TEACHING FROM THE PULPIT

In order to find out what has already been written about the pastor as teacher, I am going to need to do more than a search on Amazon. But that's where I started.

And it does leave me wondering what is out there specifically to help a preacher approach the pulpit as a teacher.

My initial search on Christian teaching turned up plenty of books about "Christian education", but these are focused on teaching faith in a formal school setting:

• On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith in the Classroom
• Transformational Teaching: Instructional Design for Christian Educators
• Everyday Christian Teaching: A Guide to Practicing Faith in the Classroom
• Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a Convulsed Age

Many others are aimed at an audience of Sunday school teachers. Sometimes pastors are included in the audience.

Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive bills itself as being for parents, Sunday school teachers, pastors and professors.

And there do seem to be a number of books aimed at "creativity" in teaching about the Bible, but that's not exactly what I am looking for. 

Effective Bible Teaching by James C. Wilhoit and Leland Ryken seems promising. I like the title, anyway.

But the Amazon summary says, "The book offers concrete guidance for mastering a biblical text, interpreting it, and applying its relevance to life. Its methods, which have been field-tested for twenty-five years, help pastors, teachers, and ministry students improve their classroom skills. Readers will learn how to develop the "big idea" of a passage and allow the text itself to suggest creative teaching methods. This new edition has been updated throughout and explores the changed landscape of Bible study over the past two decades. Readable and interdisciplinary in approach, this book will help a new generation of Bible students teach in a purposeful and unified way." (emphasis mine)

So, it's still ultimately about a classroom. I'm more interested in teaching from the pulpit. 

And I still think there's a need to develop pastors who THINK like teachers.

And there's more to that than just coming up with a creative hook.

SUNDAY MORNING LECTURES

 I had breakfast with a pastor friend this morning. In the midst of our conversation, it came up that he - like me - considers himself more of a teacher than a preacher.

So I asked him what he thought was the difference between the two. 

And he gave the answer that I think most people would give: A preacher speaks about the application of Scripture to our lives and usually appeals to emotions while a teacher gives background on Scriptural texts and appeals to the intellect. 

What they have in common is this: both are monologues. 

In this sense, in every sermon, a pastor could strive to begin with teaching and finish with preaching.

But I'm not sure that is how the New Testament would differentiate the two roles. This is currently one of my research questions. 

What if the Scriptures don't have "lecture" in mind when it speaks of teaching?

To my way of thinking, teaching is much more hands on and interactive than preaching. 

And I'm not sure an American church would be ready to devote as much prime time to teaching as to preaching. 

In most churches, teaching is for Sunday school and Sunday school is optional. 

TEACHERS ARE HELD TO ACCOUNT BY GOD

Here are some tough words from the prophet Hosea (Chapter 4) to the "children of Israel" AND, in particular, Israel's priests: 

1 Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;
2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
and all who dwell in it languish,
 and also the beasts of the field
and the birds of the heavens,
and even the fish of the sea are taken away.
4 Yet let no one contend,
and let none accuse,
for with you is my contention, O priest. 
5 You shall stumble by day;
the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;
and I will destroy your mother. [Meaning Israel]
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

The priests are meant to function as the intermediaries between God and humanity. When they lose interest in the knowledge of God, the results are catastrophic. 

With nobody offering to teach the people about the knowledge of God, the people's faithfulness and love begin to fail and they descend into debauchery of all sorts. 

Those in leadership among God's people, Old Testament and New, are held to account for their own attention to the Lord and their ability to pass along truth to God's people. 

A teacher does not need to be a FALSE teacher to be blameworthy in God's sight.

Gulp!

ALLOW NO CAPTIVES

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 

There is ongoing debate over the exact nature of the locally prevalent "philosophy" which Paul viewed as a threat to proper Christian teaching there in Colossae. 

"Some suggest a pagan cult of one sort or another; others, some form of sectarian Judaism; others, an early form of Gnosticism; others, a blend of some or all of these." (Wright, 25)

Whatever this philosophy entailed, Paul recognized the threat: it could take the Colossians "captive" - sulagogeo, carried off like booty following a victory in battle. 

Carl Jung famously said "People don't have ideas. Ideas have people." And he was right. 

Try shaking a long-ingrained notion and you will find out who is really in charge.

The philosophy in question was built on "human tradition". This is a problem since humans have a hard time distinguishing between "true" and merely "familiar". 

The second foundation was the "elemental spirits of the world". There is debate on the best way to understand this phrase, but Michael Bird takes it to "denote hostile angelic entities equivalent to the 'rulers' and authorities' mentioned elsewhere in Colossians". (76)

If so, then Paul is fighting an alignment between long-standing and widely accepted, yet mistaken, human ideas and the influence of demonic powers. 

That's a potent combination! 

As an expert teacher, Paul does not carelessly dismiss the philosophy in the midst of the Colossian congregation. Instead, he recognizes its draw and reminds them to be on guard before redirecting their gaze to the person of Jesus Christ. 

To be effective ultimately, a teacher of the faith needs to know the competing philosophies well enough to depict them in contrast to the beauty of Christ.  

