“Why?” is an important question that can be critical for providing clarity, purpose, and motivation. I’ve often wondered why there are so many books written on so many topics; the simple answer is, unsurprisingly, there was an author who believed he found an unaddressed area of life, an area in which he believed he could provide some insight. As it relates to this particular book, readers may wonder, “Why do we need a book like this?” As I write this, I’m roughly ten years removed from completing a master’s degree in theological studies, so the notion of writing a book to the recently removed or aspiring seminary student wasn’t something at the forefront of my mind. Instead, this book is the result of a conversation with my wife and a realization that I didn’t have access to (or know about) any helpful guides for seminary while I was in seminary. I mean, who thinks of providing guidance to advanced-level students on how to do school? The simple conversation with my wife went something like this:

I began, “You know, I think I know where a lot of people come from when it comes to seminary and trying to find their way during and afterwards. I remember it was a difficult time for me because it was hard, and I had no real guide, no blueprint. I wanted to love people. I wanted to be faithful to Jesus. I wanted to integrate my studies with my Christian life, but I didn’t know how to do it without dogmatically rejecting any and everything that didn’t match what I’d learned or concluded…”

My wife listened and nodded attentively as I continued.

“Then there was the need to reject and refute errors in my own theological beliefs, which inevitably meant filtering out bad theology gained from social media, television, and church assemblies, and trying to do that in a way that didn’t create conflict with everyone around me. You know, it’s not like there’s a book on this stuff!”[1]

“Perhaps you should write one,” she replied.

I was silent for a moment, mentally trying to think of an excuse and finding none. Eventually I responded, “Well, I guess…”

That was how the conversation ended as I recall. Within a week or so, I started typing and let my wife know that I’d started. So, simply put: this book was the result of a thought, a conversation, and a desire to help others seeking to traverse advanced Christian academia.

For all the benefits of formal training in theological matters—and there are many benefits—there are also many pitfalls. Absent mentors and trusted Christian community members who've navigated advanced theological degrees while actively being involved in the local church, there are challenges for which the aspiring theologian will likely be unprepared. This guide seeks to provide practical and biblical insight to better equip the seminarian so that he can learn about God while faithfully serving God.

Many believers don’t know how to function with the abundance of high-level scholarly training they receive. In fact, it should come as no surprise that seminary is somewhat polarizing in the American church. There are generally two camps. The first camp believes seminary is a necessity for pastoral ministry, either by conviction or due to qualification standards and by-laws within their denomination or local assembly. The second camp believes seminary is an area where (unfortunately) the Christian exchanges his faith for information, where the intellect and the Spirit collide. This second camp sees “head knowledge” as incompatible or inferior to Spirit-led Christian living.[2]

Regardless of where one falls on the “attitude toward theological study” spectrum, there are still bound to be challenges. After all, seminary is typically distinct from the local church’s studies in theology. Professors aren’t always pastors, and even if they are, their occupation as a professor doesn’t usually require them to administer church discipline nor pastorally model Christ outside the classroom. The classroom setting allows for in-depth subject matter exploration, but it rarely shows how the faith overlaps practically with Christian living and the local church.

Classmates don’t always have the same relationship with the student as the brothers in the local church. Theological classmates are studying the same material, which creates a unique situation. Words like Tetragrammaton, theophany, hapax legomena, aseity, omnisapient, and eschatology can be freely shared with peers without the need for much explanation. So, after one-hundred-plus hours of a semester's worth of study spent with a lone professor and other Christians who share the same interests and academic objectives, it’s no surprise when the seminarian is like a “fish out of water” with his non-seminarian Christian peers and in his local church.

Another significant, more pointed question to address is “Why seminary?” People who attend seminary for the wrong reasons can disrupt their Christian path, so it’s important to examine motives before attending. Is the goal to increase knowledge of general theological matters? Is the goal learning the pastorate function? Is the goal to love and know Jesus more? Is it to gain insight into Christian counseling or perhaps musical arts? Is it because there’s a family or ministry expectation to attend? Is it to compensate for some real or perceived spiritual or character deficiency? Is the goal to advance intellectually and have an answer for opponents of Christianity?

