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Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition
Too often pastoral care is uninformed by historical practice and is overly influenced by psychological theory and practice, according to Andrew Purves. At least one consequence of this is that it is often disaffiliated from the church's theological heritage. Purves examines Christian writers from the past who represent the classical tradition in pastoral theology--classical in the sense that they and their texts have shaped the minds and practices of pastors in enduring ways. He reflects on texts from Gregory Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter. He includes a brief biography of each author, introduces the major themes in the writer's theology, and discusses the issues arising for pastoral work.
137 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
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October 12, 2020
I believe this book should be required reading for anyone considering the vocation of pastoral ministry!
Purves provides a helpful survey of the classic texts on pastoral theology throughout the history of the church. He takes as his subjects: Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter. His chapter on Bucer was, in my opinion, the best. This may be, in part, due to the fact that Bucer is largely unknown in the English speaking part of the church. Many of us know the influence he had on Calvin, but because his works have taken so long to be translated in English, we have not been able to drink from the fountain of wisdom that they contain.
Purves highlights how high the call to pastoral ministry is and provides (for me) a helpful differentiation between pastoral care and therapeutic/psychological care. It is not that the two are mutually exclusive, but that there is a primacy of the ministry of Word and Sacrament that cannot be divorced from pastoral care. Further, pastors labor under the weight of knowing that they will have to account for the souls of those they shepherd before Christ. In this regard, pastoral care is truly the art of arts.
Purves provides a helpful survey of the classic texts on pastoral theology throughout the history of the church. He takes as his subjects: Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter. His chapter on Bucer was, in my opinion, the best. This may be, in part, due to the fact that Bucer is largely unknown in the English speaking part of the church. Many of us know the influence he had on Calvin, but because his works have taken so long to be translated in English, we have not been able to drink from the fountain of wisdom that they contain.
Purves highlights how high the call to pastoral ministry is and provides (for me) a helpful differentiation between pastoral care and therapeutic/psychological care. It is not that the two are mutually exclusive, but that there is a primacy of the ministry of Word and Sacrament that cannot be divorced from pastoral care. Further, pastors labor under the weight of knowing that they will have to account for the souls of those they shepherd before Christ. In this regard, pastoral care is truly the art of arts.
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January 24, 2021I read this book for a class, and pretty early on I began to suspect I didn't have the context I needed to get the most out of this book. I also had to look up about 20 different words, many of which were classified as "archaic." Despite these barriers, my interest in the material grew, and the author helped me glean practical takeaways. The premise that examining historical authors can help challenge our contemporary cultural assumptions seemed like a good one. (Insert awesome CS Lewis quote here.)
It was also fascinating how many excellent preachers tried to run away and be monks to avoid their appointments. I'm grateful for the dedicated pastors of the world!
It was also fascinating how many excellent preachers tried to run away and be monks to avoid their appointments. I'm grateful for the dedicated pastors of the world!
May 17, 2020
Good Grief
Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition was a really good reminder of what a pastor should be. As someone who grieves the state of the Church and struggles with anger toward my fellow pastors for forsaking the long established practice of pastoral care, I had a hard time with this book.
I think Purves chose great men worth emulating, but the men I know striving to be this for their people end up burned out and with tiny churches. Our culture would rather have celebrity pastors and pay a counselor than have a man who knows the Scriptures, loves them well, and is willing to lay his life down for them, and the Church is withering because of it.
Of course this is a chicken or the egg scenario. Have we failed them so much they don't trust us, or has the office changed to match expectations? I'm sure it's both.
Thankfully, PTitCT calls us pastors to return to our calling, and what better way to do that than giving us examples of how we might do that.
Great read for lay people so they can look for these kinds of pastors, and a great read for pastors who need to be reminded of our calling.
Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition was a really good reminder of what a pastor should be. As someone who grieves the state of the Church and struggles with anger toward my fellow pastors for forsaking the long established practice of pastoral care, I had a hard time with this book.
I think Purves chose great men worth emulating, but the men I know striving to be this for their people end up burned out and with tiny churches. Our culture would rather have celebrity pastors and pay a counselor than have a man who knows the Scriptures, loves them well, and is willing to lay his life down for them, and the Church is withering because of it.
