Today Spring gives us his thoughts on the theological education for ministers.
After bemoaning the current state of the pulpit, Spring speaks about the advantages of the past practice of training of youth for the pulpit by the pastors of the churches.
Thus Spring then advises that teachers of those who are being educated for the ministry be men of no inconsiderable experience in the pastoral office. This includes in the seminaries.
An important chapter in our world where theological colleges can come across as the be all and end all of ministerial training.
I think Spring's comments about scholars in seminaries were particularly important: 'Mere scholars, those who know more of books than of men, and more of theological halls than the pulpit, ought not to be invested with the trust of educating a whole generation of young men for the Christian ministry. The fact may no longer be dissembled, that the tendency, if not the design of our theological seminaries themselves, is to fill the most important chairs with purely literary men; men who neither have, nor expect to have, any relation to the pastoral office ; men ordained, not to the work of the ministry, but to their professorship.'
Such a practice is simply dangerous. Unless, of course, you want scholars and not pastors.
Read Chapter 21 (The pecuniary support of ministers).
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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