In recent years, theological education in China has been in full swing, but it has encountered problems and issues. For instance, there are the doctrinal disputes: some believers are increasingly rational; some are more arrogant due to an increase in knowledge—overconfidence; and some spend too much time in theology but not enough on seeking the Lord.
The Christian Times interviewed several pastors from different regions about the impact of theology on churches and the lives of believers from their perspectives.
Pastor Dapeng began serving the church in the early 1990s, transitioning from a rural church pastor to an urban church leader. Pastor Dapeng states that he is not opposed to theology because orthodox theology needs to be passed on as an apologetic work, but he objects to the idea that all believers study theology.
He argues that if one does not have the basic knowledge of the Bible and go to study theology, then one will usually believe whatever others teach you. Especially for pastors in their 30s and 40s, they only graduated from junior high school, and many of them do not like to read books or the Bible.
Therefore, he believes that applicants must be equipped with biblical foundations before studying theology because a denomination has a denominational angle and concept. These ideas are not necessarily perfectly biblical, and anyone’s theories need to be balanced within the Bible.
Pastor Dapeng himself has a junior high school education, but he used to read the Bible for more than 10 hours a day when he first came to Christ. So when he and many pastors participated in a theological training, he was able to use his theological view of the Bible to distinguish whether the lecturer’s teaching was true or false.
He was also offered an exceptional admission to a master’s degree, but he gave it up because he found that it took much time to really engage in theology: browsing books, writing up assignments and essays, even writing books, and so on. For a pastor, he thinks he should ensure that he has enough time before God to devote himself in order to be able to serve.
Moreover, Pastor Dapeng finds that after studying theology, some people do not love and resemble the Lord more but become more rational and proud. Some feel that they are the purest because of their theological education and that those pastors have problems with their teachings; they often criticize other denominations and their believers. There are even some false theologies mixed with human intention that bring people to a point where they deny or misinterpret the signs and wonders of the Bible, deny the absolute accuracy of the Bible, and even deny the duality of God and man.
Because there is no guarantee that all theological education will be passed on without human content, it is difficult to have accurate discernment for those who do not have a biblical foundation. Therefore, Pastor Dapeng suggests everyone first familiarize themselves with the Bible, establish their own theology from the Bible, and then choose to study a theology program according to personal circumstances.
Brother Chang Yuan (pseudonym), a church worker in the northern region, is also a Christian who loves to read, but he has a different opinion from Pastor Dapeng.
For the few illiterate and incapable elderly believers, Brother Chang Yuan feels that they don't need to study theology. It is enough for them to simply know and believe in God, but for others, studying theology is necessary because it leads to a greater understanding of God.
In Brother Chang's view, studying theology should be like reading the Bible; the more you read the Bible, the more you love the Lord, and after learning theology, you should also love the Lord more. He believes that people who can be moved by the Bible can also be moved by theology, because theology summarizes biblical beliefs. So after studying theology, people are not meant to be more rational but more emotional. He advises that when choosing theological books, readers should choose authors with a living biblical foundation.
Brother Chang also acknowledges that there are problems in theological education in the church in China, saying, “Due to the lack of Christian culture, many Christians in China, having studied theology, only memorize the concepts and do not live a life of walking with God. As a result, after studying theology, they just load up their brains with knowledge, and life itself does not change much. It can also be said that there is only rational understanding, and this cognitive system is relatively superficial, which naturally leads to superficial service.”
He emphasizes that Christians must be clear about the purpose of studying theology in order to know the Lord better, love the Lord more, and become more united. Not to picket the sins of others, but if the mentality is flawed, the devil uses it.
He believes that if one loves the Lord very much before studying theology but the contradictions between one and his fellow believers increase after studying, this is not a problem with theology but a problem with himself.
Brother Jing (pseudonym) is a young pastor whose church is very focused on theological training. He claims that believers need to have a personal experience with God on the one hand, and on the other hand, they need to strengthen their doctrine through theology.
Brother Jing is more concerned that some believers place too much emphasis on spiritual experience and signs and wonders, which can easily be taken away by heresies. Therefore, he believes that the church must use theology to teach clear doctrines to believers so that they can have a solid foundation.
Jing’s church is different from the general church in that its pastoral community is mainly made up of young people who will be provided with theological education. However, he says that in the pastoral process, he finds that theology does not change young people. When they encounter trouble, theology does not help them much. So he is also thinking about how to balance the relationship between believers and the Lord to make a breakthrough.
What position should theological education occupy in the church and the lives of believers, what kind of people are suitable for studying theology, how much time should be devoted to theology, and how to regard theological education are issues we need to think about.