Of course this is a chicken or the egg scenario. Have we failed them so much they don't trust us, or has the office changed to match expectations? I'm sure it's both.
Thankfully, PTitCT calls us pastors to return to our calling, and what better way to do that than giving us examples of how we might do that.
Great read for lay people so they can look for these kinds of pastors, and a great read for pastors who need to be reminded of our calling.
May 14, 2014
I am taking my final course for a certificate in biblical counseling through the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, which is entitled Counseling in the Local Church. Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition (2001) by Andrew Purves is one of the required texts. In this short text, Purves explores pastoral care and what we might now call counseling or soul care through the works of five men separated by over a thousand years: Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter. I suspect that even most well-read evangelicals have little knowledge of these men, except perhaps Richard Baxter.
In each case, Purves provides a short biographical sketch and then explores aspects of their works that contribute to pastoral care and shepherding. Although there was wisdom in each, I was particularly drawn to Gregory of Nazianzus, the earliest of them. Purves wrote, "according to Gregory, the pastor is a healer, even more so than the physician for the pastor treats a sickness that is a deeply subtle foe of healing a sickness of the soul" (p. 17).
Also, in the chapter on Gregory, Purves makes this point: "the godly pastor is not only a psychologist and rhetorician, but above all else also must be a theologian" (page 22). I would love to see this wisdom penetrate the pastoral office today.
In each case, Purves provides a short biographical sketch and then explores aspects of their works that contribute to pastoral care and shepherding. Although there was wisdom in each, I was particularly drawn to Gregory of Nazianzus, the earliest of them. Purves wrote, "according to Gregory, the pastor is a healer, even more so than the physician for the pastor treats a sickness that is a deeply subtle foe of healing a sickness of the soul" (p. 17).
Also, in the chapter on Gregory, Purves makes this point: "the godly pastor is not only a psychologist and rhetorician, but above all else also must be a theologian" (page 22). I would love to see this wisdom penetrate the pastoral office today.
July 21, 2024
Though only January at time of writing, Andrew Purves’ book Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition may be my favourite read of 2023 for the way the content elicited a smile, resonated deeply, rebuked, and encouraged. I have already recommended the book to a whole group of pastors, and the volume is also one I will buy copies of and give to those headed towards pastoral ministry. I’ll be moving onto Gregory the Great’s Book of Pastoral Rule because of this.
August 3, 2022
Really good overall. Purves does an excellent job giving a succinct biography of each author, and of their work in question.
However, my eyes rolled out of head every time he blew our minds when using a he OR she when referring to a prospective pastor. It was obnoxious chronological-snobbery, especially when wrenching out an ancient author's point and then applying it to a female "pastor" (which that ancient Christian would find as peculiar and nonsensical as a square triangle). Or when Purves patted them on their head because they were a product of their time, when of course, so is Purves (and all of us, for that matter). For example, when Purves talked about Bucer's view of sin, and how us enlightened people of today can see SO many more excuses for sin:
"[Bucer] saw sin for what he believed it was and what it is: an offense to God that can be rooted out by the means of grace and the care of Christian pastors and friends. To that end he saw a place for the instruction and admonition of the Word of God, personally accepted mortifications, and, in the case of serious sins, exclusion of the sinner from the Lord’s Supper until life was amended. Today we are able to appreciate that sin involves more than the failure of moral will and attack by the devil. Also involved are issues of human development and moral formation, the inadequacy of which renders one less able to act with discernment and responsibility. Moreover, social, political, and economic factors can malform people and societies, enable sin in institutional and corporate contexts, and trap people in behavior patterns from which they can hardly escape. Nevertheless, we should focus attention on choices evilly made and acted upon, and on continuing patterns of belief and behavior that fall short of God’s will for our lives. Many of us are not helpless victims, and personal responsibility must come to bear. The issue is not always mental health but is always sanctification, which is the reason for pastoral discipline."
I will say, though, that his gentle rebuke of the modernist and postmodernist to blame everything on circumstance is admirable here.
