Monthly Archives: September 2012

How to Write a Theology Essay

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Michael P. Jensen’s book “How to Write a Theology Essay” could prove to be a valuable resource for anyone wishing to help people grasp true things about God. Each of the twenty chapters ends with a bullet-point summary (though there is more to the book than the summaries):

1. How not to lose heart before you start

•The topics of theology really matter
•The knowledge of God is not the preserve of the very clever
•Starting to write theology is a challenge that can be fun!

2. What is theology in any case?

•Theology is a species of reason, subject to the Word of God
•Theology is a form of speech
•Theology is evangelical: it is about God and his deeds
•Theology is evangelistic: it is an invitation to submit to the Lordship of Christ

3. What is a theology essay?

•An essay is an invitation to persuade
•The object of the theology essay is to say true things about God
•The theology essay deals with ideas and concepts
•It is not merely a summary of Scripture

4. The responsibility of theology

•Theology is answerable to God and must be done with prayerful reverence
•Theology is best done in service to God and his people
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Pastoral Etiquette

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Etiquette: a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group.

I am currently doing some pre-marriage counseling with a couple. This morning I received this e-mail from the gentleman (names have been changed):

Hi Pastor John,

I have a request to pass to you from my fiance Dorothy. Feel free to decline if you are not completely comfortable. But, there is a married couple we know who are interested in receiving counseling with you. I am sure it is because Dorothy speaks of your help with such glowing praise! So, please let me know how to proceed, and again, please don’t feel obligated.

Hope you have a great day.

Clive

This was my reply:

Hi Clive,

Good to hear from you. I am so glad you and Dorothy are still enjoying the pre-marriage sessions and finding them useful.

Regarding the couple, may I ask if they are Christians and are part of a local Church? I ask this question because as a pastor (rather than merely a counselor) I am very sensitive in making sure that anything I do is never perceived in any way as what some call “sheep stealing.” That is when an individual or couple who are part of a local church assembly are prized away from the care of that leadership by an over zealous pastor. I know many pastors dont feel this kind of sensitivity in our day, but I feel it is very much like someone under the care of a doctor is encouraged by another doctor to be treated by them. Such a thing is not only extremely poor etiquette on the part of the doctor, but it may very well be illegal. It should never occur.

While meeting with me for marriage advice would not be a legal issue, I still feel the same principle of etiquette would apply and am very sensitive about this. I realise that I am more sensitive than most pastors on this issue. If the couple are part of a local Church, I would only wish to meet with them when there is full agreement between the couple and their local Church elders and that the elders give the go-ahead. If the couple are not under the care of local Church leadership, that is a very different matter. For instance, I was happy to meet with you and Dorothy because we have known each other for years and secondly, I knew you were not specifically under the care of local Church leadership.

Am I making sense?

Pastor John