We Christians seems to be in many pendulum debates amongst each other that have no clear resolution, but this is one of them I hear more than others at times. Those who are deeply involved in discipleship speak about the evils of seminary or staying in a continued state of theological study. Those in higher education (seminary specially) talk about how we are raising a generation or two now that know nothing about their own faith. To me, Jesus is the ultimate example. He was a discipling theologian. He could go toe to toe with the smartest theological minds of his time (see Luke 20:19-40), and he could raise up the “lowly” of his day to become incredible disciples for Christ (see a fisherman named John and a few others).
To me, it has never been an either-or. It has always been both, even if I stink more at one than the other (or quite possibly at both), I think the true follower has to look at the example Christ gives us where both knowledge and discipleship are equally important in the Christians life. We live in an interesting time in history due to the technological advances we have, and this is perhaps widening the gap between theology and discipleship. It has never been easier to be able to get into higher education if you are called to do so, although the work isn’t any easier once you get in there. You also no longer really need that piece of paper that says you know what you are talking about (CT on Why People Aren’t Going to Seminary), to be a good leader or pastor, just ask Perry Noble, and you certainly don’t need a seminary degree to be great at discipleship.
I say all this, because last night I was trudging through the Bonhoeffer biography late last night, and came across Bonhoeffer’s statements on this very subject from way back in the 1940′s. In Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, he said:
Bonhoeffer had in mind a kind of monastic community, where one aimed to live in the way Jesus commanded his followers to live in his Sermon on the Mount, where one lived not merely as a theological student, but as a disciple of Christ. ( Read more at location 5056 )
I called it a pendulum debate because throughout time it has swung back and forth with the landscape of history. I’m sure someone, somewhere, has a great chart of church history and the rate of seminarians to discipleship, but just common sense tells you it swings back and forth. I don’t know that much about Bonhoeffer yet, but the more I learn about him, the more I understand that he, in at least some respects, got it right. Most couldn’t argue that he wasn’t a great theologian, but he was also a man devoted to discipleship.
Posts Related to This Topic:
Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George M. Marsden, published by Yale in 2003, is the latest in a comprehensive biographical look at the life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards, who perhaps preached, “what became to be [known as] American’s most famous sermon” is now seen by many as one of America’s greatest theologians.[1] In A Life, Marsden takes on the incredible task of presenting the life of a patriarch, preacher, theologian, philosopher, missionary, and prolific writer, in an almost overly objective manner, through what had to be one of the most exhaustive research projects to date on the study of Edwards’ life. Marsden’s compilation of previous biographical works, primary and secondary sources, even letters and correspondence between Edwards, his family, friends, and opponents, which Edwards interacted with throughout his daily life, has made for a new benchmark in Edwardsean study. In a highly annotated biography, Marsden has not only completed an outstanding examination of the life of Jonathan Edwards but also a detailed look at late 17th to mid 18th century history, and all the complexities of a country passing through the Great Awakening about to be thrust into the American Revolution.
Brief Summary and Critique
Edwards was certainly a product of late 17th and early 18th century history. In “American political and social terms, he was pre-Revolutionary” and considered himself a citizen of Great Britain. Edwards grew up in the colonial time of the New World that provided the groundwork for the First Great Awakening, which Edwards came to view as God’s way of intervening into the history of His people.[2] Marsden from the introductory overview of Edwards life to the to the summary of the Edwards legacy, systematically goes through this history in such detail that the reader will sometimes contemplate if this publication is a historical work or a biography. The historical time in which Edwards lived was certainly worthy of this extensive treatment and Marsden’s exhaustive research and study is apparent throughout the text.
Through thirty chapters, Marsden presents Edwards’ life in basically three different parts or sections. First, Marsden looks at Edwards’ childhood or early years including his family lineage with backgrounds on both his parents and siblings. Marsden at times seems to speak almost from the mind of Edwards when recalling diary entries of prayer prior to Edwards’ conversion to Christianity, (something that took place not in an instant but through a process of spiritual growth that took many years to develop) and into the excitement about his first preaching assignment in New York when he was 19.[3]
Next, Marsden continues his chronological method going through what would be a time of growth, reflection, and eventually hardship for Edwards and his family, the years in Northampton. Among many events over the years, this includes the time of David Brainerd and the births of several children. This was also the time of the Great Awakening and several revivals in Northampton and was a time of spiritual growth for much of the protestant world. As Marsden explains in various places in the text, even Edwards, at times, possibly overstated the full extent of the awakenings in Northampton but it was certainly another example of a larger historical event going on in the world, in which Edwards was able to materially participate.[4] Third, Marsden looks at the elder, perhaps wiser Edwards of Stockbridge and his move from the prominent pastor of Northampton to a missionary to the Indians and an even more prolific writer.
One of the more daunting tasks of the biographer in a case like Edwards is the overwhelming volume of written material, published and non-published, most still in existence today. Edwards, the author, was another, possibly fourth part or theme that Marsden examines in detail, and runs throughout the text. Chronologically, as Edwards wrote and published, Marsden would break away from the biographical life and look at Edwards the author. He took an in depth look at the more important publications from Edwards, providing an essay summary of each with smaller discussions about his lesser known works and notebooks. A difficult task all the prior biographers of Edwards had to address and not something that could be overlooked when it came to his life.
