Post 20-On Getting More Education

    

 Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2016 5:30 PM
Subject: On getting more education

Hey Dana

      As I was preparing one of the posts, in it you were questioning whether you should go back to school for more education.  Personally, I don't believe it is necessary (Acts 4:13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+4%3A13&version=NIV) but I recently found the attached. Calvary Chapel, worldwide, puts out a book with its distinctives. Chuck Smith (founder) deals with the subject of more education for church leaders. Perhaps this might help if you are still weighing the idea of going back to school.

       (Note from John: This link is to the book Calvary Chapel Distinctives by Chuck Smith.  It is free to download.  https://archive.org/details/2000BookCalvaryChapelDistinctivesDigEd Beginning on page 106 through to 112 are Smith’s views on more education that I sent Dana. I agree with much of what Smith says.)

John

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Dana Responds

Date: Mon, Oct 24, 2016 at 9:24 AM
Subject: Re: on getting more education

John,

     Yes, I'd love the opportunity to go back to school and get a Master’s degree in Sacred Theology, and perhaps even a doctoral degree.  While I appreciate Chuck Smith's chapter in his "Calvary Chapel Distinctives", and agree with him even, I believe one can take his logic and paint it with too wide of a brush.  God uses whom He will, and in several of the accounts of different characters of the Bible, He sometimes (though not always) used the least likely candidate (from the world's perspective).  

      Once I heard a parody in a sermon preached by Alistair Begg, on who might have been Jesus' disciples had He accepted resumes.  The only disciple who had a good enough resume for selection as a disciple ended up being Judas Iscariot. It was comical, but stingingly true.

       God often chooses an unlikely candidate to show His power, working through these least likely candidates so that He gets the glory and not man.  I do understand that, and give God glory for it.  Man (generally speaking) needs no special qualifications to be used of God, if God has selected him or her for an appointed task, and that person humbly accepts, trusts and obeys.

      But on the other hand, God also uses particularly gifted, trained or educated people to accomplish His will and plans.  In our opening post I said that while not a Bible scholar, I am a big fan of Bible scholars, and refer to them often (constantly).  Most of these scholars possess an earned PhD in their particular field of study.  They have provided an invaluable amount of resources to pastors, teachers and students of the Word.  So we have to strike a balance between God's use of the uneducated and the educated; between the untrained and the trained in accomplishing His purposes.  Case in point, Amos was a shepherd, and Luke was a physician.

     We must be careful not to become elitists, regardless of our educational status.  Let me give an example from a book about a Presbyterian minister named Robert Childress, who grew up and ministered in (at the time) a particularly rough and tumble region of the Blue Ridge Mountains near where I live, titled "The Man Who Moved A Mountain," by Richard C. Davids.  https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Moved-Mountain/dp/080061237X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483537560&sr=8-1&keywords=richard+c.+davis

     Rev. Childress grew up in this remote, uncivilized region of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Southeastern Virginia. He was a rough character, aligned with moonshiners, outlaws, and a real cast of ne'er-do-wells.  He was the least likely candidate to end up a seminary educated minister who exercised as much influence as he did.  He got saved and eventually went to Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and then returned to his homeland as an ordained Presbyterian Minister. I'm not sure of the exact dating of his story, but it would have been in the early 1900's as there exist photos of Rev. Childress, and one shows him beside a Model T or Model A Ford automobile he used to get around.

     Dominating the religious scene in that area of the mountains at the time, were what used to be referred to as "Hard Shell Baptists."  Their ministers were uneducated to the point of illiteracy, preaching from a Bible that they had never read and couldn't read had they tried.  They would often drink moonshine liquor before preaching (I guess to "get in the spirit").  And, they were predestinationalists to the point where if Person A pointed a pistol at Person B, and shot them, and consequently Person B died as a result of said shooting, that Person A couldn't be held responsible for their action, because God had predestined it to happen.  If they weren't snake handlers themselves, they were only a step away.

