MDiv & Languages

Because "command" of the languages takes a certain intellectual bent and a LOT of work. That simply is not feasible for the average pastor.

Basic familiarity of the languages is good and SHOULD be a part of the M Div degree. But "command" is simply not feasible. </font>[/QUOTE]Step back in time and ask that of the average pastor with a college degree. It was not unusual for a person who graduated from a secular college to have a handle on Greek and possibly some other languages. One of the leaders of the JW church in Germany came to Christ by studying the Greek NT with the skills he learned as a student when he was required to take Greek as a requirement for graduation from a secular university in Germany.

 

Indeed!!

You're exactly right. I think it takes a good bit of learning to get past the "dangerous" stage!

Did you say befor that your husband is doing a PhD in NT Greek? What is his thesis?

 

That is true. So many do not keep up the skills they learned in seminary though. It is to the detriment of the churches they pastor and their own handle on scripture.

 

Interesting. If I were not already in my current job that's what I'd do!

So where does he weigh in on the verbal aspect debate (Porter, Fanning etc)?

 

MDiv without languages is just a really long degree that is good for a Sunday School teacher

we need pastor-theologians who can proudly expound the Word of God, grasp its meaning, and exort their congregations from a position of divine annointing!

 

The issue though is what level of language training is needed for pastoring. Anyone with a PhD in linguistics will tell you that "mastery" of the languages is not practical for one going into the ministry. This takes more than just a few classes in each language. A pastor should be familiar with the languages enough to exegete passages for the congregation - but his main job is pastoring and not studying arcane details of language!

 

Funny, but true story: About a hundred years ago, give or take a few years, I was attending an ABA Bible institute (aka: "seminary"). Of course, all the preacher boys could hardly wait to take first year Greek. The Greek professor amazed everyone by reading from his Greek NT the first day of class...John 1:1-5 as I recall. Each time the Greek professor spoke in chapel, he carried his Greek text to the pulpit with him. He would place it on the pulpit while he read from the KJV. It was as if it was there just in case he needed to delve more deeply into the text.

Now, here's the funny part...Within two weeks of the start of first-year Greek class, several students had purchased their Greek New Testaments and were carrying them to the pulpit with them when they had the opportunity to preach in chapel...even though they had not yet "mastered" the Greek alphabet!

I know what you are thinking...no, one of them was not me. Though I was in that first-year Greek class, God spared me the indignity of making a fool of myself in that particular scenario.

Thought you might get a chuckle out of that story.

PS: A big "amen" to your post, Charles Meadows.

 

Charles MEadows, as far as he is concerned, there is no debate. (Aspect is more significant than tense) Our preoccupation with tense largely comes from our conditioning by the English language. Thats a hard aspect to get my mind around