Anyway, all of that being said, I really appreciated the intro, especially this line:
"Unlike most twentieth-century pastoral practice, dominated by psychological theory and oriented towards self-realization, classical pastoral care was much more obviously constrained by matters of theology—indeed, by matters of doctrine. The classical pastoral writers believed deeply that the active reality of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit was a present help in time of trouble. Moreover, pastoral care always had in focus the principal concern for the salvation of the sinner. In the classical tradition, then, pastoral theology and the practice of pastoral care give primary attention to God in Jesus Christ as the source of life, meaning, and the church’s ministries of care. A central task of pastoral theology, then, is to remind the church that Jesus Christ is the pastor, the one who is the primary pastoral actor—who guides us to streams of living water, who forgives us our sins and saves us, who heals all our hurts, and who brings life out of death. The ministry of the church is, by the Holy Spirit, a sharing in the ministry of Christ. Ministry can have no other basis. A study of the texts of the great pastors of the past puts this front and square."
Great stuff, I wish the conservative Reformed types today were more interested in this project of classical pastoral care than these liberal Evangelicals in the late 20th century were. Oh well, I find some solace in knowing that Christian counsel as represented here will certainly outlive the transience we today call "Psychology."
However, my eyes rolled out of head every time he blew our minds when using a he OR she when referring to a prospective pastor. It was obnoxious chronological-snobbery, especially when wrenching out an ancient author's point and then applying it to a female "pastor" (which that ancient Christian would find as peculiar and nonsensical as a square triangle). Or when Purves patted them on their head because they were a product of their time, when of course, so is Purves (and all of us, for that matter). For example, when Purves talked about Bucer's view of sin, and how us enlightened people of today can see SO many more excuses for sin:
"[Bucer] saw sin for what he believed it was and what it is: an offense to God that can be rooted out by the means of grace and the care of Christian pastors and friends. To that end he saw a place for the instruction and admonition of the Word of God, personally accepted mortifications, and, in the case of serious sins, exclusion of the sinner from the Lord’s Supper until life was amended. Today we are able to appreciate that sin involves more than the failure of moral will and attack by the devil. Also involved are issues of human development and moral formation, the inadequacy of which renders one less able to act with discernment and responsibility. Moreover, social, political, and economic factors can malform people and societies, enable sin in institutional and corporate contexts, and trap people in behavior patterns from which they can hardly escape. Nevertheless, we should focus attention on choices evilly made and acted upon, and on continuing patterns of belief and behavior that fall short of God’s will for our lives. Many of us are not helpless victims, and personal responsibility must come to bear. The issue is not always mental health but is always sanctification, which is the reason for pastoral discipline."
I will say, though, that his gentle rebuke of the modernist and postmodernist to blame everything on circumstance is admirable here.
Anyway, all of that being said, I really appreciated the intro, especially this line:
"Unlike most twentieth-century pastoral practice, dominated by psychological theory and oriented towards self-realization, classical pastoral care was much more obviously constrained by matters of theology—indeed, by matters of doctrine. The classical pastoral writers believed deeply that the active reality of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit was a present help in time of trouble. Moreover, pastoral care always had in focus the principal concern for the salvation of the sinner. In the classical tradition, then, pastoral theology and the practice of pastoral care give primary attention to God in Jesus Christ as the source of life, meaning, and the church’s ministries of care. A central task of pastoral theology, then, is to remind the church that Jesus Christ is the pastor, the one who is the primary pastoral actor—who guides us to streams of living water, who forgives us our sins and saves us, who heals all our hurts, and who brings life out of death. The ministry of the church is, by the Holy Spirit, a sharing in the ministry of Christ. Ministry can have no other basis. A study of the texts of the great pastors of the past puts this front and square."
Great stuff, I wish the conservative Reformed types today were more interested in this project of classical pastoral care than these liberal Evangelicals in the late 20th century were. Oh well, I find some solace in knowing that Christian counsel as represented here will certainly outlive the transience we today call "Psychology."
