The Layperson and ETS

Last updated on: October 5, 2016 at 12:11 am by Scot McKnight

The Layperson and ETS 2016-10-01T10:05:25-05:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Michelle Van Loon http://www.michellevanloon.com and http://www.MomentsAndDays.org

A group of academics gather for a theology conference. Papers and panels have been vetted in advance of the event, and conferees move from session to session listening to presentations. There are books to be purchased, break-out sessions and dinners and meetings to attend. After the conference, the academics head back to their work in universities, colleges, Bible schools, and churches. They carry home with them some food for thought, an armload of new books, and perhaps a few new professional connections.

In the case of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), I would like to suggest that some conferees might be bringing something more than these things home with them.

Scot recently posted some comments about a letter penned by past ETS president Stan Gundry addressing the politicking that has taken place within the organization in recent years around the subject of gender:

When the history of late 20th and early 21st Century evangelicalism is finally written, one of the most embarrassing stories will be the way male leaders behaved and sought to control all voices — mostly after meeting behind closed doors, in seeking to control who gets published and where, and who was chosen to speak so that a who-under-control would say what-was-controlled. Often those who are in control are taking the least amount of heat for this embarrassing way of powermongering.

Stan Gundry has now sent an alarm to ETS that the resolutions contradict what ETS is about and what its Doctrinal Basis is designed to do and not to do. He has suggested, too, that there is a complementarian conspiracy at work.

(Full text of Scot’s post, which includes the full text of Stan Gundry’s letter can be found here.)

I am not a professional theologian. I’ve never been to ETS. I am, however, an interested layperson who has for many years read the work of some of the theologians who are members of ETS. I have some acquaintance with a few theologians as I once worked at TIU/TEDS as a staff member, and have been blessed to attend some seminary classes at Northern. I write for the Church, worship in a local congregation, and connect with other believers when I have the opportunity to speak in other local churches.

As a layperson, I wish I could remind conferees at gatherings like ETS that what happens at these events doesn’t stay at these events. I’ve been the glad student of teaching shaped by the kinds of iron-sharpening-iron experience theologians have had at ETS over the years. I’m grateful there are spaces in this world where academics can gather in order to learn, affirm, and challenge one another. This kind of exchange is good for all of us in the church.

But I hear LOUD alarm bells as I’m reading about the antics Gundry describes in his letter. This stuff trickles down into the local church, too – with decidedly non-academic speed. The kind of backroom politicking, deck-stacking, and fear masquerading as doctrinal purity have more in common with a political convention than they do with an organization devoted to developing grounded, courageous theologians with the maturity to handle disagreement about non-essentials.

I know for some theologians, complementarianism has become creedal-level dogma, an essential linked to the inerrancy debates of a generation ago. Those who don’t toe the comp line risk being branded at best as people entertaining flabby theology, and at worst, candidates for a theological basket of deplorables.

Academic training and non-denominational organization should create a welcoming place for lively disagreement within orthodox Christian parameters, but as I’ve followed the ETS issue from the pew over the last couple of years, my heart is heavy for all of us in the Evangelical world. Laypeople like me need more from you, ETS members. We need you to model for us academic inquiry, humility, and the courage not to revert to underhanded machinations in order to filter out all with whom you disagree.

I’m all for theological precision, but if that precision is dictated by backroom power plays within ETS, we are all the weaker for it. That skeezy stuff is the way of bad local church politics, the very thing that has left too many of us in the pews carrying all kinds of wounds and scars.

I’m praying for you, ETS leaders! As you gather this year, please remember that you are influencing the local church in ways that go far beyond the content of the sessions you attend at the conference.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 4, 2016

Howard Snyder and Hillary Rodham Clinton

Next Post

October 5, 2016 Race and Gender: What Being a Woman Preacher Has to do With Racial (In)Justice

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who saw a vision of four beasts coming out of the sea?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel Amos Joel Ezekiel