IN THE END, THE ANSWER'S THE SAME

If you always agree with the teaching of your pastor/church/denomination, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

In my opinion, it depends. 

I worked up a little flow chart. 

(It's ugly, yes, but let me know what else you think of it.)

SPIRITUAL STAGNATION IS EVIDENCE OF IGNORANCE

After the Apostle Paul holds Epaphras up as an effective teacher of the Colossians - evidenced by the fact that the gospel was bearing fruit in their lives and increasing - Paul goes on to connect spiritual education directly to life growth two more times in the first chapter of his letter. 

First in verses 9 and 10:

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God ...

And then later in verses 28 and 29:

28 [Christ] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The first instance highlights the believers' obligation to learn on their own, presumably with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Paul says he prays they will be filled with knowledge of God's will "in all spiritual wisdom and understanding".

The result will be believers walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, defined as "bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God". 

It's notable that Paul maintains that as the Colossians walk in the knowledge they have already received, they will receive more knowledge. 

The second instance highlights Paul's prerogative as a teacher to warn and teach "everyone", again with the goal of maturity in Christ. 

Whether learning occurs independently or under a teacher, the predictable result is spiritual growth, fruit, and maturity.  

If this can be reverse engineered, then we can say stagnation, lack of fruit, and immaturity - either on the individual or congregational level - is evidence of a lack of learning, both independently and under another's teaching. 

LIKE ALGEBRA, BUT WORSE

Imagine if your high school math teacher approached algebra like the typical church approaches faith education.

First of all, class would only meet once or twice a week and there would be no expectation of students doing any learning outside of class.

The teacher's sole approach would be lecture. 

Correct answers would be supplied for every problem - no need for students to wrestle through any sort of practice exercises.  

Worst of all, the teacher would skip around the math book, pulling out random, disconnected lessons from week to week. Today from chapter 7, next week a single equation from chapter 13, and then back to chapter 2 the following week. 

The only thread tying the lessons together would be the fact that they all concern numbers.  

It's fair to say that the students sitting under that math teacher would be thoroughly confused and constantly frustrated. 

And bored.

Week after week, they would be no closer to comprehending math than when they started.

Along the way they may pick up some math terminology, but they would not grasp workable definitions.

At the end of the semester, the teacher would still be the only one in the room who truly understood math. 

(If even he did.)

And when all was said and done, most of the students would drop out of further math classes at the first opportunity - unless maybe they enjoyed hanging out with their friends in the class.  

PREACHING AND TEACHING

When I started serving as minister at Sardinia Baptist Church two and a half years ago, I quickly realized I was much more comfortable Teaching rather than Preaching.

At first, I wasn't even aware that there was a difference and I'm still not sure where the line between the two actually is drawn.

Maybe I'm being overly simplistic, but I understand Preaching as aimed at the heart and the spirit. It is meant to motivate and persuade.

And Teaching is aimed at the mind, seeking to foster knowledge and understanding. Its goal is to explain and equip. 

Both can and should spur transformation. Under Preaching, it is the transformation of thoughts, words, and actions. 

And under Teaching, it is the imagination.  

I don't suppose either is inherently more valuable, but I do think there is an order: Teaching first, and then Preaching. 

There should be an order and there should be balance.

But in the American church, Preaching has long been prioritized over Teaching.

THE MIST

"A mist in the pulpit will result in a fog in the pew." 

This truism, attributed to Charles Spurgeon (among others), is why I don't think I would have made a very good preacher even 5 years ago. 

Now, one of the great blessings of my position as pastor at Sardinia Baptist Church is the opportunity week by week to blow away the mist in my own understanding of the Christian faith.

It gets me excited every time. 

And I'm not talking about Bible trivia - it's big picture stuff. And how everything fits together. 

I'm coming to see that over the years I've swallowed a whole lot of "biblical doctrines" without examining the Scriptural basis for myself. And then I wondered why my beliefs felt so disjointed. 

I was not alone in this. I think this is a great weakness of the modern church in general. If the pastors and teachers have never applied critical thinking skills to their own presuppositions, the congregation is going to be left in a fog.

And if a congregation is in the fog, there's not going to be a lot of forward movement for that church. 

The average church doesn't need to be berated as much as it needs to be educated.

But there's too much mist up front. 

KINGDOM TALK

I skipped writing last night because I wanted to get to bed "early" - 10:15 pm. 

In general, I am starting to recall that I would feel a lot better if I had a more regular bedtime routine at an earlier hour.

Unfortunately, I woke up at 2:45 am, so it didn't necessarily help. I will try again tonight!

Anyway - Now it is 5 am and I am still ruminating on Dallas Willard's words in The Divine Conspiracy. I am resonating with his observations about the lack of a proper preaching focus in the American church. 

What important topic is lacking, according to Willard?

The very thing that Jesus Himself focused on: the Kingdom of God.

Speaking of the sort of vibrant life which disciples of Christ ought to be living, Willard writes:

"This cannot come about unless what Jesus himself believed practiced, and taught makes sense to us." (Emphasis in original, p. 59)

(THERE is the need for proper teaching. The gospel has to be explained in a way as to make sense to believers. You can't "live out" something which is muddled in your own head.)