September 16, 2020
The classical tradition of pastoral care, as represented by the two Gregory’s, Chrysostom, Bucer, and Baxter, saw pastoral care in an eschatological framework—meaning they saw their calling as helping parishioners onto glory by personal encouragement and evangelism. Their ministry was mainly done within the context of the church community and the content of their ministry was Word and Sacrament, namely the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is in great contrast with modern conceptions of pastoral care. Today, the focus is on self-realization as an end in itself and not eschatological glory. The core content of modern pastoral care is focused on the internal psychology of the recipient of counsel and not the objective work of Jesus Christ in history or the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer. Though we as counselors benefit from the insights of psychology and want to know as best as we can the person whom we are counseling, we must prioritize our knowing of Christ and making Him known to the hearts and minds of those we seek to help in the here and now of their life circumstances.
Further, the classical tradition holds the office of pastor, or elder, in very high regard. In fact, it was only with much trepidation that people like Gregory Nazianzus took upon himself this position. But this was not because the office was held in high regard by the people. This was because they saw that God placed an incredibly high degree of accountability upon those who enter the office. This is why Richard Baxter, in his Reformed Pastor, occupied much space discussing the conversion of the minister, himself. The classical tradition also saw a direct relationship between the holiness of the pastor and the fruitfulness of his ministry among the people. Even though the classical tradition had such high standards for pastors, they were still utterly realistic in their understanding of human nature. Pastors knew they were like everyone else—prone to the corruption of sin and susceptible to temptation. They had no triumphalist view of growth in grace. Growth in grace took a disciplined use of the means of grace and a commitment to do away with sin and put on Christ. We would do well to embrace their emphasis upon the holiness of those who seek to minister in the church of Christ.
As it relates to growth in grace, perhaps one criticism in the classical tradition would be its use of ascetic practices and withdrawal into monasteries. These are not the means by which the Lord grows us. We do, indeed, need to pray “lead us not unto temptation,” but the Lord also calls us to be in the world, though not of it. We should not embrace ascetic practices, which are not recommended to us in the Bible (though fasting might be the one notable exception).
Further, the classical tradition holds the office of pastor, or elder, in very high regard. In fact, it was only with much trepidation that people like Gregory Nazianzus took upon himself this position. But this was not because the office was held in high regard by the people. This was because they saw that God placed an incredibly high degree of accountability upon those who enter the office. This is why Richard Baxter, in his Reformed Pastor, occupied much space discussing the conversion of the minister, himself. The classical tradition also saw a direct relationship between the holiness of the pastor and the fruitfulness of his ministry among the people. Even though the classical tradition had such high standards for pastors, they were still utterly realistic in their understanding of human nature. Pastors knew they were like everyone else—prone to the corruption of sin and susceptible to temptation. They had no triumphalist view of growth in grace. Growth in grace took a disciplined use of the means of grace and a commitment to do away with sin and put on Christ. We would do well to embrace their emphasis upon the holiness of those who seek to minister in the church of Christ.
As it relates to growth in grace, perhaps one criticism in the classical tradition would be its use of ascetic practices and withdrawal into monasteries. These are not the means by which the Lord grows us. We do, indeed, need to pray “lead us not unto temptation,” but the Lord also calls us to be in the world, though not of it. We should not embrace ascetic practices, which are not recommended to us in the Bible (though fasting might be the one notable exception).
October 17, 2021
This is a book I would recommend anyone pursuing pastoral ministry to read. The author expertly trims the fat and gives you the meat of the pastoral theology of the classical tradition as seen in five important pastor theologians throughout time. It is so refreshing to take a seat and peer into the pastoral theology of men from the past 2000 years who’s lives were solely dedicated to the shepherding of the flock and cultivating the relationship people had with Christ.
This book does not really explain terms or give definitions for words so a base understanding of classical theology is required or else you’ll be a little confused at points. However, even without prior knowledge of the classical tradition I believe the author does a good enough job not making his book too unreadable.
In sum…read this book. You will undoubtedly grow and learn much because of it. If anything, you’ll walk away with the sense of pastoral ministry being a higher calling than you originally thought.
This book does not really explain terms or give definitions for words so a base understanding of classical theology is required or else you’ll be a little confused at points. However, even without prior knowledge of the classical tradition I believe the author does a good enough job not making his book too unreadable.
In sum…read this book. You will undoubtedly grow and learn much because of it. If anything, you’ll walk away with the sense of pastoral ministry being a higher calling than you originally thought.
