Becoming a Pastor Theologian - (Center for Pastor Theologians) by Todd Wilson & Gerald L Hiestand (Paperback)

About the Book

The Center for Pastor Theologians (CPT) seeks to overcome the bifurcation that has developed between the roles of pastor and theologian. Based on the first CPT conference in 2015, this volume brings together the reflections of church leaders and academic theologians to consider how these roles might be reconnected once again.

Book Synopsis

The roles of pastor and theologian have gone their separate ways.Throughout much of the church's history, these two roles have been deeply intertwined, but in our contemporary setting, a troubling bifurcation between them has developed. The result has been a theologically weakened church and an ecclesially weakened theology. The Center for Pastor Theologians (CPT) seeks to overcome this divide by assisting pastors in the study and production of biblical and theological scholarship for the theological renewal of the church and the ecclesial renewal of theology. Based on the first CPT conference in 2015, this volume brings together the reflections of church leaders and academic theologians to consider how pastoral ministry and theological scholarship might be reconnected once again. The contributors consider several facets of the complex identity of the pastor theologian, including the biblical, public, and political dimensions of this calling. In addition, the essays explore the insights that can be gained from historical examples of pastor theologians--including John Calvin, John Henry Newman and Dietrich Bonhoeffer--as well as the essential role of Scripture within the ministry of the pastor theologian.

Review Quotes

"There was a time when the word pastor meant something. That this term has now become so vacuous is not primarily the fault of the ambient culture but represents instead a crisis of vocation. So here we have, none too soon, a collection of stout essays calling for a new generation of shepherd-teachers--ecclesial theologians who do their work in the best tradition of the Church Fathers and the Reformers, in the light of eternity and pro Christo et ecclesia."

"This book is a welcome addition to the discussion of the pastor theologian. Wilson and Hiestand have provided a gift to the church and her pastors. If one is interested in the pastor theologian model and how they might replicate it in their ministry, this is the place to begin."

"This collection of essays is an inspiring and engaging read. It is a collection that reinvigorates our intellects, reminding us how essential it is to engage the life of the mind. It offers a vision of hope for the future, of what the church can become when its pastors embrace their calling as theologians: interpreting God's word for the church and calling the people of God to be theologically reflective in all aspects of life."

About the Author

Todd Wilson (PhD, Cambridge University) is senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois. He is the cofounder and chairman of the Center for Pastor Theologians, a ministry dedicated to resourcing pastor theologians. He is the author of Real Christian: Bearing the Marks of Authentic Faith and Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living, and the coauthor of The Pastor-Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision and Pastors in the Classics.

Gerald L. Hiestand (PhD candidate, University of Reading) is the senior associate pastor at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the cofounder and director of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He is the coauthor of The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision.