Spiritual Formation and the Purpose of Theological Education
I have personally heard the president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Dennis Hollinger, quote a famous saying twice: “As goes the seminary, so goes the church.” Theological education has a huge impact on the church; therefore, it is crucial for theological educators to always bear in mind its correct purpose. I hope to reflect here on the purpose of theological education and how we should do it. The content and task of theological education is inseparable from its purpose. The purpose decides the content, and the content serves the purpose. In a speech to the first Chinese seminarian conference, Hollinger used three components – the head, the heart, and the hands – to represent thought, passion, and action respectively, and he noted that Christians historically tend to gravitate toward one or the other. Seminaries tend to draw people who are head oriented and most professors are oriented toward working with ideas and concepts.