September 1, 2024
Very interesting survey of a few very influential Christians and their contributions to pastoral theology. The book surveys Gregory Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter; giving some details about their lives and major accomplishments as well as a brief survey of their contributions specific to the area of pastoral theology. The author’s goal is for modern readers to briefly escape the modern conversation about what a pastor is or does and hear classical perspectives on that issue. In that regard, the book is a success and as a bonus is very accessible.
September 8, 2021
A great read for anyone considering/in pastoral ministry!
"O remember, when you are talking with the unconverted, that now you have an opportunity to save a soul, and to rejoice the angels of heaven, and to rejoice Christ himself, to cast Satan out of a sinner, and to increase the family of God!" - Richard Baxter
"O remember, when you are talking with the unconverted, that now you have an opportunity to save a soul, and to rejoice the angels of heaven, and to rejoice Christ himself, to cast Satan out of a sinner, and to increase the family of God!" - Richard Baxter
April 4, 2022
In light of problems in contemporary pastoral care methods, Andrew Purves seeks to pull from ancient writers to “allow these classical texts to provoke us into critical thinking by disturbing our calm, culture-bound assumptions concerning ministry.” (Intro.) Before moving into the main body of his work, he lays out the structure he plans to take. In surveying five pastors (two Greek Fathers, one Latin Father, a Reformer, and a Puritan), he plans to begin with 1) an introductory biography, 2) a summary of major themes in his theology, 3) and his pastoral theology including its relevance today. (Intro.) In order to focus on the pastoral theology of each pastor, this brief will cover the larger third category.
Beginning with Gregory of Nazianzus, the first theme of his pastoral theology that is brought out is the pastor as a “physician of souls.” Pulling from his anthropology, the pastor is the soul of the congregation who deifies the people as the soul deifies the flesh. This proves difficult given the diversity of the body, but as the pastor’s primary task is the “distribution of the word,” he is a theologian who addresses the needs of the people in healing and helpful ways. (Chap. 1) There is not only a theological requirement to be met but a spiritual one as well. Given the magnitude of this calling, Gregory’s life is marked with a struggle to submit to the call. While he would have preferred a simple life over the dangerous care of the church, it was the fear of disobedience to answering God’s call that overcame his fear of failure in ministry. (Chap. 1) The great take away from Gregory then, is understanding the ministry as caring for the souls of the church as a physician with a godly fear that understands the seriousness of being entrusted with those souls.
Moving on to the next Greek Father, John Chrysostom, Purves brings out three elements to his pastoral theology: 1) the nature of the pastoral office, 2) the tasks and problems of preaching, and 3) the piety of the pastor. (Chap. 2) In describing the nature of the pastoral office, Chrysostom uses two analogies. The first is that of a shepherd and sheep, and the second is that of the soul and the body. His understanding is that, “As the soul raises the body to its spiritual level, so the priest raises the layperson.” (Chap. 2) A large factor in this “raising of the body” is preaching and teaching. A few key points made in regards to the preaching of the pastor are that he must overcome the problems of both praise and criticism. Just as a father is not overly affected by his children’s praise and criticisms, neither should the pastor be. With the pastor’s audience being God, the people will be helped since this godly disposition is more needed than the finest eloquence. There must be a “purity in the midst of worldliness” and a “high attention to their own moral lives.” (Chap. 2) While Chrysostom’s expectations may seem unreasonable, what can be gained is the seriousness of the pastor’s spirituality. How can one lead as a shepherd if he is still a sheep? While the pastor is always a sheep himself in some sense, an important point is made.
When it comes to the Latin Father Pope Gregory the Great, his work Pastoral Care is considered by many, including Purves, to be the most influential book in the history of the pastoral tradition. (Chap. 3) Much like the previous authors, Gregory the Great considers who and what the pastor and office are, the moral requirements of the pastor, and complex aspects of pastoral ministry. Describing the sort of person the pastor must be, Purves summarizes Gregory’s understanding saying, “The person who would be a pastor has theological, professional, moral, and spiritual maturity, and exercises personal accountability for this maturity through rigorous self-examination and conscience.” (Chap. 3) A large influence on his thoughts towards the life of a pastor is his theme of consideratio where a sort of balance is sought throughout. This can be seen in statements like, “discreet in keeping silence and profitable in speech,” “balance between spirituality and ministry,” and “balance between pleasing people and speaking the truth.” (Chap. 3) Gregory’s setting was not a time of theological crisis but a time of social crisis. For this reason, he was not as much a theologian fighting for orthodoxy but rather a student of people in need of pastoral wisdom and application of previously developed doctrines. This results in his work in being a timeless commentary on people rather than a period of doctrinal development.
