The 2022 biennial State of Theology study conducted by Lifeway Research revealed some troubling findings about the level of Theological literacy in the church. According to the survey, nearly 3 in 4 (73%) believe Jesus is the “first and greatest being created by God,” and 60% believe the Holy Spirit is “an impersonal force, but not a personal being.” We have a problem.
So how should pastors and church leaders address this doctrinal deficiency?
I’d like to humbly offer five suggestions:
1. Joyfully Embrace The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy
A big temptation for those of us with seminary training is to roll our eyes and decry the state of the church. Or maybe we mock the preferences of the people in the pews: the music, the books, and the content they consume. While that kind of reaction might go viral among the leadership class on social media, it doesn’t help people grow in their theological understanding.
Instead, pastors should embrace this moment as an opportunity to teach afresh wonderful, life-giving, soul-stirring Christian orthodoxy. We’ve been given a body of truth, handed down by the Apostles, entrusted to our care as pastors and teachers. Teaching the truth is our mission.
Paul’s Advice to a Young Leader
In his final letters, Paul urged the young Timothy to “command and teach these things” (1 Timothy 4:11) and to “commit” this body of truth to “faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Consequently, I believe part of the answer to Biblical illiteracy isn’t arrogance but humble obedience to the call to teach theology joyfully. We have the privilege, in 2022, to help open the eyes, hearts, and minds of those who sit under our teaching.
2. Don’t Assume a Level of Theological Literacy
Not everyone is at the Theological level they should be. This reality has become obvious everywhere I’ve pastored. There may have been a time in recent history when evangelical churchgoers possessed a basic theology framework. After all, when attending perhaps three services a week, there was a substantial opportunity for theological instruction.
But today, consider that the average churchgoer may only attend church twice a month and likely hears less than an hour of sermon content. The rest of their weeks may be filled with other voices, some amplifying Christian truth and others directly countering it. So, the starting place of our preaching should be simple, straightforward, and accessible.
Meat People Where They Are
However, the existence of Biblical illiteracy in the pews, doesn’t mean we water down the sacred mysteries of the Bible. On the contrary, we thoughtfully lead our people to the food of God’s Word instead of assuming they know what we are talking about.
This might mean that in our preaching, we intentionally explain key terms—terms we were probably able to assume people understood in another era. It means we recommend good books and resources. It means we’re patient, and kind when, in our conversations, our parishioners don’t quite understand the theological language we’ve become accustomed to using.
Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, patiently feeds and cares for us, His sheep. And so must faithful pastors patiently, carefully care for their sheep.
3. Be Intentional About Addressing the Biblical Illiteracy
Given the impoverished state of theological literacy, every church needs to have a plan. This likely includes intentionally explaining and teaching critical theological concepts during exegetical preaching. But it also means we should be creative about other formats where we might teach sound theology, such as small group time and special classes. We might encourage one-on-one discipleship that is intentional and focused.
Pastors also, in many ways, serve as curators. We should regularly recommend good books to our people to help them see and understand Christian teaching. Churches might even put the regular and free distribution of books in their annual budgets to help encourage growth.
Theological training should also not merely be focused on adults. Churches should be intentional about catechizing children in Christian orthodoxy in age-appropriate ways. Thankfully, in the last few years, a plethora of helpful resources have been produced that can help parents and children’s ministry workers explain Gospel truths.
4. Find Ways to Bridge The Gap
I believe every Christian who can go to seminary should. I’m grateful for my training and am glad to work at a school training the next generation for ministry. But there will be many in our churches who, for whatever reason, cannot go to school for formal theological education. So, congregations, large and small, need to prioritize ways to bridge the academy and the laity. For some churches with adequate resources, this might mean developing institutes. For smaller churches, this could look like theology classes or weaving theological education in small groups or Sunday School.
If we don’t prioritize theological education, people will not have the foundations to resist heresy and false teaching that confuse and destroy Christian growth. Learning theology shouldn’t merely be a hobby for the academically gifted but a priority for every follower of Jesus.
5. Consider Theological Training
Every generation needs to hear the beautiful and sacred “faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” (Jude 3). We can’t assume that our task is complete because we had classes five years ago. People are streaming into our congregations, some new believers and others who have never been properly instructed.
By assuming they’ll be “OK”, we’re forfeiting the opportunity to obey Christ’s command to “teach them to observe everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20).
Moreover, our children and their children need to hear and learn the Gospel in their generation. We should never tire of sharing the same old, wonderful story year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation. This is a theme throughout the Scripture. We have been given the glorious task of passing on God’s good story again and again.
By Daniel Darling
Thanks for Being Awesome
Sources
- Originally posted on pastorhogg.net
- The State of Theology Study: by Lifeway
