Why a Good Pastor is Theological

Why a Good Pastor is Theological

In our last post we noted that one prominent preacher was lauded for not being “preachy or theological.” In the opinion of the admirer of this preacher, this was the reason why he had such a large following and success in ministry. While it is not my intent to disparage this pastor as an individual or discredit his ministry, the idea of a good pastor not being preachy or theological caught my attention. There are many young pastors and even older pastors who desire to make an impact for the kingdom of God who may be swayed to believe that being “preachy and theological” is a negative thing. We will be tempted to think that if we what to make an impact in our postmodern culture we must resort to some techniques that go beyond the basics of “mere” Bible preaching and study. Such things are too antiquated to reach this generation. This, however, is wrong. On the contrary, a quick glance at Scripture and the history of the church will show that faithful pastors have always been strong in both expository preaching and theological study. In this blog, we ask the question, “Should a good pastor be theological?”

Much like the word “preach” the word “theology” carries a negative connotation in society. Even people within the church shrink back from the word “theology” as if it carries a virus. Specifically in our more charismatic Christian churches, you will often hear people say that being too theological will hinder the “move of the Spirit.” There is this unfound belief that if we are too intellectual concerning the things of God, we will in some way “quench the spirit.” This fear can be justified if we are leaning upon our own knowledge as functional justification and esteeming our intellect as higher than the Word of God. However, more times than not the fear of Christians being so intellectual that they will hinder God’s will is unwarranted. On the contrary to being too intellectual, most of the Christian church has embraced anti-intellectualism. I Corinthians 8:1 is often used to justify this anti-intellectualism in the church, which says, “Knowledge puffs up.” Put in it’s proper context, however, this statement is meant to show that knowledge misused by arrogance is what is dangerous, not knowledge itself. If we wrongly believe that knowledge will automatically make us arrogant and not humble, we will subconsciously flee from knowledge. Unfortunately, this is what has happened in many of our churches. Young people grow up in the church ignorant of even the basics of Biblical knowledge. When our sermons and services are heavy on feelings and emotions while shallow on doctrine and theology, the results in the long run are less than desirable. This is not an attack against feelings, per se. Anyone who can delve into the Scriptures and discover the truths of the Gospel without exuding passion or emotion should be checked to see of they have a heartbeat! It should be impossible to behold the glory of God and stand in his presence without showing some kind of emotion. The emotive nature of people is not what is being challenged, however; it is our lack of depth and knowledge of the Word of God. We have forgotten how to think things through to the bottom, becoming more content with accepting what appears on the surface. Is not this the cause of our fascination with flare, popularity, and the hype of celebrity-type personalities?

Every pastor should be theological, though not every pastor will be a theologian. It is the pastor’s high calling to lead the people into the depths of Scripture. The word theology simply means the “study of God.” It is recognized that there are different types of modes of preaching. Some preaching will lean on the side of being more illustrative or inspirational. Other times the preaching will be more logical. But always should the preaching be "theology on fire". The great pastor of the Westminster Chapel, Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, said, “There is no type of preaching that should be non-theological……….in many ways evangelistic preaching should be more, rather than less theological. Why is it that you call people to repent? Why do you call them to believe the Gospel? You cannot deal properly with repentance without dealing with the doctrine of man, the doctrine of the Fall, the doctrine of sin and the wrath of God against sin………..In other words it is all highly theological.”

When a pastor preaches the Scriptures, he appeals to the heart of man, but he also appeals to the mind of man. Jesus said we are to “love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind” (Matthew 22:37). Our worship of God cannot go beyond our knowledge of God. When we use our minds to search and drink from the well of the Scriptures, we are worshipping and loving God. Every good pastor will endeavor to prompt God’s people to this place of worship by drawing from a deep well of theology.