While answers to the aforementioned questions are not necessarily of equal merit (I submit that motives ultimately pointing back to a desire to love and know Jesus are quality motives), each serves as an example to help the prospective student think about his own motivation. (Note: Make no mistake, the answers to these are more important than the questions themselves.) Attending seminary for the wrong reasons can lead to spiritually bankrupt intellectualism or worse, abandoning one’s faith altogether. Thinking through and praying about the “why” is a crucial step that no prospective student should omit.

Moreover, the “question of why” also gives rise to examination of the spiritual needs of seminary students or seminary graduates. That is, why is it important for them to grasp the contents of this book? I believe the answer is simple and twofold: (1) the need for Christian unity and (2) the need for personal discipleship.

Unity

Christian unity is a common theme in the Scriptures. It’s one of the most frequently addressed topics in the Bible, but it’s also unwittingly ignored in Western society. All Christians, including seminary students and graduates, need Christian community. That community is not intended to be a collection of believers who begrudgingly tolerate one another either. That community is supposed to be bound and united in Christ.

In Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus where he discusses various grace gifts given to the church, he provides a rather pointed view of the purpose of the gifts he had just mentioned. He says, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:11–13a). While this text highlights various ministry gifts within the church, there’s a purpose for those gifts; they’re not simply a means to advance an individual’s personal ministry. They are for the purpose of equipping saints “for the work of ministry.” Most importantly, and to the point of unity, these gifts are not intended to equip the saints forever; there’s a limit, an expiration of sorts. They are meant to be operational for equipping the saints “until we all attain to the unity of the faith.” This reference is likely intended to limit the grace gifts’ operation to the church age. That’s it. The gifts are to equip the people of God until we attain (or achieve) unity. Unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God (Jesus Christ) are the aims in this text. This single passage solidifies one of the foremost purposes of this book; no Christian should read this book or navigate seminary without understanding one of his top priorities is to attain (and maintain) unity.[3]

Discipleship

Personal discipleship is a key component of Christianity, too, and it’s the other reason the seminarian should have a firm grasp of the contents of this book—to remain faithful in his service to God. It’s not because this author says so either. Instead, it’s because the Author of Scripture says so!

Romans 12:1–2 beautifully illustrates the Christian disciple’s responsibility. It reads, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The passage calls believers, ironically, to be a “living sacrifice.”

The word “sacrifice” conjures up imagery of the Old Testament sacrificial system: specifically, the practice of taking the life of prime livestock as a part of tabernacle and temple worship. Yet, Christians are called to be living sacrifices, which presents the perpetual nature of the believer’s sacrifice as modeled through living rather than dying. As the Old Testament sacrifices had to be unblemished in order to be acceptable, so the Christian is to be holy and acceptable to God. The instructions to “not be conformed to the world” and “be transformed” have various applications, but fulfilling these commands has a purpose. That is, “by testing you may discern what is the will of God.” This brings me to a key point for the seminarian: he must dedicate himself to performing God’s will for his life. He must discern God’s will through testing, but this is only done as a living sacrifice and in holy devotion to the Lord. While seminary is not some evil preventing a person from being holy and acceptable to God, the pitfalls, which will be addressed in this book, often muddy the Christian’s ability to see, and subsequently perform, the will of God. Of course, Paul wasn’t writing Romans 12:1–2 in order to make sure the seminarian remains faithful to God. The concept of Christian scholarship as we know it now didn’t exist in Paul’s day, so I’m not suggesting that was Paul’s intent. Yet, as we exegete his intent, the scope and application of this passage is so vast the Christian is still able to glean the actual interpretive truth of this text and apply it to his life regarding biblical studies.

A final word on personal discipleship and theology is in order. The very nature of studying God is unique. In primary, intermediate, and secondary education (i.e., K-12), people usually commit yearlong and semester studies on concepts, not people, or, in the case of God, relational Beings. We usually study things that can’t be touched—concepts like algebra, world history, English, trigonometry, geology, music, languages, chemistry, etc. Therefore, in studying the Almighty (שַׁדַּ֔י, Shaddai), it’s easy to see why someone might unwittingly reduce Him to a concept rather than the Ultimate Being worthy of our complete adoration. Unfortunately, when this happens, individuals experience a degraded or nonexistent relationship with God and fail in their Christian devotion. Avoiding this personal discipleship pitfall is critical.

