[Linux4christians] Conservative Bible Project?

[Ben Thorp]

>> On Oct 9, 2009, at 6:46 AM, l4c wrote:
>> 
>> Boy, I wish more Pastors thought that way.  Back when I was 
>> pastoring a physical church every time I met another Pastor I got 
>> the 3rd degree about seminary, and when they understood that I 
>> didn't / wasn't going, I received a lot of "looks down the nose" 
>> among other things...
>> This is one of the reasons why I truly believe most Churches now to 
>> be only big businesses whose sole purpose is to entertain the troops
>> on Sunday mornings and make them feel better about how they act 
>> during the rest of the week.
>> My opinion is very bleak, I know, but it's from battle-hardened 
experience.
> 
> I agree about churches being that way, though I wonder if that has 
> anything to do with seminary. If anything, I seem to notice a 
> disturbing trend of anti-intellectualism in many churches -- 
> especially the entertainment focused ones -- that often is used to 
> advocate against seminary. 
> 
> If seminaries do their job -- and they don't, often! -- people will 
> leave better able to stand against these sorts of crazy fads and 
> trends. Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't some called 
> to the pastorate but not to seminary first. I do think seminary is a
> worthy thing to encourage people to attend however. Or, if not that,
> then some other field of advanced study to aid in ministry. Here's 
> why: the church needs to reawaken theologically. Not in a "memorize 
> the fundamentals" kind of way, but to truly learn to think and 
> engage in discussions that serve both for apologetics and 
> discipleship within the church.
> 
> How many today could, as Paul did, speak the language of the 
> cultural elites and do so in a way that wasn't so feeble as to be 
> dismissed right away?
> 
> (Again, not to say everyone is called to that place, but I think the
> Evangelical world doesn't do nearly enough to acknowledge the 
> existence of that need at all.)
> 

I think that, it many cases, the seminary isn't the problem, rather it is 
the selection process involved in who gets to go (and thereafter become 
"ordained"). My experience is mostly in establishment churches (Church of 
England and now Church of Scotland) and my big issue (apart from the fact 
that some of the "approved" seminaries are massively liberal) is that the 
selection process, and process of candidacy is so narrow it will only ever 
attract a particular type of people. And, with a few exceptions, it's not 
working.

The Church of England has a new program of what they call "pioneer" 
ordination, which has a number of plus points. The biggest of these being 
that it is actually attracting people who are already involved in church 
planting / "fresh expressions" / etc and who, traditionally, wouldn't go 
near ordination, but are now getting the benefit of being able to continue 
their ministry, but also gain the Biblical and theological knowledge that 
can come from seminary training.

The Church of Scotland is looking at ordination, but it's lagging behind. 
I'm involved in a new project that we hope will be a prototype for a 
number of things, not least lay-led ministry (although I do have a 
Divinity degree), and ministry by a team rather than an individual. 

Ben






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