Thursday February 24, 2006

Canadiana: ESPN is reporting on Lydia Angyiou, a Canadian woman who wrestled a 700 pound polar bear and lived to tell about it. Having seen a polar bear sizing up her 7-year-old son, she “raced around to get between the bear and her son. Then she started kicking and punching the animal…”

Blogspotting: Paul, who is celebrating his one year anniversary as a blogger, says that I was the scariest person he met this year. “I mean, you have to figure that anybody who blogs as much as this guy must weigh in at 600 lbs and have an office like this! Suffice it to say that he was not half as odd as one might expect.”

Audio: Pastor Shaun is announcing a new podcast, Ordinary Means. “No, not a Podcast. The Podcast. (Seeing as we're not doing any other podcasts at the moment.)”

Du Jour: Carolyn challenges us to think about “Serving Instead of Vacationing” next time we take the opportunity to escape from the office for a little while.

Wednesday February 22, 2006

Audio: John Piper extends his personal thanks to all those who prayed for him when he faced surgery last week. He also reports on his progress.

Evolution: Rick Pearcey reports on a Darwinian Meltdown Over Intelligent Design. “High profile atheists and evolutionists Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins “are absolute disasters in the fight against intelligent design.” So says equally high profile skeptic Michael Ruse, philosophy professor at Florida State University…”

Humor: James over at TeamPyro gives “26 ways in which doing IT Support is better than being a pastor.” “Everyone is fairly clear on what your job actually is: fix their computer so they can get back to work, or work better.” Say what? It seems obvious to me that he has not done much IT support!

Humor Bonus: MSN Careers lists 15 really bad excuses people have actually used to skip work for a day. I kind of like, “I was walking my dog and slipped on a toad in my driveway and hurt my back.”

Yesterday I wrote about my inflamed duoduwhatzit and the untrained doctor who is going to be removing it for me. This was only a parable, of course, and likely not a very good one at that. Yet it stimulated some good discussion for which I am grateful. I thought I would take the opportunity this morning to clarify my feelings on seminary education. But let me begin somewhere else.

People who serve in the military will all be able to describe times that they were required to do things that seemed utterly irrelevant to their chosen career. I have read of people who spent days upon days digging ditches and then filling them back in. Hour after hour, day after day. Their joints ached and their hands developed painful blisters. And all the time they wondered, “Is this why I joined the Army?” The activity seemed to bear little resemblance to what they had imagined would be involved in a career in the military. And to a great extent they were right. Yet it is only later that they realize that this was not an empty exercise. It was a deliberate exercise. It taught them teamwork. It taught the soldiers to work together as a unit. It forged a bond between them that would drive them to take heroic measures on the battlefield. It was these exercises that created the bond that would make these soldiers become a band of brothers.

That analogy is true, at least to some degree, in almost every type of education. There are some exercises that are given as a means to a greater end. Many of the essays I wrote in college are long forgotten. They meant almost nothing to me then and mean nothing to me, or to anyone else, now. Yet they were valuable. My professor did not need to know anything more about whether the Allies overcame the Axis powers in World War II by virtue of superior numbers or by virtue of greater application of technology. Yet he forced me to write about it. I did. I don’t remember what I concluded, but the exercise, and many like it, was valuable because it taught me to think critically. It taught me to do careful research. It taught me to attempt to understand both sides of an argument before forming an opinion about a particular topic. Students are constantly required to do things that seem utterly irrelevant. Yet they must have faith that somehow these things will prove useful in the end.

When I was in the eleventh grade I decided to study Latin. I don’t remember what it was that compelled me to study the language, but I suspect it had something to do with the small class size. Where most classes in my high school had twenty five or thirty students, Latin usually had only seven or eight. And so it was that for a year I studied Latin. The teacher, Dr. Helder, quickly became my favorite teacher and grade eleven Latin stands out as my favorite class in all my years of high school. Dr. Helder was faced with the daunting task of making a group of teenagers enjoy Latin, a dead language. Yet he succeeded in making us not only learn the language but also in making us enjoy learning it. How did he do that? He proved to us that Latin is not dead, but in fact, is still in common use. One ongoing task throughout the year was to collect Latin words and phrases we found in books, newspapers and magazines. We were to collect all these examples and at the end of the year, part of our grade was based on how many of these we found. The more of the language we learned, the more Latin we found. As our eyes were opened to the language, suddenly we saw it all around us - in print, in law, in theology, in advertising, and just about everywhere else. And of course we also saw it in our own language and in other languages we studied. Latin brought English and French to life in a fresh way. The study of this dead language helped undergird my study of other languages and gave me a greater love and appreciation for my own language.