Encouragement through Paul and Peter

Finally, this question of “why” may lead readers to discover seminary is not the path for them, and that’s okay. Regardless of your choice, I want you to know upfront and with certainty that you can be wildly effective in ministry if you are passionately pursuing Jesus Christ. Find that hard to believe? Consider Paul and Peter, two apostles of Jesus Christ.

Paul was of Jewish ethnicity and a son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6). Thus, his early religious education consisted of Pharisaical teachings of the Law. Not only that, but Paul was trained as a Pharisee and became one, even being discipled by the renowned Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). If Paul’s academic training were translated to modern times, he would be the type of student with a storied heritage of educated preachers in the family, multiple advanced degrees from prominent theological universities, and mentorship from a premier scholar of the day. Yet, while Paul’s education certainly came in handy, he didn’t regard these things as supreme nor trust in them to advance the gospel (Phil. 3:4–8).

Peter, on the other hand, would have been raised in a manner consistent with Jewish boys in his era but without the formal rabbinical teachings that Paul received. In fact, in his initial sermon, he was described by some hearers as “uneducated” (Acts 4:13), but that didn’t lessen the impact of his preaching. He was a fisherman by trade, and that is likely where he excelled. If Peter’s academic training were translated to modern times, he might be one who had a lay preacher or two in the family, had completed an informal theological course or two at the local church, and held a high school education. Yet Peter made some of the most critical declarations about the Lord Jesus (Matt. 16:13–17; Acts 2:37–39; 2 Pet. 3:8–10) and possessed a propensity and boldness to lead, which was critical to the advancement of the early church.

The point is Paul and Peter had vastly different religious educational backgrounds—one formal, academic, and of an esteemed pedigree; the other informal, limited, and unpolished. Yet both Paul and Peter had effective ministries, not due to their educational backgrounds but due to their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ! Hear this clearly, prospective seminary student (or non-seminary student): your love and devotion to the Lord Jesus will be the single most important aspect of ministry, not your education. As you read this book, please keep that in mind. Yes, growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ is a must, and that knowledge will matter the most. Education or lack thereof may impact the quality of opportunities available, but if the Lord opens a door, know with certainty no man can close it. Regardless of choice or ministry direction, be encouraged in the Lord that faithfulness is of far greater weight than academic prowess.

Chapter Takeaways

Know your “why.” Your motivation for theological study is critical, and the nature of man can often lead to hidden improper motives. Self-evaluation prior to seminary (and any other potential endeavor) can shine bright, flashing lights on the most concealed matters of the heart.

Prioritize attitude. Your attitude toward theological study and seminary can have a significant bearing on your approach to it; ensure you’re doing it for the glory of God above all else.

Esteem unity and discipleship. Christian unity and discipleship must be priorities before, during, and after seminary or advanced theological study. Without these priorities, students will acquire critical knowledge but do great harm to the body of Christ or themselves.

Rest in Jesus regardless of academic direction. Effectiveness in ministry is not determined by academic prowess. It’s determined by the Lord and often shaped by one’s commitment to Him.

[1] During the writing stages of this book, I learned there are other published works for seminary guidance, but the entries are relatively limited.

[2] Usually, people are warned about seminary in this way. This was also my attitude early in my Christian faith. I’d witnessed an abundance of believers who could make your head spin with Bible trivia but wouldn’t cross the street to share their faith or make it a point to live holy. In this regard, it’s easy to see why some have a disdain for the more intellectual elements of the faith.

[3] Eph. 4:3 is another great text that speaks to this idea of unity. It reads, “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The Greek word for “eager” there is σπουδαζοντες (spoudazontes), and it’s a participle, which communicates the continuous nature of the verb akin to an “-ing” ending in English. The KJV and CSB highlight this sense of the word by rendering it “endeavoring” and “making every effort,” respectively.