The Pastor Theologian Quotes

“The theological enterprise is — at root — a conversation. As such, a community of conversation partners is vital to the theological task. The monasteries, cathedrals, and universities were not simply important as financial patrons, but also as a means of networking a community of theologians without which theological conversations could not happen. Again, in our present context, such networks exist almost exclusively in the academy.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“cultural change has historically happened wherever “we find a rich source of patronage that provided resources for intellectuals and educators who, in the context of dense networks, imagine, theorize, and propagate an alternative culture.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“Young men seeking clerical occupation would frequently attend college (a two-year program in those days) and then pursue “finishing school” under a practicing pastor in one of the “schools of the prophets.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“By theologian we have in mind a person who provides written-thought leadership for and on behalf of the Christian community regarding matters of faith, practice, apologetics, philosophy, or biblical scholarship (or some combination thereof).”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“clearly the pastoral office was considered a viable vocation for theologians during the Reformation and post-Reformation eras.45 Conclusion The pastor theologian has had a”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“Yet the maturing of the university meant that the bishop’s office was no longer the primary vocation of the theologian.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“Until the Reformation, universities were chartered by ecclesiastical authorities to further the mission of the church and to supply the church with canon lawyers and learned clergy.34”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“In the thirteenth century, over thirty-three percent of the recorded Parisian masters of theology became bishops, abbots, general ministers, or cardinals.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“The rise of the universities marks the first time the pastoral office begins to be eclipsed as the majority vocational home of theologians.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“As the monastic movement grew, new opportunities emerged for scholars to create dense networks of mutual support within the monastic communities.21”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“the pastoral office was once compatible with robust theological scholarship. Irenaeus, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Anselm, Calvin, Edwards, Wesley, etc., all demonstrate the historic and native relationship between theological leadership and the pastoral vocation. But we have lost sight of this”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“if you watch Netflix ten hours a week but complain you have no time to be an ecclesial theologian. At the end of the day, we make time for what is important, and if being an ecclesial theologian is a priority, you will find a way to schedule it.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“A Christian witness that cannot engage with the intellectual elites of a culture is a Christian witness doomed to irrelevance, no matter how fervent its piety.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision

“But as James K. A. Smith puts it, when the only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians go to church while non-Christians stay home and read the paper, you know something is amiss.”
― Gerald Hiestand, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision