Richard Pratt: “You should not do what we have done in the West. The results of that approach have become clear.”
TGC Asks: What one thing you would change about seminary? Can you imagine what kind of soldiers our nation would have if basic training amounted to reading books, listening to lectures, writing papers, and taking exams? We’d have dead soldiers. The first time a bullet wizzed past their heads on the battlefield, they’d panic. The first explosion they saw would send them running. So, what is basic training for the military? Recruits learn the information they need to know, but this is a relatively small part of their preparation. Most of basic training is devoted to supervised battle simulation. Recruits are put through harrowing emotional and physical stress. They crawl under live bullet fire. They practice hand to hand combat.
D.A. Carson’s answer was the best — I like it a lot! It is probably meant more to answer perceived shortcomings at the BIG seminaries such as TEDS where some aspects of the available academia may have little or nothing to do with preparation for pastoral ministry.
Pratt’s portion is thought-provoking, but perhaps a little extreme. I do agree, however, that sometimes seminary — especially the “practical theology” courses, which are supposed to teach, well, “practical theology” — can get a little too theoretical. Or sometimes a prof’s definition of being “practical” involves relating anecdotes of things that happened to him in the 1960s in Timbuktoo, North/South Dakota :-} 8-)
The “practical” reality is that when a pastor leaves seminary to pastor that first “little church in a little town,” he will in effect — legally, even if not Biblically — be the CEO of a “small non-profit business.” Very likely, that “small business” will be out of step with reality on a host of issues, including tax law, employment law, insurance, child protection policies, financial policies, etc., etc. This is before the pastor ever even begins dealing with hospital calls, jail calls, crisis counseling, death and dying issues, etc, etc. (And yet some people in “our circles” think that spending three years in seminary to prepare for this is too much :-{( :cry: .)
On a more spiritual/practical level, if I were operating a seminary, I would probably make Evangelism Explosion a mandatory part of the curriculum. That would also shore up some shortcomings. H:)
Pratt’s portion is thought-provoking, but perhaps a little extreme. I do agree, however, that sometimes seminary — especially the “practical theology” courses, which are supposed to teach, well, “practical theology” — can get a little too theoretical. Or sometimes a prof’s definition of being “practical” involves relating anecdotes of things that happened to him in the 1960s in Timbuktoo, North/South Dakota :-} 8-)
The “practical” reality is that when a pastor leaves seminary to pastor that first “little church in a little town,” he will in effect — legally, even if not Biblically — be the CEO of a “small non-profit business.” Very likely, that “small business” will be out of step with reality on a host of issues, including tax law, employment law, insurance, child protection policies, financial policies, etc., etc. This is before the pastor ever even begins dealing with hospital calls, jail calls, crisis counseling, death and dying issues, etc, etc. (And yet some people in “our circles” think that spending three years in seminary to prepare for this is too much :-{( :cry: .)
On a more spiritual/practical level, if I were operating a seminary, I would probably make Evangelism Explosion a mandatory part of the curriculum. That would also shore up some shortcomings. H:)
Church Ministries Representative, serving in the Midwest, for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry
Dr. Pratt’s points are well-made, yet, I think they come from his background as a Reformed Presbyterian. Obviously, that segment of Christianity highly prizes theory and academic learning. His complaint makes sense within that context. I wonder, though, if he would temper his remarks if he had grown up in a segment of Christendom where “Bible College” meant “learn how to knock on doors and run a bus ministry.” In Fundamentalism (particularly in the South), it’s difficult enough to persuade people that learning, theology, and philosophy have anything to do with pastoring.
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Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin
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