After I pointed to Perry Noble’s article yesterday I got a nice email from him. He wrote:

I picked up several hits from your blog today. WOW-you have some awesome insight…and I love your writing style-sarcastic, yet not in an attacking sort of way.

Let me be honest dude-I love what I do-I can’t believe the opportunity that Jesus has given me to work in His church. He changed my life…seriously, I was an awesome PAGAN…and then He rocked my world.

You say you are putting the fun in being a fundamentalist-I love it!

However, I think you may have slightly misunderstood my post in my letter to the staff. I never meant for it to get blown out of proportion. I am not anti-seminary; however, I do think it is a calling and not a biblical mandate.

I completed 36 hours towards my Masters degree in seminary…and I dropped out. Not because I was making bad grades; in fact, I was blowing most classes out of the water. It is just that the particular seminary I was in was not teaching me anything that I could practically use to assist the people I was ministering to.

Trust me-I believe that we should all immerse ourselves in the study of Scripture. We should know and be able to defend our doctrine…AND be able to recognize and refute heresy when we see it. And trust me…I am in the word every day! I do an incredible amount of research and study…and the more I learn…the more I realize that there is even more to learn.

So…in no way was I supporting ignorance…AT ALL!

And seriously-I did really like your analogy…my wife is a doctor & so I could see where you were coming from.

Now I realized that I was taking a risk in singling out Perry in my article yesterday. However, blogging, by its very nature, invites discussion and even critical discussion, so I do not think I ought to feel remorse for pointing to his article. He intended for it to be public and thus he invited discussion. And I was glad to see that he was not at all offended.

Neumatikos had the following to say about my analogy: “Despite the fact that I’m even now going to seminary, I think Tim Challies analogy is a false one. He wants to persuade people that you shouldn’t trust a minister without theological training any more than you would trust a doctor without medical training. That’s not necessarily true. Religious education in general is just as likely to lead you away from the gospel as toward it.” To be fair, my analogy was just that: an analogy. It was not meant to portray my full feelings on a subject but merely to make a comparison or suggestion. I do not feel that the medical field lends itself to a perfect comparison with the ministry. So let me clarify my feelings about seminary.

I do not feel that every person who desires to be a pastor or to be involved in vocational ministry must have graduated from seminary. Some of the pastors I respect most did not have a seminary education. Moody and Spurgeon are two names that spring to mind! But, while these men did not graduate from seminary, they were lifelong students. Spurgeon, especially, is known as being a voracious reader. He was reading the Puritans while still little more than an infant. He had a photographic memory and had intimate knowledge of thousands of commentaries and books. Also, to my knowledge, Spurgeon did not delight in his lack of formal education. In later years he trained thousands of pastors, affirming that he knew the importance of education. He realized that he was unique.

All this is to say that I do not feel that seminary education is always a necessity for a man who wishes to be a pastor. However, I do think a career as important as Minister of the Word is worth the time of preparation. At the very least a man can learn from and be mentored by men who are older and more advanced in sanctification than he is.

A commenter, Brian Thornton, did a good job of summarizing the purpose of my little parable. “I think Tim’s whole point - if I may speak for him - is that this pastor is wrong to discount the importance and value of preparing for the ministry…or for anything else related to teaching God’s people God’s truth. There has to be a foundation from which to build upon. And while there are examples of extraordinary men who have been used incredibly by God without the usual preparation prior to ministry…that is the exception rather than the rule.” Perry Noble does not feel that he has discounted the importance and value of preparing for the ministry, but that was certainly how I and others understood his words. This may not be what he meant, yet it is what he communicated.

So what I was reacting to was not so much the fact that Perry Noble has not graduated from seminary. I know nothing about his ministry and have not heard a word about him beyond what he wrote on his blog and what he subsequently told me in an email. He may be the next Charles Spurgeon for all I know! What I was reacting to was the anti-intellectual undertone in what he said. This statement was particularly alarming: “…as I look back I think that me lacking experience was a good thing because it forced me to rely on common sense rather than textbook procedure and principals.” This statement completely discredits a seminary education. To borrow from the military analogy, it assumes that digging ditches is in no way relevant to a career in the military. It assumes that many of the subjects in seminary, perhaps languages, church history, or hermeneutics, is a waste of time that will generate only useless head knowledge that a pastor will have to unlearn before he can be useful and relevant. It may even assume that principles and procedures, passed down through the history of the church, are useless.