- Translated by Charlie Li
近些年来，国内神学教育的开展如火如荼。但同时，神学教育也伴随着一些问题和现象。例如教义之争；有些信徒越来越理性；有些人知识多了，人反而变得骄傲，“唯我独尊”；有些信徒花在神学的时间过多，专心寻求主的时间不够。
中国一网络基督教报纸基督时报采访了不同地区的几位一线牧者，他们从各自的角度谈到了神学对教会以及信徒生命的影响。
（一）
大鹏牧师在90年代初开始服事教会，从农村教会牧者转型为城市教会领袖。大鹏牧师表示自己不反对神学，因为正统神学需要被传承，以作护教之工。但是他反对所有人都读神学。
大鹏牧师表示如果没有圣经基础就去读神学，通常是别人怎么教就怎么信。尤其是70后、80后的传道人，很多是初中毕业，很多人都不太爱看书，也不爱看圣经。
因此，他认为学神学之前必须要有圣经基础，因为一个宗派有一个宗派的思想和观念。这些观念不一定是完全合乎圣经的，任何人的理学要平衡在圣经里面。
大鹏牧师自己也是初中学历，但是他在刚信主的时候每天超过10个小时地读圣经。所以当他和许多牧者参加一个神学培训的时候，能够用自己从圣经而来的神学观去分辨讲师所讲的是否掺杂错误的教导。
他也曾得到破格读硕士的机会，但是他自己放弃了。因为他发现真正研究神学，需要投入大量的时间。要去读书，写作业，写论文，甚至要写书等等。而对于一个传道人来说，要保证自己在上帝面前有足够的时间灵修，服事才有能力。
大鹏牧师还发现：很多人学习了神学之后不但没有更爱主、更像主，反而变得越来越理性和骄傲。有些人因为学了神学就觉得自己最纯正，教会牧师的讲道有问题，也常常批判其他教派或弟兄姊妹。甚至有些夹杂着人意的错误神学把人带到一个地步：否认或者错解圣经里的神迹奇事，否认圣经的绝对准确性，甚至否认神人二性等等。
因为不能保证所有的神学教育在传承的过程中不掺杂人意，对于没有圣经基础的人很难有准确的分辨力。所以大鹏牧师建议大家还是先熟读圣经，从圣经中建立自己的神学观，再根据个人的情况选读神学。
（二）
常远弟兄（化名）是一名北方地区的教会同工。他也是一名非常喜欢读书的基督徒，他跟大鹏牧师有不太一样的看法。
对于那些少数不识字的、没有学习能力的老年信徒，常远弟兄觉得可以不让他们学习神学。他们只要单纯认识、相信上帝就够了。但对于其他人，读神学是非常有必要的，因为借此可以更加认识上帝。
在常远弟兄看来，学神学应该像读经一样，越读圣经越爱主，学完了神学应该也是更爱主才对。他认为能被圣经感动的人，也能被神学感动，因为神学是总结了圣经信仰。所以学完神学不应该更理性，应该更感性。他建议大家在选择神学书籍的时候，选择有生命根基的作者。
常远弟兄也承认国内教会的神学教育存在问题，他表示，“因为缺少基督文化的底蕴，国内很多基督徒学了神学，只是记住了概念，并没有过与上帝同行的生活。结果学完了神学，只是装了一脑瓜知识，生命本身没有太大改变。也可以说只有理性上的认识，这种认知体系相对来说就显得肤浅，自然导致事奉就肤浅。”
常远弟兄强调基督徒一定要清楚自己学神学的目的，是为了更认识主、更爱主、更合一。不是为了纠察别人的罪，如果心态错了，反而被魔鬼利用了。
常远弟兄认为，如果学神学之前很爱主，学完了跟弟兄姊妹之间的矛盾反而增加了，这不是神学有问题，是人有问题。
（三）
井弟兄（化名）是一位年轻牧者，他所在的教会是非常注重神学训练的。他表示，信徒一方面需要有个人跟上帝的经历，另一方面也需要通过神学来强化教义。
井弟兄比较担心的是有些信徒过于看重属灵体验，以及神迹奇事，很容易被异端掳走。因此，他认为教会里要借助神学将清晰的教义教导给信徒，信徒才能有稳固的根基。
井弟兄教会不同于一般教会，他们牧养的群体主要是年轻人，会给他们提供很多神学教育。但是他也表示，在牧养过程中发现，神学并没有改变年轻人。当生活遇到冲击的时候，神学并没有给他们带来太大的帮助。因此他也在思考如何平衡，让信徒与主的关系上有突破。
神学教育在教会以及信徒生命中到底该占有怎样的位置，什么样的人适合学神学，应该投入多少精力在神学上，如何平衡地看待神学教育是我们需要思考的问题。
圆桌间| 三位牧者同工不同角度谈对神学教育的反思
In recent years, theological education in China has been in full swing, but it has encountered problems and issues. For instance, there are the doctrinal disputes: some believers are increasingly rational; some are more arrogant due to an increase in knowledge—overconfidence; and some spend too much time in theology but not enough on seeking the Lord.