     Many of these Hard Shells resented Rev. Childress because he was educated, and therefore not under the influence of Holy Spirit, although Rev. Childress brought real and lasting Christianity to that region which exists to this day.  He built five stone churches along a stretch of what's now the Blue Ridge Parkway, and all of those churches are still open and having services today--pastored until just recently by Rev. Childress' son, who followed in his father's footsteps.

    In one account mentioned in the Mr. Davids’ book, Rev. Childress entered a store where he encountered one of his Hard Shell rivals, who said aloud to him, "Education ain't religion!"  To which Rev. Childress replied, "Neither is ignorance."

    Once while at VFCC, I heard Del Tarr speak, and he made a very important point when he said, "We need a balance of both heat and light in our churches."  And getting back to my point of elitism on both sides, Del Tarr was pointing out that those without education felt spiritually superior to those who possessed an education, and those with education often looked down on the uneducated.  Both sides of that argument are wrong, and are more concerned with their own egos than they are with the furtherance of the Kingdom.  

     The fact is that both sides do actually and equally need each other.  The scholars need to be kept from making Christianity too clinical and sterile, and the uneducated need the work of scholars to keep them from running the train off the tracks and into grievous error.  God uses both, equally, in building the body of Christ, while putting the premium on neither.

      That said, I agree that education is not "necessary" for usefulness in God's service.  But God does give some people the ability and the desire to study the Bible, ancient languages, theology, church history, and ancient Near East history and culture, hence, we have scholars. 

      The first two "Spiritual gifts" listed in Paul's discourse on the subject in 1st Corinthians 12 are considered intellectual gifts, in that God the Holy Spirit exercises the gifts of Word of Knowledge and Word of Wisdom through people generally inclined towards study and education.  He's not limited to having to use that kind of individual for the expression of those gifts, but will do so more often than not.

     The Spiritual gifts, as I was taught, are the supernatural enhancements of a person's God-given traits and abilities for the betterment of the Church and the progression of the Kingdom.  This was witnessed in the Holy Spirit enhancing the gifts of the craftsmen who built the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle, and, Paul, who was an Old Testament scholar, would have had that in mind when he explained how the gifts operate in the New Testament Church.    

     And I must add, that most of the scholars I read, both living and dead, have been reputed by their peers, parishioners, students, and fellow scholars to have been extremely devout and Godly people.  They weren't just cold, arrogant, walking repositories of knowledge, but were, in fact, totally sold out to God, and were loved and respected by many who knew them.

     So yeah, I would love to go back to school, as I love to study and learn, and at times feel that I cannot get enough.  But God has not made that way open to me, as I can in no way afford higher education, and if I borrowed the money to pay for such education, I fear that I could not hope to pay it back in what time left that the Lord has allotted to me, even if He grants me to live to be 100. Also by the time I could procure those degrees, I'd be too old to do anything with them, or too old to get hired by a church, much less a Bible College or Seminary to be able to put them to use. 

      Duke University, just two hours away from me, has a one year Masters in Theology program that "only" costs $20,000.00 per year, and from what I read about it, in reality, is difficult to obtain in just one year.  For me to go back to school now would be like buying a luxury car.  So unless wise men come to me from the East with a prevalent star shining in their direction, and bearing boxes of money in large bills to cover the tuition, books and living expenses, and, unless an angel of the Lord appears to me with marching orders for me to forthwith go to seminary muy pronto, I'll have to be content to save enough to buy a used book once in a while and add to my knowledge in a more gradual fashion.

     What God's will is for my life I often tend to discover in hindsight.  After the passing of several years, increased reflection, and much study, one day the light just goes on and I say to God, "Oh! That's what you were doing in my life back then." 

     It's like the old saying, "If I had known that I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself," but in a more spiritual sense. 

     Until then, I feel kind of like Indiana Jones, when in a life-threatening predicament, someone asks him what he's going to do, and he says, "I don't know; I'm making this up as I go." 

     In my case, it's God making it up (not as He goes, though) and hopefully I'll get it figured out by the time the credits roll.

     But your point is well taken, and appreciated. 

