Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? - Religion - Nairaland
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Religion / Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? (968 Views)
Opinion: Women Preaching In The Church Is Not Biblical And Its Forbidden. / The Bankruptcy Of The Prosperity Gospel: An Exercise In Biblical And Theological / Inviting Tithers To A Theological Discuss with Miwerds and Candour On Tithing (2) (3) (4)
| Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 4:52am On Sep 10, 2009 |
It is sad but true that when you consider how some ministers of the gospel handle the Holy Scriptures from their pulpits, administer the affairs of their churches, respond to social and other societal problems, it becomes glaringly evident that some of these people need have an educational upgrade in Biblical and Theological disciplines. This is particularly true amongst charismatic/pentecostal ministers who think that getting theological training is a waste of time since they have the Holy Spirit to teach them. Consider your various church contexts and tell us: Should pastors get biblical and theological training? Does such education obviate the ministry of the Holy Spirit in any way?  Have your say |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by KunleOshob(m): 8:35am On Sep 10, 2009 |
Apart from the fact that most of them have no business being pastors because they have the wrong motivation [they see it as a profession/means of income which shouldn't be] i agree with you that a good number of them are very poorly trained especially in the pentecostal/charismatic movements that have now commercialized the religion. A lot of these pastors are sooo shallow that sometimes i feel like mounting the pulpit and slapping them for the utter rubbish they are spewing out. It can be very discouraging listening to a pastor that has no knowledge to offer you as far as the scriptures is concerned or whose understanding of the scriptures is much poorer than yourself. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by petres007(m): 11:50am On Sep 10, 2009 |
Of course ministers should have a thorough knowledge of the scriptures (as if they have an alternative  ) but I don't think it has to be something formal. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by petres007(m): 11:56am On Sep 10, 2009 |
Furthermore, I think the very idea of a pastor claiming the "Holy Spirit" teaches him all he needs to know and uses that to justify his ignorance of the scriptures if false. The Holy Spirit no longer gives anyone any new revelation other than what's been revealed by the prophets and ultimately, by God's son (Hebrews 1:2) - and by extension, the apostles. Everybody else (ministers) should defer to what was laid down by them. Here's a clear example of what our ministers should be doing, rather than waiting on some voice to speak to them: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by PastorAIO: 12:02pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
But how much of a literary tradition is christianity? How many of the early christians were literate people? Were those slaves and fishermen and outcast of society really expected to 'read your bible, pray everyday and you will grow grow grow'? Pray everyday, yes, but read your bible? oops, I forgot, the bible didn't exist then. So let's just say scriptures instead. I'm not saying yea or nay, I'm just perusing the matter. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by KunleOshob(m): 12:20pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
again motive and understanding matters, in my opinion most pastors don't even understand the true essence of the gospel of christ as it is hardly ever mentioned or emphasized in churches talkless of practicalizing it. As pastor AIO implied, the gospel cannot be that complicated as the disciples that preserved it and were commissioned to preach it by christ were mostly illirate or with limited educational background with the exception of Paul who was a lawyer. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 2:04pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
KunleOshob: No wonder the Lord used Paul to write more than half of the New Testament due to his education as a Jewish scholar. It was this cultivated mind that God used to grant us an understanding of God's purpose for humanity from the foundation of the world. If you think that training should not be formal you need to rethink your stance. Consider the the interpretation of Scriptures: There are principles governing the interpretation of any literary document of historical significance. These principles have become a literary science called Hermeneutics. If a man has not studied Hermeneutics, you'll be surprised at how erroneously he would interpret the Bible. I have heard a pastor teach that the fruit that Eve ate in the Garden of Eden was "sex" |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by abose(m): 2:13pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
Anytime you hear "God told me" from a preacher/pastor, RUN! Most of the charismatic/pentecostal preachers/pastors we see today are in it for the money, they are doing this because they couldn't find jobs or cut it in other areas or just because this is more lucrative with no accountability whatsoever. I am skeptical of a whole bunch of them for good reason. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 2:26pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
abose: That is soooooo true; this "God told me" syndrone. Every pentecostal pastor has now become a prophet of some kind -- foretelling people this, that or the other. This is a classic example of the pastor who has nothing solid to teach God's people; therefore the "God told me" or the "Holy Spirit revealed to me" cpmpensate for their lack of the knowledge of the Word. It is so sad. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Krayola2(m): 2:26pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
