A Brief Introduction

By Moise Anilus

Most Christians (particularly Haitian Adventists) often listen to ministers of the Bible without any consideration of either these ministers' academic backgrounds or theological positions.  This is because most ministers of the Bible use biblical texts as a basis for their spiritual ideology, which leads to a general assumption that only one specialization can be derived from the Bible. That is, any person who holds a degree in theology is a pastor and he/she is expected to speak from a pastoral perspective. 

From a personal observation, this assumption rests on the fact that most Haitian Christians do not make a difference between the text (narrative) and the meaning (spiritual). They consider both the text (paragraph, wording) and the context (background, circumstance, situation, culture, tradition) as one spiritual substance. In other words, the text and God are ONE. Therefore, from this perspective, all students of theology are expected to have a homogeneous or identical worldview of the Bible.

A significant factor accommodating this assumption has been the fact that, besides the difference between a pastor and a priest, the Haitian people have never been introduced to various specializations within the realm of the Bible. Voodoo has been the only alternative. In fact, even among this generation of sophisticated Haitian thinkers, it might be a bit strange to hear that students of theology can actually choose to specialize in an area other than pastoral formation.

In reality, it should not be so strange. The Bible was written by many authors over a long period of time. Therefore, the Bible is intrinsically multivalent or diverse; it produces various schools of thought. Like any other disciplines, proponents of these schools of thought focus on specific biblical subjects and provide definitions based on textual analysis, history, tradition, archeological findings and/or certain fundamental beliefs that have been deemed to be consistent with the very essence of the Bible itself.  However, since many people are not aware of the positions of these schools of thought, textual analysis is often considered to be the same as spiritual criticism.

Students of theology often focus on three main specializations in theology: pastoral studies, theological studies and philosophy of religion. Before we get to the definitions of the various biblical specializations, it is important to understand one thing. Just like individuals working in the medical field are not necessarily medical doctors, pastors are not necessarily theologians or religious philosophers, even though they function within the theological field.

Who Are Pastors?
The word PASTOR essentially means shepherd. That is, in terms of theology, a pastor's main responsibility is to provide pastoral care to the believers under his/her care. Pastors have the honorable responsibility to be the first responders to church members and families during good and bad times. Although the pastor may or may not have adequate pastoral care training, they often find themselves playing the role of a broker, an enabler, and a facilitator to cope with increasing pastoral care needs.

Furthermore, besides the fact that church members expect pastoral perfection, they expect the pastor to continuously promote a message that is consistent with what they consider true and factual. One of the inevitable side effects of such an expectation, however, is that the pastor is forced to be subjective in his theological views. In other words, the pastor is obligated to focus exclusively on reinforcing the significance of a specific set of religious beliefs, even if he or she may not always agree with the traditional understanding of some of the beliefs.

For instance, if a Haitian Adventist pastor realizes that the Adventist Church has no salvific advantage over other religions, he/she might feel uncomfortable to express his ideas. He has to be very careful, because most of his church members profoundly believe that the Adventist Church has been chosen by God himself; therefore, the church is a step closer to heaven. Knowing the consequences that might result from suggesting such an idea, the pastor is obliged to keep quiet.

Of course, a distinction needs to be made between the pastor who works as an independent shepherd and the pastor who works within the framework of certain religious beliefs. For instance, a non-denominational pastor who is not obligated to minister in light of certain specific religious beliefs is more theologically or perhaps intellectually independent than, for instance, an Adventist pastor who is trained and expected to minister within the framework of 28 fundamental beliefs.  In any case, a Christian pastor is expected to minister at least within the general understanding of Christianity and the required or accepted beliefs of his/her respective religions. Otherwise, he is subject to be expelled from the CHURCH.

Who Are Theologians?
Unlike pastors, theologians are biblical scholars. They have an interest in exploring new ways of understanding the Bible and God objectively. That is, they strive to understand the totality of the Bible without bias or partiality. Consequently, theologians often engage in textual, contextual, linguistic and historical analysis to determine the real meaning behind the texts.  Even though many theologians uphold their own religious beliefs, they do not allow their religious beliefs to restrain them from new understanding. In other words, a Baptist theologian would not be reluctant at all to admit the legitimacy and significance of the Sabbath, even if he or she is not a Sabbath keeper.

While a theologian can easily play the role of a pastor, he is more interested in asking questions much more than providing answers. For instance, theologians often ask the following question: are some things right because the Bible says so, or the Bible says so because some things are right?. Whereas most Christian pastors believe that some things are right because the Bible says so, most theologians believe that the Bible says so because some things are right. The difference here is a matter of faith and rational analysis. To agree with the pastors is to believe that killing would have been right if the Bible didn't go against it. To agree with the theologians is to believe that killing is absolutely wrong; therefore, the Bible says so. In other words, for theologians, killing is wrong whether or not the Bible says so.

Obviously, theologians seek rationality based on careful analysis of biblical texts and then provide a reasonable explanation. This is not to suggest that theologians don't have faith; rather, theologians seek to make the difference between faith based on tradition and faith based on knowledge or reality. Again, theologians believe in careful analysis of biblical texts, and pastors take the texts at face value based on faith--whether rational or irrational.

