mason
Matthew earned an MTh at Oak Hill College, London. He is an Assistant Pastor at Church of the Resurrection, Washington D. C. (Anglican Mission in the Americas), and edits Ecclesia Reformanda, a journal of Reformed theology.

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