Ironically, Andrew Purves moves from a pope to a reformer looking at Martin Bucer’s On the True Pastoral Care. When considering the scope of Bucer’s work, his heart is set both on a love for God’s church and a desire to see the lost converted to her. The Reformation period had strong pastoral concerns, and it is fitting that a reformer spoke to these concerns (evangelism and pastoral care) which are still understood to be important today. Using Ezekiel 34:16, he speaks to pastoral care using the shepherd and sheep analogy. He emphasizes evangelism, care for the lapsed and the struggling, and edifying both the weak and strong. In contrast to many modern approaches, Christology and especially the lordship of Christ, plays a central role in the work of the pastor. This lordship is carried out through the pastoral office as Christ does what was discussed from Ezekiel 34:16 through the minister. (Chap. 4)
Ending with Richard Baxter, it is seen that he continues in the themes of Bucer without forgetting the attention to oneself highlighted by others within the tradition. Just as the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart, the pastor must tend to his own heart so that from his heart’s abundance, the congregation’s ears will hear that same grace. It is also mentioned here that while Baxter is somewhat remembered for diverting from certain aspects of Reformed teaching concerning the atonement, the law, and faith’s role in justification, he does not divert from the Puritan emphasis of urgent evangelism. Concerning the more positive legacy that he is remembered for, his emphasis and example on personal pastoral care is brought out. It was his conviction that the pastor must personally oversee the households of his church. In order to do this, he and his assistant personally visited about 800 families/4,000 people each year. (Chap. 5) This sort of individual care reveals how much Baxter understood of the pastor being an overseer.
Purves ends with a conclusion that takes the themes of the classical tradition and offers eight points of reflection that can be applied to models of ministry today. One of the great benefits of this work is that by the time you reach his conclusion, many of these reflections have been made clear already. In his Introduction, Purves asks, “Does a classical tradition exist?” It is made clear that these great pastors of the past shared similar convictions based upon God’s revelation of what a pastor should be and what he does. In today’s context, a pastor is often valued according to certain personality traits: he’s a go-getter, a people person, and a master coordinator. These play a part, but looking at the classical tradition, a stronger emphasis is placed on the pastor having a spiritual maturity and life of obedience that qualifies him to fulfill his calling. Concerning the calling itself, this work does an excellent job highlighting just how monumental this calling is. The fear of Gregory of Nazianzus and the expectations Chrysostom show that the office is not to be taken lightly. To be put in care of the church bought with God’s own blood and to one day give an account for their souls gives me a more serious fear to be entering an office like none other. The enormity of the task reinforces the necessity of Scripture and the Gospel. You cannot care for the church apart from the power of the Holy Spirit who creates them by the Word and confirms them by sacrament. For these reasons this work especially reminds the minster to care for his own relationship with God and recognize the necessity of the means of grace in fulfilling a holy and terrifying calling.
Beginning with Gregory of Nazianzus, the first theme of his pastoral theology that is brought out is the pastor as a “physician of souls.” Pulling from his anthropology, the pastor is the soul of the congregation who deifies the people as the soul deifies the flesh. This proves difficult given the diversity of the body, but as the pastor’s primary task is the “distribution of the word,” he is a theologian who addresses the needs of the people in healing and helpful ways. (Chap. 1) There is not only a theological requirement to be met but a spiritual one as well. Given the magnitude of this calling, Gregory’s life is marked with a struggle to submit to the call. While he would have preferred a simple life over the dangerous care of the church, it was the fear of disobedience to answering God’s call that overcame his fear of failure in ministry. (Chap. 1) The great take away from Gregory then, is understanding the ministry as caring for the souls of the church as a physician with a godly fear that understands the seriousness of being entrusted with those souls.