In terms of the relationship between young people and religious beliefs, theologians would say that when young people have an intellectual understanding or awareness of beliefs, they're more likely to remain loyal to the beliefs of their respective religions. For,when they don't know why they believe what they believe, they're often confused.  On the other hand, most pastors would say that an analysis of religious or biblical beliefs is a sign of faithlessness. This is one of the reasons when young people start asking serious questions about the church, most pastors, particularly in the Haitian Adventist community, push them away. In other words, to many pastors, faith eliminates critical analysis of religious or biblical texts. To theologians, faith is often used as an excuse for ignorance.

The Evangelist

While the evangelist can play the role of a pastor, the evangelist doesn’t always have the heart and the nurturing mentality of the pastor. In fact, the evangelist is a theologian, except that a true theologian must be theologically independent. That is, even though the theologian might adhere to a specific set of religious beliefs, he/she has to have an open mind to the beliefs of others. Evangelists like Doug Bachelor, Mark Finley, Yves Pierrre, Yvens Jean Phillipe are all Adventist theologians. Within Christianity, evangelists are individuals who have the single responsibility to proclaim the gospel to the masses and defend the beliefs of their respective religions. That is, evangelists are expected to preach not necessarily to nurture.

As stated above, the pastor is a shepherd; one who natures the sheep or the souls. On the other hand, the evangelist is a sheep or souls winner. There is a difference, though it is not always clear. And the difference is a matter of talent and vocation. The pastor doesn’t have to be charismatic. His role is to tend to the spiritual and social needs of his members. Evangelists are expected to be charismatic, because it requires much biblical analysis and an ability to explain biblical concepts in a way that is persuasively captivating.  

Evangelists often play the role of pastors for reasons that have to with finance and stability.  The pastor has a stable job; the evangelist doesn’t---except for the likes of Mark Finley and Doug Bachelor whose ministries are financially supported by huge donations from individuals. In fact, in the year 2000 Mark Finley had a $60 million budget, which is unusual for the typical evangelist. For instance, Haitian Adventist evangelists might have one or two evangelical assignments in a year, and they might make about $3,000 to $5,000 for each, based on the length of the crusade and the size of the church. Obviously, they can’t rely on such small amount of money. So, they are obliged to play the role of a pastor and still accept periodic evangelical assignments, which is understandable.

However, it is sometimes problematic when an evangelist plays the role of a pastor. The reality is that those who have the vocation to preach and convert people by the hundreds are often incapable of meeting the day-to-day needs of the converted. While a pastor would visit his members, attend to the needs of the members, and be attentive to local church challenges, the mentality of the evangelist is to assemble people and convert them. This is as simple as someone who is good in math but not so good in writing and reading.

One of the reasons many churches in the Haitian Adventist community are suffering from spiritual and social malnutrition is because the Haitians appreciate the evangelist much more than the pastor—even if the evangelist is clearly incapable of nurturing. But the members love the charisma and the rather thunderous nature of the evangelist--so much so that the pastor, who is often less charismatic but more nurturing, is often considered incapable of preaching. Therefore, the members would rather sacrifice nurture for charisma—even if the charismatic evangelist doesn’t bring anything more than a weekly sermon.

In summary, the evangelist is often viewed as a charismatic leader who has the ability to assemble hundreds of people and convert them—at least that’s the goal. It is the responsibility of the pastor to nurture the souls who have been converted.

Who Are Religious Philosophers?
Religious philosophers study the philosophy of religion, which is a branch of philosophy. They explore the metaphysical world in relation to the existence of God. They ask basic questions such as, is there a God? If so, what he is like? What does He want from us, and what do we want from him? While both pastors and theologians work under the belief that God exists, religious philosophers discuss the possibilities of how God might exist, how He is perceived to be in the world, and the impact the thought of His existence has on the formation of various religions in the world.

In order to understand the nature and the existence of God in the world, there are at least four main arguments religious philosophers struggle with: the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and the moral argument. Each of these arguments play a major role in the perception of God as a being. Also, subjects such as the role of miracle, evil, good and prayer are constantly at the center of intense debates amongst religious philosophers.

Again, while theologians seek to make sense of biblical texts, religious philosophers seek to make sense of God's existence. For instance, Aristotle, one of the pioneers of philosophy of religion, argued that God must be a moving God, since everything he created somehow moves. However, he quickly realized that God couldn't be moving indefinitely; therefore, God must be the unmoved mover.

Conclusion
I think it is very important to understand the different theological views that dominate the minds of pastors, theologians and religious philosophers. Even though one may not be willing to delve deeply into these schools of thought, I think it is necessary for one to at least be aware of the arguments that reign supreme in the theological world. Among other things, what I hope you get from this article is that you will become aware of the vastness of theology. That way, the next time you see someone who holds a degree in theology, you don't automatically assume that he/she is a pastor.

Last update: 21-12-2009 09:19