Dana

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John Added Sometime After Dana’s Reply

Hey Dana

            I have often wondered if I were born closer to Y2K if I would have been classified as having a learning disability. (I have my SAT scores to prove that. Or, as I respond to someone who says to me, “John, you’re a gentleman and a scholar.” “No,” I answer. “A gentleman yes, but I have the grades to prove otherwise.”) I was on the Dean’s List once at one of the colleges I’ve attended, but then it was the A in Swimming that helped push me over the top for it. 

            It’s kind of funny, because as you know, I was a professional free lance writer/journalist/columnist for about 15 years with hundreds of articles and stories published in newspapers, trade journals, professional journals, and book compilations. I am published in at least 53 local, national, and international magazines and newspapers. I once looked myself up in the repository of the New York Public Library. (That was a proud day.) My publications ran the gamut of everything from interviews with various heads of the Federal Reserve to riding the local garbage truck, loading the garbage (it was summer) and interviewing those unsung heroes who keep our cities and towns clean. I studied long and hard, researching for various articles. But, I’ve always had a hard time as a student in school. Among other things, a short attention span. Why, I’ve even been an adjunct college instructor, for nine years, teaching English and Business Writing, among other subjects. But I’ve never graduated from any of the colleges I’ve attended.

            An advertisement taken out in the New York Times some years ago by a college trying to recruit students by promoting their professors and the excellent job they did in not just teaching, but holding the students attention and thoroughly engaging and developing them, the college asked the reader something like the following: How many teachers really had an impact on you? How many do you really remember, throughout your entire school experience? Two? Maybe three?  Four at the most? While it’s very easy to blame poor teaching, good teachers do make a very positive impact and difference.

             Even now, I’d like to take some classes on the Sixties; to look back on those turbulent years that I was living and drinking my way through to see what I missed, and why those years were such a turning point for America.  

            How often today have there been articles on how college graduates can’t get jobs period, let alone in their fields? Or how about those numerous articles on higher education where grads working at McDonalds are paid barely over minimum wage?

            At some point I stopped beating myself up and held onto this verse, “Lean not unto your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5 and 6.

            While I won’t and can’t argue that not getting a degree for subjects such as science or math, etc. will probably hold someone back who wants to be a CPA or experimental biologist, I do contend that the degree, and especially advanced degrees, may not be necessary; especially from your standpoint of being in the ministry. And while statistics show those with degrees usually make more money over their lifetimes than those without, I contend that degrees aren’t always necessary.

            And I might ask this question, will getting a degree answer the often asked burning question on nearly every Christian’s mind, “What is God’s will for me?”

            Since I’m pretty sure this will end up as a post, before readers think I’m anti college, my wife and I have helped fund a scholarship at an area university.  Also, through the years I’ve worked in various capacities for five colleges or universities.

            Please don’t think I’m validating my life or defending my career path, but not having a degree didn’t keep me from a senior level position at a Washington D.C. organization that got me into the back rooms off the halls of Congress and lunches with senators, representatives and even a former Vice President.

            I tell people when asked that male question, “What do you do?” I say I’m a professional temp., and I’ve been everything from a banker to a bum.

            I guess this post has turned into a hodgepodge about extended education in general and may cause more questions than answers. Maybe in future posts we can section out the various pieces of the education pie?

Your foxhole cowboy friend

John

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Dana’s Response on Mon, Jan 2, 2017 at 11:54 AM

     You wrote: 

“I might ask this question, Will getting a degree answer the burning question on nearly every Christian’s mind, ‘What is God’s will for me?’”

      I’m not sure I agree with the application of your question, and the implied answer.  It’s not a black and white issue.  Someone searching for God’s will in their lives, very well may discover that will in their educational process.  However that is not a given.  Surely some in the same predicament could get finished with their education, and feel just as directionless as when they started.  Education is not a magic bullet in discerning God’s will.

      When we were in Bible College I ran into many who, while in college level classes were absolutely clueless about what they intended or even wanted to do afterwards.  Others were quite certain about what they felt called to do, and were preparing accordingly.

     This is not a subject about which we can easily generalize.  Higher education isn’t for everybody, and we cannot presume to limit God in how He reveals His will to a particular individual. 

