The Balance Between Academic Pastoral Training And Getting Training Directly From The Holy Spirit

[Presbyterian Continuist]

There are some church groups that discourage academic training because they believe that "the Anointing will teach us all things", and so academic training will get in the way of the Anointing, or cause pastors to rely on their training instead of the Holy Spirit. What are your thoughts about that?

 

[Hidden In Him]

There are some church groups that discourage academic training because they believe that "the Anointing will teach us all things", and so academic training will get in the way of the Anointing, or cause pastors to rely on their training instead of the Holy Spirit. What are your thoughts about that?

It's junk, LoL.

What the Spirit speaks will fall completely in line with the written word of God, because both are God-breathed and Spirit-led. A lack of scholarship among leaders in the Spirit-filled church is actually an exceedingly dangerous thing, as it leaves those who might have very strong gifts just blowing in the breeze theologically and ripe for deception, and it doesn't take too much of an error to mislead multitudes through such influence into terrible error.

Those God calls as His strongest and most influential leaders WILL have scholarly training or they will be limited in how much God can use them. But understand, by "training" I am not necessarily referring to anything formal. I am simply referring to the fact that they will be quite educated, even if that education came from home schooling and/or being self-taught on a college-level basis.

 

[Tolworth John]

What are your thoughts about that?

Strange how Jesus speant three years teaching the disciples!

So if the Spirit is going to teach us all things, why do we have preachers?

If we need preachers, teachers etc then the preachers and teachers need not to have to reinvent theology.

If you follow missionary magerzine/blogs you would be aware of a problem in many areas where Christianity is growing or has grown.
The lack of ' trained ' teachers has/is leading false doctrine to being discovered and taught.

Just because someone is ' spiritual ' does not stop them from being ignorant.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

It's junk, LoL.

What the Spirit speaks will fall completely in line with the written word of God, because both are God-breathed and Spirit-led. A lack of scholarship among leaders in the Spirit-filled church is actually an exceedingly dangerous thing, as it leaves those who might have very strong gifts just blowing in the breeze theologically and ripe for deception, and it doesn't take too much of an error to mislead multitudes through such influence into terrible error.

Those God calls as His strongest and most influential leaders WILL have scholarly training or they will be limited in how much God can use them. But understand, by "training" I am not necessarily referring to anything formal. I am simply referring to the fact that they will be quite educated, even if that education came from home schooling and/or being self-taught on a college-level basis.

When I joined the Pentecostal movement in 1966, the academic approach was definitely not encouraged. And in the early 20th Century no opportunity was given for any members to attend Bible College or Seminary, because it was consider sinful and contrary to the Holy Spirit's way of teaching folk the things of God. For example, the Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth would not read any other book than the Bible, and maintained that the newspapers were full of lies. There were many early Pentecostals who had that same attitude.

 

[Hidden In Him]

When I joined the Pentecostal movement in 1966, the academic approach was definitely not encouraged.

I could tell that it wasn't very encouraged in the AoG when I was a member back in the 80s. We attended services and operated in gifts to a certain extent, but it was almost as if you were supposed to know what the word taught about it all already, because few were actually teaching on it.

For example, the Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth would not read any other book than the Bible, and maintained that the newspapers were full of lies. There were many early Pentecostals who had that same attitude.

Maybe this is where it came from, in part. I certainly agreed with Wigglesworth's devotion to the written word, for His words are Spirit and they are Life. But without any scholarship one runs the risk of misinterpreting the word, and this then works counter to that principle, because you're willfully allowing your interpretations to become tainted.

 

[Daniel9v9]

The words of the Bible are the words of God the Holy Spirit — they are not merely words about God or dead words that the Holy Spirit must unlock for us, no they are the true God-breathed words that our Lord has graciously given us —, and wherever those words are carefully and prayerfully taught, studied, and meditated on, that is good and sufficient. As it's written: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

So on the one hand, a degree is not the same as ordination, and on the other, we don't have to climb some mountaintop for secret wisdom. God's Word is given to His whole Church in full, and to be firmly rooted in His Word is to be spiritual, properly speaking. His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

That said, the Bible does lay out very clearly that those who aspire to the pastoral office should train with the church. See the epistles to Timothy, for example.

 

[Guojing]

There are some church groups that discourage academic training because they believe that "the Anointing will teach us all things", and so academic training will get in the way of the Anointing, or cause pastors to rely on their training instead of the Holy Spirit. What are your thoughts about that?

They are misapplying Luke 12:12 there.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

They are misapplying Luke 12:12 there.

That verse shows that when a believer is brought up before authorities to give an answer for their faith, the Holy Spirit will give them the appropriate words to say. It has nothing to do with being taught sound doctrine by the Holy Spirit.