John Owen is sometimes referred to as “the greatest British theologian of all time. “He lived in England in the 17th century when Puritanism was at its peak, dying at the age of sixty-seven in 1683. . His influence has been such that many of his works continue to be reprinted today.
Some may ask the question, “Why consider the thoughts of someone so far removed from the contemporary scene of theological education, after all?” There is an important reason to take what Owen has to say seriously: There is a widening gulf and gap between theologians and ministers in the pastorate. Theology, in practice, is increasingly the domain of the seminary, and the class is becoming smaller than the pastor of the local church. John Owen, on the other hand, was both a theologian and a pastor. Furthermore, it is typical of those reformers both on the Continent and in England that, like Merle d? Aubigné observed, ?? They always combined learned activities with their practical work: were these works their objectives, their studies their resources? [History of the Reformation, 2: 362]. Much of the tragic waste and weakness of the contemporary Church can be attributed to the divorce of theology and practical ministry. It seems logical to go back and examine what was essential in theological education in the minds of the great pastor-theologians of the Reformation, of which Owen is a striking example. Perhaps such a review will make a necessary correction.
- Before we can understand Owen’s essential prerequisites for theological teaching.
- We must familiarize ourselves with Owen’s position on the objectives of theological teaching.
- For Owen.
- The search for knowledge was his primary goal and his main goal.
- First of all: to live in an acceptable way.
- Way before God? [Biblical Theology 668] and.
- Secondly.
- The culture of the most holy and sweet communion with God.
- Where does the true happiness of humanity reside?[Biblical Theology 618].
- Needless to say.
- It maintained this objective as fundamental to theological study; He hoped that ministers would be affected by the word of God on a personal level before his promotion to the Crown; it was only then that he considered men qualified to pursue the development of skills and skills in the practical areas of service [John Owen Works 9: 455-463].
One thing remains clear in Owen’s writings: neither theology, nor practical ministry, nor even the educational process have always served as an end in itself, his goal has always been for the glory of God to manifest itself through the life of the student minister. and that God’s presence manifests itself in his life and ministry, both come from communion with God on a personal level, it is a euphemism to say that the modern paradigms of theological education, which emphasize processes and results, do not edify the pastor or student To increase their own communion with God. One only has to look at the level of frustration and disappointment of ministers to realize that Owen’s goal is not currently being estimated and is rarely achieved.
At this point, many readers may be tempted to stop reading. To the modern mind, Owen’s essential prerequisites for theological teaching are so simple that they are absurd: the student of theology must be fully converted to Christ. However, it is only in recent times. history of the Church that conversion to Christ has indeed become a case, a question, a simple question In times of awakening and authentic reform, what the modern Church takes only as information (that salvation is a quick question and easy) is the central element of the life of the Church. That was certainly true in Owen’s day. The conversion of the soul was of vital importance.
Not addressing the question of the need for regeneration in theological education does little more than admit that genuine reform of the Church does not deserve to be persecuted. Maybe we should listen to what Owen has to say.
First, Owen asserts that the discipline of theology is unique. It is the opposite of natural science, which is not based on observation, but on God’s revelation in Scripture. The theologian must necessarily be a student of the “book. ” However, in Owen’s mind, mere recognition of the authority and truth of Scripture is not enough to ensure success in theological research. The Bible cannot be approached in the same way that university students from other disciplines search for texts related to their own field. For Owen, the reason is quite simple: the Bible is God’s book, revealing a truth that can only be discovered by revealing it. The truths of Scripture cover the most important questions that can occupy the mind of man: the character of God, human sin, human incapacity, and the glorious work of redemption in Christ. For Owen, the Scriptures must be approached with the same reverence that is due to God, because in them God has spoken. Therefore, theology students must understand that the nature of Scripture demands more than unaided human reason can provide. This must be understood and corrected before any benefit can be gained from your studies. In making this point, Owen exclaims:
“O may God open the eyes of the scholars so that they may see that theological questions are totally different from the goals of philosophy, and that their study needs a different mental attitude, another disposition of character, of a new heart, than these. Are you used to getting close?On the wheel of human learning ?!He also stated that “no one can properly understand or understand evangelical theology by human strength or trust in intellect, using external help that he will do” [Biblical Theology 592].
So for Owen, theology cannot be a strictly human work. Neither God nor Scripture can be studied in the same way that a biologist, for example, approaches dissection. The theology student must have a different attitude towards this subject – a different mind; because it is the noblest goal. Your field of work demands much more than you are capable of. Your theme inspires respect and adoration. His method emphasizes a new heart and strict discipline. Its purpose is not so much to catalog as to classify; but become a worshiper and a servant. Just as God is the source of the Scriptures, He is also the source of a regenerated heart. The student pastor must recognize this and respond to it by dedicating his life to achieving this goal. With these things in mind, it is not surprising that Owen dogmatically asserts that God must be an active participant in the study of theology; and without your participation nothing important will be gained. He commented: “For my part, if I bring to this study an understanding that God is pleased to grant me, and if he has blessed my purpose and prayer for it, and for my work the godly benefit of it. Do I consider that, among so many blessings, have I only received sovereign grace? [Biblical Theology 592]. An essential thing for theological study is that the person who sets himself such a goal must be born again completely – in a salvation and necessary corollary to the regeneration of the student is that those who teach theology must also be the recipients of a regenerated heart before they can bear the title of theologians in the full sense of the word. As Owen points out, Do not ever give the title of theologian to anyone who is not a follower of Christ, nor to anyone who is not Christian, nor to those who cannot do the things that Christ ordained? [Biblical Theology 616].
This is essential, the consideration that is normally ignored as a fact, because without it, man does not have the capacity to understand and benefit from the scriptures; It is also powerless to resist the great temptation to which many theologians and theological schools succumb: To incorporate the objectives and methods of other disciplines for students in theological teaching, to gain the attention and respect of scholars outside the Church. Owen recognized this temptation to corrupt scripture study as existing in the early Church, citing Paul’s defense of his ministry to the Church of Corinth and his Ephesians 1: 8-9,17,19 and Colossians 1: 27-28, 2: 2, 8-9 Owen correctly identified the source of this corruption, as a desire of un regenerated theologians to make their own theology according to the method of the un regenerated , to elevate theology to the respectability of the world and win the praise of men.
The disadvantage of such conduct is that the truth of the gospel is undermined by such enterprise. Therefore, the message of the gospel, instead of being the clear sound of a trumpet, takes the form of a confusing conversation to three bands that no one understands and few listen to. The student pastor unconsciously descends from the clean air of his God’s mountain, and his theology of God is stirred in the mud of religious charism and manipulation. In this place, does it end?at best, heartless, techniques of a useless intellect that fulfills its professional duty because of its gods. If John Owen were to evaluate theological education today, he might well conclude that the big problems are not in the methods or institutions, but in Adam, who rarely questions his government.
Reverend Charles Bradley is pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church associated with hopewell in Culleoka, Tennessee.
By Reverend Charles Bradley © 2013 John Owen All Rights Reserved Original: The Precondition for Theological Education According to John Owen
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