"And [Jesus'] message must come to us free of the deadening legalisms, political sloganeering, and dogmatic traditionalisms long proven by history to be soul-crushing dead ends."

(Amen! All three of these continue to be issues within the church today.)

"Obviously it does not so come to us now, and this is a fact widely recognized." 

"At the 1974 Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization, Michael Green asked rhetorically, 'How much have you heard here about the Kingdom of God?' His answer was, 'Not much. It is not our language. But it was Jesus' prime concern.'"

(Yes! Why have we latched on to a phrase used once in one gospel (John) - "born again" - and completely skimmed over "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven", which are used repeatedly throughout the gospels?)

"Dr. I. Howard Marshall of the University of Aberdeen has commented, 'During the past sixteen years I can recollect only two occasions on which I have heard sermons specifically devoted to the theme of the Kingdom of God. ... I find this silence rather surprising because it is universally agreed by New Testament scholars that the central theme of the teaching of Jesus was the Kingdom of God.'" (p.59)

How has this happened? 

How does it get reversed?

SANCTUARY AS CLASSROOM

As I continue thinking about my dissertation work, one conviction is gaining some clarity: To be effective for the Kingdom, a pastor needs to function as a teacher. 

This doesn't need to be complicated. The basics of good teaching practice are pretty straightforward. I'm talking about things like:

• Probing for prior knowledge 
• Rooting out false assumptions
• Repeating main points
• Fostering curiosity and interest
• Drawing out an inward motivation for self-directed study
• Checking comprehension in meaningful ways
• Et cetera

I have started to look for resources which address these matters within the local church, but I'm not seeing much so far.

If you google "teaching and Christian faith", you will not get results outlining ways principles of good teaching practice can be applied to the teaching the Bible.

Instead, you get core doctrines that must be taught in order to consider the teaching to be "Christian". 

I looked for books on teaching and the church and ordered one off Amazon that looked promising: Everyday Christian Teaching by David Smith.

But the subtitle reveals its focus: A Guide to Practicing Faith in the Classroom. 

So ... this book is for the Christian classroom, not the sanctuary. 

And it's as dry as dust to boot. 

(Written by a Calvinist! 😉)

KNOWLEDGE IS KEY

Currently I am diving into Paul's letter to the Colossians. And killing two birds with one stone.

1) I am preaching a series on it. (Started officially last week.)

2) It is the key text for my dissertation. 

One of the big themes of the letter is proper Learning/Knowledge and its role in discipleship. 

From the opening lines of the letter, Paul speaks of the gospel "bearing fruit and growing" among the brothers at Colossae and how that growth started "the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth". (Col 1:6)

When Paul prays for these believers, he asks God "to fill [them] with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding". (Col 1:9) 

Paul proclaims Christ with an eye to "admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom". Why? "So that we may present everyone perfect in Christ." (Col 1:28) 

He says his purpose is "that they may have the full riches of complete understanding". (Col 2:2)

He warns against being taken captive "through hollow and deceptive philosophy" (Col 2:8) and against basing actions on "human commands and teachings". (Col 2:22) 

And when Paul urges the Colossians to put off the old self with its practices, they are to replace it with the new self which is being renewed "in knowledge in the image of its Creator".

All this is very interesting in light of the original cause of all humanity's trouble was Adam and Eve eating from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". 

There is symmetry here. 

Our downfall resulted from forbidden knowledge. Our restoration is completed through God-given knowledge. 

A few weeks back, I observed that many speak of the Church as a body, an army, a bride, or a hospital among other metaphors - but nobody ever compares it to a school. Why not?

SAYING IT AGAIN

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” ― André Gide

It took me years as a teacher to recognize the crucial role of repetition in learning.

Of course, lack of attention isn't the only culprit - and perhaps not even the worst offender. Prejudice and assumptions stand in the way of new insights and they are not toppled quickly. 

And it seems to me that repetition also has a way of establishing credibility: if the teacher is saying this yet again, it really must be important. I knew a woman who - whenever her boss asked her to do something - always threw away the first two memos on the subject. If he sent a third, she knew he really meant it. 

Although as an introvert I have always hated repeating myself, I consciously force myself to do it often these days for the sake of communication, both in promoting Mission Resource and in preaching at Sardinia. 

A competent teacher does not assume anyone was listening the first time. 

THE CHURCH IS A ...

If you were to Google "The Church is a ...", what would you expect the top autofill suggestions to be?

Some would come straight from Scripture: 

"The Church is a body."

"The Church is a bride." 

Others, though not specifically Scriptural images, are part of the public imagination and seem true enough:

"The Church is a family."

"The Church is a hospital for sinners."

But here's an obvious one that I have never heard ... and I wonder why:

"The Church is a school."

Why isn't the Church known as a place where people learn? 

About God? About life? About purpose? About all the things that really matter.

I have a growing conviction that we in Church leadership are slacking in our teaching responsibility.