Full Text for Pastoral Theology and Practice- Volume 1 - How to Understand Pastoral Theology (Video)

ROUGHLY EDITED COPY LUTHERAN PASTORAL THEOLOGY & PRACTICE LCPTP-1 Captioning Provided By: Caption First, Inc. P.O. Box 1924 Lombard, IL 60148 800-825-5234 www.captionfirst.com *** This text is being provided in a rough draft format. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. *** >> DAVID: Hello, Professor Warneck and Professor Senkbeil. My name is David. I want to ask a very obvious first question which touches upon the goals of this course. How should I understand this subject, pastoral theology? >> DR. WARNECK: David, you have raised a good question for every pastor wants to know how the things he studies are useful for his pastoral ministry. I want to assure you that pastoral theology fairly well undergirds most of the things that you and your colleagues will be doing in the pastoral office. As athletic teams have their playbooks and as umpires and referees follow certain guidelines in the sports world, pastoral theology serves as a guide to the pastor. First let's look at the term itself, "pastoral theology." And let's take the second word initially "theology." Theology is the doctrine and the knowledge of God and divine things, as Dr.�Fritz, a long-time teacher of this subject has stated. You are a student of theology. And so you're very much in the picture here, David. Pastoral ministry is about many things, as you have already discovered�-- disciplines and tasks, making judgments, helping your people make decisions. In your practice as a pastor, you are never far removed from theology. Our ministry rises from a foundation of God's revelation disclosed in his word, the holy scriptures, Jesus Christ himself the chief cornerstone, as the apostle Paul puts it in Ephesians chapter 2. Hardly a casual reference, the apostle Paul points young pastor Timothy to the scriptures, given by inspiration of God for the purpose of leading souls to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, the scriptures serve a primary purpose to equip Christians and pastors, too, men like yourself, Dave, for Godly living. 2 Timothy 3:15-17. Jesus said, "Whoever hears his words and does them is like a wise man who builds his house not on sand but on a rock." We want to build our pastoral ministry on a solid foundation. And that solid foundation is theology. As we said before, the knowledge of God and divine things as disclosed by God in his holy word. "You must believe that God himself speaks in the Bible," said Dr.�Martin Luther. "And your attitude must be in accord with that belief." A faithful pastor is a man of the book. He is a spokesman for God and his word. You see, David, our ministry is really not our own. We converse this way. We speak about my ministry, his ministry, our ministry. But our ministry is not our own. All is of the spirit. "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught but the spirit," exclaimed St.�Paul in 1 Corinthians verse 2. This leads then to the second part of our subject, the pastoral part, pastoral theology. The term "pastoral" denotes the character and the task of a shepherd. A pastor, shepherd of souls, who watches and cares for them in the likeness of Christ our good shepherd. Such an undershepherd of our Lord applies the word of God to the spiritual needs of the flock. David, sometimes it may be a wake-up call of the law in the face of the sins that surface in the fellowship or in the life of an individual sheep in our care. But then the comfort and assurance that God forgives for Jesus' sake, the Gospel, is also part of our pastoral care and a very significant one, of course. Furthermore, help and guidance, also wisdom derived from God in his word, will help the pastor lead and guide and support the people in his care. The pastor has a word from God for all times in the lives of his people. Not a mechanical thing. But skillfully now and with patience and Christian love, the pastor places the word and divine wisdom upon the hearts of the people. He leads the flock by principles which are rooted firmly in God's word. And the Lutheran Confessions help the Lutheran pastor to stay the course consistent with the scriptures. Engaging theology day-to-day both individual study and preparation for formal preaching and public teaching, the word is ever forming and shaping the pastor himself with attitude and aptitude for pastoral ministry, shepherding souls. David, we summarize in the words of Dr.�Fritz who wrote, "Pastoral theology is theology or the doctrine of the knowledge of God and of divine things applied by the pastor, the spiritual shepherd to the spiritual needs of his flock." Now, may we emphasize, David, once again that the pastoral ministry is not our own profession, even though we pour ourselves into it. Nevertheless, its thrust is from sound theology and no other source. And in this regard Dr.�Fritz continues. He says, "Pastoral theology being theology is not idle speculation or a system of manmade theories and rules but has its source in the word of God and states the eternal truths and the divine unchangeable principles which should be faithfully applied to the spiritual needs of men." David, briefly, we have introduced our subject on its own terms. Pastoral theology. Similarly, a theologian from another tradition helps our understanding. Dr.