(part 1 here) I won’t offer too much by the way of reflection now, but a few common themes are present throughout the interviews. I’ll note the following:
The Path toward Scholarship
The common path into the academy for these Christians included not just a desire to do study, but more significantly, the encouragement of others to pursue the vocation–others who came alongside and noted their potential. To some extent my own experience is similar, and I’ve certainly heard many others share a similar story.
The False Dichotomy between the Church and Academy
None of those interviewed are really comfortable with dividing the Church and the (Christian) Academy, though it seems all agree there really is a chasm present. A common solution offered here included the scholar and pastor being involved in both arenas in one way or another.
A Unified Vision for Working in Both Arenas
Some of these scholar-pastors carefully articulated a vision in which their involvement in the academic study of the Bible and ministry in the local church were part of a single calling, a single vocation under the lordship of Christ.
Thanks for your diligence to blog, Josh! I am mindful today, in light of your recent reflections on the interviews, that words of correction and encouragement can stimulate those working in both fields. In other words, faculty supervisors who verbally stimulate students to think about the church can make a significant impact on the kingdom. Likewise, churches who verbally stimulate pastors toward formal study can have an impact on the kingdom. Russell Moore of SBTS commented on the latter in a recent piece in the WSJ (date and names escape me here).