     One Biblical and linguistic scholar who I read, once related how after being saved as a teenager, he just couldn’t get enough of the Bible. While in collegiate level studies of the Bible, he discovered a knack for understanding as well as a genuine love of original Biblical languages, which put him on a path to earn his higher degrees, and his career was set.  Subsequently his writing has proved to be a blessing to the many that read and study his published works.  When he began his undergraduate Biblical studies he had no idea where he would end up.  Hence God’s will for his life was revealed to him during his educational process, thus getting a degree, or degrees, was indeed necessary in accomplishing God’s will for his life.  There’s an old adage that states, “God doesn’t steer a car that’s not moving.”

      Let’s look at the case of another dear person I knew, named Tom, who has since gone home to be with the Lord.  He was a regular guy, who may or may not have had some college education; I do not know.  If he did, he never mentioned it. He worked an ordinary job his entire career, had a loving family, and was a faithful church member.  But somewhere along the line Tom learned how to work on cars.  He wasn’t a mechanic by trade, but was most definitely a mechanic by life skills.

     Tom’s ministry, though not officially credentialed as such, and supported by no advanced degrees, was fixing peoples’ cars—especially folks who were in financial need.  More than once my car broke down during the early days of my ministry, and Tom fixed the problems with no charge to me, in spite of my insistence to pay him.  He even bought the parts.  And I was one of many he helped out.  He kept the church vehicles in top shape too.

      Tom never spoke much about his ministry, if he even considered what he did as a ministry.  Tom didn’t need a degree from a seminary to discover God’s will for his life.  He did what he did cheerfully and with no fanfare, out of love for God and his fellow brothers and sisters, and because of his skill and knowledge.  His ministry was no less viable and no less important than the pastor’s.  Who knows where he picked up his mechanical skills, but I’d wager that they didn’t come from college, although he was more proficient at what he did than many college educated persons are at their chosen professions.

     My point is that the Kingdom of God on this earth, fleshed out by His people, neither requires nor refutes education in every case.  It’s a great thing for those who need it, and it’s not necessary for those who don’t.  We need to be thankful that God has placed and equipped auto mechanics and Greek and Hebrew scholars in His body.  Every child of God has a valuable gift or skill to contribute to that body so that it can grow and be an effective tool in getting the Gospel out into a world that desperately needs it.

     Looking at it from another angle, I would contend, that while it is not “necessary” for a Christian to have a degree in Bible or theology in order to maintain a healthy spiritual life or ministry, or reasonably understand the Bible, what might the state of the Church in this country be like if every Christian attended Bible College?  Again, college education is not a guarantee of increased piety or purpose, but wouldn’t it make for a more productive church if all Christians knew their Bibles as well as most Bible College graduates?

            (John Adds This Note: The reason I went to Valley Forge Christian College, where Dana and I met, was to take the classes necessary to earn the Bible Certificate that they offered at that time. It was just a two semester program for individuals in churches who wanted more in-depth Bible training so that they could go back to their churches and be better equipped to serve.)

     Again, I want to make it clear that I’m not advocating that all Christians quit their jobs or obligations and head off to Bible College.  And, a Bible College education doesn’t necessarily cause one to love God more than one who doesn’t go.  Bible College can increase ones knowledge of the Scriptures, theology, history and languages, but it doesn’t make one a better Christian.  “God is no respecter of persons,” and He doesn’t hold Bible College graduates or Seminary Graduates in any higher regard than He does those who have not attended. They are all His children. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

     But think of how much error that unfortunately exists in bad teaching or preaching might be avoided.  Could Jim Jones’ “ministry” and the mass suicides in Guyana have as easily happened if his “parishioners” were educated in Bible and theology? Think of what difference American Christianity might make if all of its people not only read, but actually studied their Bibles in depth. It's a fanciful thought, I know, but an interesting one to ponder.

     Again to sum up, I re-refer to the story of Rev. Childress in “The Man Who Moved A Mountain,” as reported in Richard C. Davids’ book.  “Education ain’t religion. Neither is ignorance.” 

     There endeth the lesson.

      Dana