Examination and Conclusion
In what is sure to be a classic biography on Jonathan Edwards, Marsden presents what has to be one of the most researched and historical biographies of an extremely complex individual. Even with a work that seems to be as exhaustive as A Life appears, Marsden had to choose a direction and inevitably had to also choose what to leave out, many times it was details other biographers have previously captured. Marsden himself notes in the preface that this biography is limited in scope and the attempt is made to take an objective look at Edwards where many in the past have had a strong bias for or against Edwards.[5] Marsden achieves this un-bias view in such that he leaves the reader to reach his or her own conclusions on such matters like Edwards removal from Northampton. As extensive as his trials in Northampton came to be, no moral conclusion was reached in the text and the reader is transitioned into Stockbridge.
In Jonathan Edwards: A Life, Marsden presents Edwards from a historical point of view, but in no way completes an exhaustive look at Edwards’ life. As much as Edwards wrote in his notebooks for future generations to study, little seems to be known about his personal life. To fully know Edwards’ life today one must examine him in the way Marsden’s research suggests. It might be all but impossible to take a life as rich as Jonathan Edwards’ and present it in one comprehensive volume, but Marsden does this to the extent that it is possible and leaves us with a unique look into the life a 17th to 18th century Puritan pastor.
[1] George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003), 1.
[2] Ibid, 259, 467.
[3] Ibid, 59, 113.
[4] Throughout the revivals, the first Great Awakening, and years afterwards Edwards was constantly battling between excesses and genuine awakenings. He often took the cautious middle ground between Chauncy, who was anti-awakening and Whitefield’s view, though Edwards was always pro-spiritual-awakening, see also Marsden, 267, 284-285.
[5] Ibid, xvii, xviii
Posts Related to This Topic:
So I guess I am probably the last person in the world to read Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz but I did finally get a chance to read it this week. My summer semester at Liberty finally ended this week (and the fall semester doesn’t start for a week) and I have had a few days to pick up some, non-threatening read because-you-want-to, books, and the first one was Blue Like Jazz. This book was published back in 2003 and reminded me a little of Churched by Matthew Paul Turner [jesusneedsnewpr] (which I forgot to review but should soon), and even slightly Roose’s Unlikely Disciple (also unreviewed yet), in the fact that it was autobiographical in nature.
Miller takes a self deprecating approach to his life as a Christian and, although he is not a theologian, he is as real and genuine as it gets. He takes the philosophies of growing up as a modern evangelical, that which many of us in the southern bible belt are all too familiar with, and turns it on its head. Miller shows us that there really are orthodox believers, [that is: those who want to hold fast to the teachings of Jesus regardless of denominational affiliations (even those of grace and love)], that live outside of the belt that runs from Texas to Alabama to South Carolina. [We really do know that Christians exist outside of the belt but sometimes we think we are the important ones (especially if you are in the buckle part of the belt) since we hold up the faith's pants.]
Jesus Was Not a Democrat or a Republican
Who knew. One of the best reminders I took away from Blue Like Jazz is that Jesus was not a Democrat or a Republican (or a liberal or conservative for that matter). If we truly want to follow Jesus’ teachings, we have to follow Him fully, not necessarily some party affiliation. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have opinions one way or the other, but if we seriously look at what scripture says, there are certainly issues that go against (and for) both party affiliations. Jesus taught unconditional love, something that seems almost impossible for us evangelicals to actually live out, every day.
After the first few chapters I almost put the book down thinking Miller was going to just spew a political agenda, but that was really the point. Jesus didn’t have a political agenda during His earthly ministry, he was interested in our salvation, not our politics. I connected with Miller because his background growing up was similar to mine, but that’s where it ended, and it was very refreshing to read a totally and completely different perspective on what it means to be a Christian, not just an evangelical.
Notables in the Text
I try never to read a book any more without a pen handy to underline and take notes with. This book wasn’t a huge notation text but there were several things that caught my attention. One was the story Miller told about buying an extension cord at The Home Depot in the money section. That story was worth buying the book right there. Others that caught my eye were:
- many of the students hated the very idea of God, and yet they cared about people more than I did
- [Jesus] didn’t show partiality, which every human does… and neither should we
- the tricky thing about life, really, [is] that the things we want most will kill us
- the undercurrent running through culture is not giving people value based upon what they believe and what they are doing to aid society… [it] is deciding their value based upon whether or not they are cool
- what I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do
- no drug is so powerful as the drug of self-[addiction]
There were many more but that is a good start. Blue Like Jazz is certainly well worth the time, and if you grew up in the southern bible belt surrounded by the evangelical machine it is a must read. I am now looking forward to reading some of Miller’s other books as well. Next up is Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson, but this one will be read on the beaches of North Carolina (yeah), so it might take a little longer to finish.