Perry is not alone in this type of sentiment. It may be that I am reading too much into his words, but I think we can all think of people who feel that seminary is a waste of time, money and effort. I would agree that some seminaries probably are. But seminary education should not be discredited or regarded as something less than useful. I admire the humility of men who, realizing their lack of knowledge and realizing the importance of a solid foundation, invest a great deal of time and effort in formal training. To those who struggle with the usefulness of a particular subject or course of study, I would encourage you to ask the professor or other member of staff to explain how and why a particular course is relevant. I suspect you will come to see that no course is without both long term and short term benefit.

I do not believe that seminary is an absolute necessity. But I do believe that in most cases it will be of great benefit to a man who wishes to be a pastor. Seminary is not mandated by Scripture. Yet if a man desires to be a pastor and to bring God’s Word to His people week after week, should he not wish to ensure that he is adequately and properly prepared?

I went to the doctor the other day. I was shocked to find out that I have a rare genetic disorder that is going to require immediate attention. Apparently my duoduwhatzit is inflamed and is putting undue and unhealthy pressure on my intestinor majorus and my cardialitozalingdon. Thankfully humans can live fairly comfortably without the duoduwhatzit, so the doctor is suggesting that I have it removed immediately. He tells me that he is one of the foremost duoduwhatzit experts in this part of the world and that he would be glad to conduct the surgery for me.

I guess I’ll go ahead with the surgery. The surgeon sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. He certainly seemed to be familiar with my symptoms and his suggested remedy made perfect sense. He used small, simple words to explain the importance and functionality of the duoduwhatzit and to describe exactly how the procedure would take place. He made me understand just what’s at stake here. He seems like a nice guy and exudes confidence. Perhaps the greatest testament to his skill was his clinic. It was big and filled with fancy new equipment. The halls were packed full of people - there must have been forty or fifty staff members milling about and hundreds, perhaps even thousands of patients. I’m sure this is a testament to his great ability.

I did notice one peculiar thing about his office. Where most doctors have walls emblazoned with degrees and certifications, this doctor’s walls were quite bare. There was a large, color picture of him standing in the reception area with his staff and they all seemed very pleased. There was a small letter of congratulation from someone whose name escapes me, but I assume he is a high-ranking doctor who took the opportunity to commend this man’s practice. But that was it. I noticed as well that most of the people in the picture, obviously staff members who are involved in this man’s practice, were also young. There was hardly a grey-haired doctor to be found among them.

I asked the doctor about the bare walls and young faces. This is what he said:

Most of us are young—really young. Sure—there is a Caleb or two among us. However, the average age of this staff has to be in our late 20’s or early 30’s. Why is that? I believe it is because younger generations tend to believe in the power of medicine—we believe that if it is medically possible, that we can do it…well…then we can do it. Do not let the fact that you are young ever distract you from doing what your heart has called you to do! EVER!

I remember being 28 when we started this practice and people telling me that I was too young and that I lacked experience…as I look back I think that me lacking experience was a good thing because it forced me to rely on common sense rather than textbook procedure and principals.

Speaking of textbook…not many of us have been trained “medically.” In fact, I believe there is only one medical school graduate on staff. I remember talking to many of you about joining our staff and you making the comment, “But I don’t have a medical degree,” and then watching your face as I replied, “neither do I!”

Sure, there are people that may criticize that aspect of our clinic; however, when I look at the description given about some of my medical heroes…they are refered to as “unschooled, ordinary men.” I believe the medical establishment is looking for a few more of those—people who allow fate to lead and teach them common sense. Don’t get me wrong…I am not cracking on medical school…it’s just that it isn’t a mandate…and we have seen fruit without it.

I thought his words made great sense. He’s right! What use is a medical degree anyways? Let’s suppose that he had spent six or eight or ten years in college and medical school. What good would that do? He would have then had to spend several years unlearning all that head knowledge so he could learn to practically apply common sense medical procedures. I would far rather have a doctor rely on common sense then on what some “expert” wrote tens or hundreds of years ago. Seriously, textbook procedures and principals are so overrated.

One thing still bothers me just a little bit. I can’t help but wonder if it would be such a hardship to endure a few year’s preparation for as important a career as a medical doctor and surgeon. After all, if the job is that important, wouldn’t it be worth a person’s time to ensure that he is properly prepared? Wouldn’t his love for his chosen career compel him to desire training from others more advanced in the field? So many questions. Anyways, I don’t have time to think about it right now. My duoduwhatzit is throbbing and I’m going to go and have it removed. For some reason my life insurance policy will not cover this procedure. But that’s okay. I’m sure that I and my duoduwhatzit are in good hands.

By the way, before I head over to his clinic I thought I’d leave you with a link. This is an interesting open letter written by a pastor to the staff members at his church. It may ring a bell.