Anthropology for Pastors
Pastors spend a lot of time thinking about people. As much time as they invest in biblical study, planning services, and more, people are the focus of their ministry. To be sure, Christ is the ultimate object of our worship and service. Serving Him means we are shaped primarily by His Word and the Holy Spirit. However, sermons are preached to people. Struggling members are counseled. Wayward saints are confronted. Take any meaningful...
Adapting to the First Year of Pastoral Ministry: An Interview with Ken Simpson (Part Two)
Read Part One of this interview here. Readers may listen to the interview here, or read the transcript below. ____________________ JW: You’ve often told me and others that they really aren’t going to be seen as the pastor for perhaps at least 3 or 4 years. And I’m sure you don’t mean to suggest that it’s always that long—perhaps it may take longer to gain credibility, or even shorter in some cases. What are the factors that determine...
Adapting to the First Year of Pastoral Ministry: An Interview with Ken Simpson (Part One)
Ten years ago I had the privilege of taking a pastoral ministry seminar at Welch College entitled “Adapting to the First of Pastoral Ministry.” The course title reflects something important to all who enter ministry. Yet it was the instructor for this course that gave it its value. It was taught by Ken Simpson, who was then in his first pastorate in the greater Kansas City area. Following his time earning a master’s degree from...
Hauerwas: A (Very) Critical Introduction: A Book Review
Mainstream magazines seldom get involved in theological affairs—at least not in expressing approbation for theologians. Yet in 2001 it named one seminary professor “America’s Best Theologian,” to which he responded, “‘Best’ is not a theological category” [1]. This snarky reply is something of an attitudinal trademark of Stanley Hauerwas, who retired recently after many years as the Gilbert T. Rowe professor of theological ethics at...
Crucifixion or the Cross?
David Wells latest offering, God in the Whirlwind, is well-worth one’s time. Here’s just one of the many excellent excerpts: “There is a distinction between the crucifixion and the cross. The former was a particularly barbaric way of carrying out an execution, and it was the method of execution that Jesus endured. The latter, as the New Testament speaks of it, has to do with the mysterious exchange that took place in...
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