How/why is Paul's "God told me" different from anybody else's? |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by KunleOshob(m): 2:36pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
Krayola2:You seem to have a big problem with Apostle Paul |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Krayola2(m): 2:40pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
haha. I don't have a problem with anybody. I just think that as human beings we need to recognize that no human being is perfect. . . including Paul. "God told me" has always been how religions have spread. . .it isn't anything new |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by KunleOshob(m): 2:44pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
abose: But our highly reverred daddy G.O claims he as one on one conversations with God  are you saying we should start running from him |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 2:46pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
Krayola2: Let me be clear about one thing, there are genuine, and gifted individuals who have been endowed with such gifts of the Spirit. But isn't it strange that almost every pastor you meet operates as a prophet? I think it would be completely presumtious of anyone to compare the apostle Paul with some of our pastors around today. When Paul opened his mouth to speak, or when he wrote a letter, his words and letters became "Holy Writ" period.  :' YOU CANNOT ARGUE WITH THAT, CAN YOU?( |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 2:58pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
KunleOshob: That is the essence of being a child of God. It is called "cummuning with your heavenly Father." It is only sad that these "highly reverred daddies" do not teach that this is normal instead they exalt this exercise called prayer and mystify it. That way you get to believe anything they tell you as from the Lord. The same thing happened in the early history of the church when church leaders kept the Bilbe hidden from the public/ congregation; only priests were allowed to read the Bible and tell the people "thus says the Lord". It is called "control". |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by KunleOshob(m): 3:05pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
@Krayola2 If you read about Paul's past when he was a jewish persecutor of chrisitans and his travails as an Apostle you would realise that the man could ot have been fake. I studied his writtings critically and i am certain that the man must have been truely called and divinely inspired. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 3:21pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
KunleOshob: A brother like you who has cultivated the habit of critical study will always pose a threat to these pastors who have nothing to offer God's people beside "God tole me". I do not see how anyone could possibly question Paul's credentials as a divniely called individual. Our problem is the lack of sound Biblical teachings in our churches. Why is this the case? The men/women (if the men will give the women chance) in our pulpits do not qualify as teachers-- they are simply ignorant of God's Word. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Krayola2(m): 3:52pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
KunleOshob: I've read soooo much about Paul, any more and I'll have to change my last name to Paul. I'm not sayin he was a fake. . . .I'm saying he wasn't perfect. We need to stop deifying human beings. We can revere them without pretending they are without fault. That is one of the problems with the way religions evolve. We start to treat one man`s perspective as the be all and end all of everything, and then there isn`t much room for growth. Just my opinion. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 4:29pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
Krayola2: I quite agree with you there; however even the apostle Paul did not consider himself perfect in any sense of the word. His claims: (see Philippians 3:12,13 as well as Romans 7); he went on to declare that he was what he was by the grace of God. No one is his/her right frame of mind, or have an read the book of Acts would deify Paul since he even rejected same in the book of Acts (Acts 14:8-15). Well said Krayola2. However the main issue at stake concerns these pastors who have no form of training whatsoever and stand to teach God's people what they have not learned themselves. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by abose(m): 7:25pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
KunleOshob: Anything a Christian ought to do is "walk" and anything a Christian is not supposed to do, we must "flee" from. The Apostle Paul taught a lot and didn't do all the stuff we see from these guys today neither did he teach anything different from what Jesus Christ taught. One can see a whole service now with these new breed without any reference to Christ or his teachings but mainly on wealth, you will not die and other worldly teachings. As always, buyer beware  |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 7:39pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
@abose I couldn't agree with you more abose Why do you think these ministers do not teach the fundamentals of the Christian faith? There might be several reasons but ignorance of the Scriptures should not be outruled. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by abose(m): 8:04pm On Sep 10, 2009 |
Equipper: Ignorance could be part of it but I am more inclined to think they focus on their "bottom line", If they can't find a passage that helps to fleece the flock, they tend to focus "motivational speak" to "lift" the crowd enough to open their wallets. Money indeed is the root cause of all evil and I feel sorry for those who exploit the Bible for personal gain.  |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 3:00pm On Sep 11, 2009 |