The Christian Times interviewed several pastors from different regions about the impact of theology on churches and the lives of believers from their perspectives.
Pastor Dapeng began serving the church in the early 1990s, transitioning from a rural church pastor to an urban church leader. Pastor Dapeng states that he is not opposed to theology because orthodox theology needs to be passed on as an apologetic work, but he objects to the idea that all believers study theology.
He argues that if one does not have the basic knowledge of the Bible and go to study theology, then one will usually believe whatever others teach you. Especially for pastors in their 30s and 40s, they only graduated from junior high school, and many of them do not like to read books or the Bible.
Therefore, he believes that applicants must be equipped with biblical foundations before studying theology because a denomination has a denominational angle and concept. These ideas are not necessarily perfectly biblical, and anyone’s theories need to be balanced within the Bible.
Pastor Dapeng himself has a junior high school education, but he used to read the Bible for more than 10 hours a day when he first came to Christ. So when he and many pastors participated in a theological training, he was able to use his theological view of the Bible to distinguish whether the lecturer’s teaching was true or false.
He was also offered an exceptional admission to a master’s degree, but he gave it up because he found that it took much time to really engage in theology: browsing books, writing up assignments and essays, even writing books, and so on. For a pastor, he thinks he should ensure that he has enough time before God to devote himself in order to be able to serve.
Moreover, Pastor Dapeng finds that after studying theology, some people do not love and resemble the Lord more but become more rational and proud. Some feel that they are the purest because of their theological education and that those pastors have problems with their teachings; they often criticize other denominations and their believers. There are even some false theologies mixed with human intention that bring people to a point where they deny or misinterpret the signs and wonders of the Bible, deny the absolute accuracy of the Bible, and even deny the duality of God and man.
Because there is no guarantee that all theological education will be passed on without human content, it is difficult to have accurate discernment for those who do not have a biblical foundation. Therefore, Pastor Dapeng suggests everyone first familiarize themselves with the Bible, establish their own theology from the Bible, and then choose to study a theology program according to personal circumstances.
Brother Chang Yuan (pseudonym), a church worker in the northern region, is also a Christian who loves to read, but he has a different opinion from Pastor Dapeng.
For the few illiterate and incapable elderly believers, Brother Chang Yuan feels that they don't need to study theology. It is enough for them to simply know and believe in God, but for others, studying theology is necessary because it leads to a greater understanding of God.
In Brother Chang's view, studying theology should be like reading the Bible; the more you read the Bible, the more you love the Lord, and after learning theology, you should also love the Lord more. He believes that people who can be moved by the Bible can also be moved by theology, because theology summarizes biblical beliefs. So after studying theology, people are not meant to be more rational but more emotional. He advises that when choosing theological books, readers should choose authors with a living biblical foundation.
Brother Chang also acknowledges that there are problems in theological education in the church in China, saying, “Due to the lack of Christian culture, many Christians in China, having studied theology, only memorize the concepts and do not live a life of walking with God. As a result, after studying theology, they just load up their brains with knowledge, and life itself does not change much. It can also be said that there is only rational understanding, and this cognitive system is relatively superficial, which naturally leads to superficial service.”
He emphasizes that Christians must be clear about the purpose of studying theology in order to know the Lord better, love the Lord more, and become more united. Not to picket the sins of others, but if the mentality is flawed, the devil uses it.
He believes that if one loves the Lord very much before studying theology but the contradictions between one and his fellow believers increase after studying, this is not a problem with theology but a problem with himself.
Brother Jing (pseudonym) is a young pastor whose church is very focused on theological training. He claims that believers need to have a personal experience with God on the one hand, and on the other hand, they need to strengthen their doctrine through theology.
Brother Jing is more concerned that some believers place too much emphasis on spiritual experience and signs and wonders, which can easily be taken away by heresies. Therefore, he believes that the church must use theology to teach clear doctrines to believers so that they can have a solid foundation.
Jing’s church is different from the general church in that its pastoral community is mainly made up of young people who will be provided with theological education. However, he says that in the pastoral process, he finds that theology does not change young people. When they encounter trouble, theology does not help them much. So he is also thinking about how to balance the relationship between believers and the Lord to make a breakthrough.
What position should theological education occupy in the church and the lives of believers, what kind of people are suitable for studying theology, how much time should be devoted to theology, and how to regard theological education are issues we need to think about.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Roundtable Talk: Three Pastors Reflect on Theological Education
