THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNSHIPS - Dallas Theological Seminary

2Purpose of Theological Education DebateFor most of the last fifty years, theologians, ministers, and congregations have debatedthe purpose of theological education institutions in one form or the other. At the heart of thedebate is this one question: Is the purpose of the Bible college or seminary to train theologians orpractitioners? Indeed higher education at large questions the relationship between theoreticalknowledge and practical experience. Is the purpose of formal education for you to think criticallyor practically?On one side of the debate on theological education are those seeing the role of theseschools to “theologically capacitate” students to think biblically and critically rather than simplybe a “how to” school for particular pastoral skills. With respect to leadership development, theseproponents would contend that theological education should focus on creating theologicallyminded students and should encourage students to learn other practical aspects of theirministerial training in other venues. These venues would include both secular and religioussettings. In addition, they would argue that the primary location for leadership development isthe local church rather than the formal classroom.Scholars on the other side of the theological education debate see the role of theseschools as the education of the professional leadership of the church. Most of the “popular” focusof this debate in evangelical circles has centered on a very vocal coalition of church leaders whovoice the concern that the training received by ministers-to-be in the evangelical Bible collegesand seminaries is obsolete for the real world. These church leaders strongly believe thattheological education needs to make a more “concerted effort” to educate future leaders who canlead both inside and outside the local church.Some critics have gone so far as to call for and even create their own church-basedtheological education, bypassing accredited seminaries entirely. An unfortunate result of thisdebate has been the sometimes-damaged relationship between the local church and someseminaries.Need for Balance in Theological EducationIn reality, the Bible college or seminary has to do both. Part of the role of theologicaleducation is to theologically capacitate students to think biblically and critically. Too muchministry that takes place in today’s society that severely lacks strong theological roots. At thesame time, the theological education school is still a how-to leadership development school forfuture ministers. You must be able to take the vast theological knowledge from the classroomand soundly engage in ministry in a variety of modern contexts.© George M. Hillman, 2006