[B-Greek] "Why do we make pastors translate?"

Alexander Ring akring at mac.com
Sun Dec 13 11:50:51 EST 2009


On Dec 13, 2009, at 8:06 AM, Gene Baker wrote:

> The fellows I spend quality time with generally are glad to be able  
> to use
> their language training and skills in sermon preparation and study.  
> That
> being said, quite a number also saw no practical reason to spend  
> their time
> in learning something they didn't see having a direct bearing on their
> calling.


If I might take this discussion even further afield....

I believe one of the problems is this "direct bearing on their  
calling" business. I know within my own denomination there are often  
calls for more "practical" courses at the seminary, and more  
"practical" papers at pastoral conferences. More classes/papers on  
counseling, on using illustrations in sermons, on working with youth,  
podcasting, ad infinitem. Sadly, the seminary I attended recently  
dropped the course on Galatians to make way for more "practical"  
courses. But time and time again I find that it is papers on specific  
texts that become the most practical for me as a pastor. Reading  
through the text and discussing it I find all sorts of applications to  
sermon prep, to counseling, to visiting with parishoners, to working  
with youth.

And this is why we should make pastors translate. Their main task is  
to be proclaimers of God's Word to their flock, which means they need  
to be familiar with that Word themselves. Practical courses have their  
place, but in the end most of these are about a specific task with  
some spiritual application, not about Scripture itself. Translating- 
knowing the Hebrew and Greek-gives them a more intimate knowledge of  
that Word so that they can have discussions like these, and being fed  
themselves are better able to feed their flocks.

Alex



Rev. Alexander Ring
11221 Farwest Dr
Lakewood, WA  98498

akring at mac.com

The greatest analgesic, soporific, stimulant, tranquilizer, narcotic,  
and to some extent even antibiotic -- in short, the closest thing to a  
genuine panacea -- known to medical science is work. -Thomas Szasz,  
author, professor of psychiatry (b. 1920)




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