�James Hoppin, professor at Yale University in the late 19th century, determined that pastoral theology is on the one hand a science and then it is also an art. By the term "science" Hoppin means that pastoral theology embraces the underlying principles of pastoral work. By the term "art" Hoppin means those external and somewhat flexible or even subjective use of those principles toward a certain goal or end. So the term "science" refers to the principles of our pastoral ministry. The term "art," as Hoppin uses it, refers to the flexible use of those principles in application to the people and their needs. Distinguished here then are two elements�-- theory and practice. Our Lutheran understanding, of course, cites the source of both the science and the art, namely, the word of God. Hoppin's definition is clear and helpful when we consider other professions by comparison. For instance, the surgeon has mastered the science of his profession. He applies the principles carefully. But the surgeon, before entering the operating suite, he discovers all that is possible to know about the patient's internal condition. He administers a battery of tests and scans. And with the knowledge from those instruments, he goes forth to the surgical procedures. And in his work he minimizes shock to the patient, and he fosters the most rapid postoperative recovery and healing. Now, all of these factors pertain to the science of doing surgery. But there is also an art in this work, as you well know. The facility of the surgeon with his instruments, the turn of the hand, the pace of intricate moves. These comprise the art, if you will, as does the prompt response and quick thinking and critical decisions when unforeseen complications arise. Handling those "surprises" which surgeons encounter is the essential art of their profession. Working from principles to practice both the science and the art is essential for the Christian pastor as well. David, you know how it is. A pastor can have command of his theology to meet most every question or situation. And he combines with that knowledge the skill to translate and interpret theology in a helpful manner. For example, a pastor comprehends clearly the proper relationship between husband and wife in marriage, according to the order of creation. He's very familiar with those principles. He understands that life for the couple within this divine order is happy and fulfilling when it is complemented by selfless love serving one another. He comprehends the headship and the submission principle expounded by the apostle in Ephesians chapter 5. This is a science, in Hoppin's terms. Still, when the pastor faces the couple planning their wedding and the young lady sitting before him in his office hesitates and even refuses to recognize any reference in the marriage rite to submissiveness of the wife to her husband and the young lady wishes to delete those phrases from the marriage rite, the challenge to help this person beyond her sensitivities to acceptance of the divine order, that, I submit, is in the realm of the art of which James Hoppin speaks. So I hope, David, that you can see how helpful these clear terms, science and art, that James Hoppin has given us is helpful to comprehending the nature of our subject as it relates to our day-to-day pastoral ministry. Now, we should mention a more contemporary and modern model for pastoral theology, one that was advanced by Don S. Browning in his work, "A Fundamental Practical Theology." That was the title of his work. Now, Browning's understanding of our subject seems to operate with the notion of reality in process. Active and moving. Thus, pastoral theology, in Browning's view, is a subject that is ever moving, changing, and adapting. Instead of norms, texts, scriptures, confessions having the authoritative and final word for the practice of the ministry, Browning suggests that practical theology begins with the church's experiences in its present situation. And those experiences, Browning asserts, compel new and different meanings from the sources which are then to be applied. Now, this may sound somewhat complicated and probably sounds like an inversion, if you will, of our previous discussion from Dr.�Fritz and earlier, Walther in our tradition, and James Hoppin from Yale University. Browning's approach is very situational. And that is different. It is also a concern for pastors in a confessional church where you and I are serving. If essential theology as norm, God speaking to us in his revelation, is pliable or even vulnerable, depending upon the situation, if the eternal truths and unchangeable principles, to take the phrase from our Lutheran fathers, are subject to revision generation to generation, how shall the pastoral ministry in practice help the church steer through troubled seas and modern times? Please understand we are not here advocating an authoritarian top down style of pastoral ministry. Not at all. We have emphasized that pastoral theology is about patient and skillful use of those divine norms, indeed. And the Gospel prevails. The love of Christ constrains. Our approach is evangelical. That is, it is loving, caring, sensitive in serving Christ's people whom he loves and for whom he died out of his great love. This is the proper understanding of our subject, pastoral theology. *** This text is being provided in a rough draft format. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. ***