I'm sure you mean "the love of money is the root of all evil." By the way I am not into judging the motives of the heart; that is the sole prerogative of God, what I am most concerned about is the downright ignorance of preachers who mislead God's people from the pulpit. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by donnie(m): 10:02pm On Sep 11, 2009 |
I remember growing up as a young christian how i devoured the scriptures and saught God with all my heart I grew quite fast (thanks to the kind of ministry i belonged to- we are taught the word raw with practical sessions). In a short while, i began to teach the Word to pastors from other ministries whom i had as friends. They will invite me to come preach in their churches but i'll say "No sir, go see my pastor". I said this to say that God has endowed our nation with ministry gifts but not very many church ministries know how to partake of these various gifts given to the body. Most of the preachers we have in our country are evangelists. Not many teachers. You do not learn this teaching gift or earn it. It is not bought and sold. It dosnt come by fineness of speach or of accent but by the Holy ghost who gives freely as He chooses. It is one of the five- fold ministries: Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. Eph 4:11-12. The evangelist may preach and inspire the people but only the teaching ministry brings the people into a union or participation with the message that is preached such that the people leave the place with the mentality of victors and they overcome when faced with challenges because now they know how to use the word by themselves. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is an annointed teacher of the Word. He is a gift, not just to Christ Embassy but to the body of Christ all over the world. That is why the God will do it for you message is not popular at Christ Embassy. The people are being brought into their inheritance in Christ through the teaching of God's Word. That is why i feel sorry for those who fight or speak evil against the man. Because they fight the very help they need. . . just as they did Jesus. That's why I am excited to be in church, cos its a time of fellowship with the Word and the Spirit. It's a time to hear God speak to me one on one. The pastor speaks from the outside but there is another teacher speaking on the inside at the same time. You are motivated to put the Word to work for yourself and testimonies abound everyday to the glory of God. I remember years ago we went on street evangelism and a young girl who joined us tried to convince a man of Christ but the man argued, refutting her claims about Jesus, calling himslef an atheist. Then all of a sudden the girl spoke by the Holy ghost, you have a sick mum at home and mentioned the exact illness. The man was in shock at hw the girl got to know and surrendered his heart to Christ. This is the kind of christian upbringing i have. We study the word and give ourselves to training as though our lives depended on our study. We fast and pray as though our lives depended on prayer. We evangelize as though Christ is coming today. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 11:01pm On Sep 11, 2009 |
You must be very fortunate to be part of the Word centred fellowship or ministry. There are those who are not so fortunate; they are exposed to erroneous teachings from pastors who have not been taught themselves. It is sad o; so sad. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Nobody: 6:41am On Sep 12, 2009 |
@donnie Will you shut up? Oyakhilome is a typical example of a daft and dubious pastor who constantly spews out rubbish and calls it teaching to the bunch of deluded lunatics that idolize him. It is ignorant preachers like oyakhilome this thread seeks to address so stop insulting our intelligence by using the crook as an example of a good preacher. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Nobody: 8:08am On Sep 12, 2009 |
There is no need to setup a university to have the knowledge of divinity. Didnt the great teacher chose from ordinary people instead of the learned pharisees and saducees. This is to show to you that the way to heaven and understanding of divinity is very simple that can be understood by simple men. We humans have so erred that we no longer understand messages from on high. There wouldnt have been no need for this so-called pastors. The israelis cried unto GOD, and he heard their cries. There was no intercession made for them by 'pastors'. |
| Re: Is There A Need For Pastors To Have A Sound Biblical And Theological Education? by Equipper: 5:32pm On Sep 12, 2009 |
But when it came time for God to give us the revelation of the origins of life, sin, etc he chose Moses who was obviously the most educated Hebrew for he was "learned in all the wisdom of Egypt." when he wanted to give us a complete revelation of His plans through the ages, and to formulate the doctrine of the church -- a task which would take up More than two thirds of the New Testament, He chose Paul, a Jewish scholar of the highest order. We do not ignore the fact that God has used common, ignorant men, but that is not to say that Pastors should not be educated in the very Bible they are supposed to be teaching others. The Bible is a complex book not just because it is the Word of God but because it was written at a time and in a culture far removed from ours by thousands of years. There are are literary issues that can only be discerned by the ones who have been trained: e.g. There are different literary genre in the Bible which cannot be approached the same way; you cannot approach a historical narrative as you would poetry, apocalyptic, or parables. Interpretation is a complex literary science that demands some measure of training. Get that ? |
(1) (Reply)
Maybe Jesus Is Not Coming Back / Xmas Day Calamity Near Suleja. / The Most Viewed "Religion" Thread
(Go Up)
| Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 64 |