Introduction
Writing a dissertation brings you face to face with quite a bit of scholarly literature (sometimes, when you sleep on your desk like I do, this can be quite literal).
As I’ve pored through reams and reams of erudite books and articles, I sometimes find myself mumbling, “Who the heck cares about this stuff?”
For example…
In my topic in the Book of Acts I have run across the following theories:
- “Luke” the author of Acts, also wrote 1 and 2 Timothy (Wilson)
- The Miletus Speech (Acts 20:17-38) and the Jerusalem mob speech (Acts 22:1-21) are actually one speech in reverse order (Budesheim)
- Luke is fighting against Gnosticism (2nd century movement) when he calls out the wolves in the Miletus Speech (Talbert)
- All of the speeches in Acts are created by Luke to serve a literary purpose (Dibelius)
And I could go on…
I mean what person is helped, or saved, or encouraged by most of what I have to read to receive my PhD credentials? How is sifting through various obscure and competing theories adding to my ministerial capital? Well, I’m glad you asked (or am I the one who is asking?)
4 Thoughts on this dilemma…
In trying to reconcile these things in my mind, I’ve come up with a few random thoughts. These are not well formed by any means, but they do represent and evolving theology of academic inquiry, if you will:
- Don’t become enamored with academic studies – First and foremost you must remember that all the knowledge in the world is useless unless it can be applied to real problems and real situations. Avoid the ivory tower. Funnel the things you are learning in research into the church and into society. — Stay grounded and ministry focused.
- Truth has no fear of honest investigation – Sometimes, in honest inquiry, you will have to sort through the good, the bad and the ugly. Your own religious tradition may be the biggest barrier in this regard since you are already predisposed to judge certain opinions. But you cannot avoid them because you disagree with them! — Stay grounded and Biblically focused.
- Research is the building of skills for life – I have likened the PhD process to Jedi Knight training. It is sometimes obscure and mysterious, but you do end up developing some amazing skills: research, writing, argumentation, logic, clarity and depth of thinking and so many more. Even better, your own convictions will become stronger and more defensible the more broadly you read. — Still, stay grounded and worship focused.
- Your grasp of a subject will be incredible – This is one of the biggest blessings of having to sort through so many books, articles and theories. You learn a ton and you are forced to follow leads where they take you. A study of the Miletus Speech forces you to look at Acts, Luke-Acts, the synoptics, Paul’s letters, 1 and 2 Timothy, 1 Peter and on it goes. However, the bottom line in this regard: Learn to separate the wheat from the chaff, and store the wheat for later, to feed yourself or others.
Conclusion
PhD studies can sometimes be too heady or academic and relegate you to running down or answering obscure theories which seem to have no relevance to your daily or ministerial life.
If doubts start to creep in, just remember that in the process, you are building a skill, becoming an expert and honing your ability to discern good from bad theology; however, in the end, it all comes down to how you utilize what you are learning. Staying grounded and ministry, Biblically and worship focused will allow you to funnel the best of your research into your life, home, church and society where it can truly have an impact.