Moving on to the next Greek Father, John Chrysostom, Purves brings out three elements to his pastoral theology: 1) the nature of the pastoral office, 2) the tasks and problems of preaching, and 3) the piety of the pastor. (Chap. 2) In describing the nature of the pastoral office, Chrysostom uses two analogies. The first is that of a shepherd and sheep, and the second is that of the soul and the body. His understanding is that, “As the soul raises the body to its spiritual level, so the priest raises the layperson.” (Chap. 2) A large factor in this “raising of the body” is preaching and teaching. A few key points made in regards to the preaching of the pastor are that he must overcome the problems of both praise and criticism. Just as a father is not overly affected by his children’s praise and criticisms, neither should the pastor be. With the pastor’s audience being God, the people will be helped since this godly disposition is more needed than the finest eloquence. There must be a “purity in the midst of worldliness” and a “high attention to their own moral lives.” (Chap. 2) While Chrysostom’s expectations may seem unreasonable, what can be gained is the seriousness of the pastor’s spirituality. How can one lead as a shepherd if he is still a sheep? While the pastor is always a sheep himself in some sense, an important point is made.
When it comes to the Latin Father Pope Gregory the Great, his work Pastoral Care is considered by many, including Purves, to be the most influential book in the history of the pastoral tradition. (Chap. 3) Much like the previous authors, Gregory the Great considers who and what the pastor and office are, the moral requirements of the pastor, and complex aspects of pastoral ministry. Describing the sort of person the pastor must be, Purves summarizes Gregory’s understanding saying, “The person who would be a pastor has theological, professional, moral, and spiritual maturity, and exercises personal accountability for this maturity through rigorous self-examination and conscience.” (Chap. 3) A large influence on his thoughts towards the life of a pastor is his theme of consideratio where a sort of balance is sought throughout. This can be seen in statements like, “discreet in keeping silence and profitable in speech,” “balance between spirituality and ministry,” and “balance between pleasing people and speaking the truth.” (Chap. 3) Gregory’s setting was not a time of theological crisis but a time of social crisis. For this reason, he was not as much a theologian fighting for orthodoxy but rather a student of people in need of pastoral wisdom and application of previously developed doctrines. This results in his work in being a timeless commentary on people rather than a period of doctrinal development.
Ironically, Andrew Purves moves from a pope to a reformer looking at Martin Bucer’s On the True Pastoral Care. When considering the scope of Bucer’s work, his heart is set both on a love for God’s church and a desire to see the lost converted to her. The Reformation period had strong pastoral concerns, and it is fitting that a reformer spoke to these concerns (evangelism and pastoral care) which are still understood to be important today. Using Ezekiel 34:16, he speaks to pastoral care using the shepherd and sheep analogy. He emphasizes evangelism, care for the lapsed and the struggling, and edifying both the weak and strong. In contrast to many modern approaches, Christology and especially the lordship of Christ, plays a central role in the work of the pastor. This lordship is carried out through the pastoral office as Christ does what was discussed from Ezekiel 34:16 through the minister. (Chap. 4)
Ending with Richard Baxter, it is seen that he continues in the themes of Bucer without forgetting the attention to oneself highlighted by others within the tradition. Just as the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart, the pastor must tend to his own heart so that from his heart’s abundance, the congregation’s ears will hear that same grace. It is also mentioned here that while Baxter is somewhat remembered for diverting from certain aspects of Reformed teaching concerning the atonement, the law, and faith’s role in justification, he does not divert from the Puritan emphasis of urgent evangelism. Concerning the more positive legacy that he is remembered for, his emphasis and example on personal pastoral care is brought out. It was his conviction that the pastor must personally oversee the households of his church. In order to do this, he and his assistant personally visited about 800 families/4,000 people each year. (Chap. 5) This sort of individual care reveals how much Baxter understood of the pastor being an overseer.
Purves ends with a conclusion that takes the themes of the classical tradition and offers eight points of reflection that can be applied to models of ministry today. One of the great benefits of this work is that by the time you reach his conclusion, many of these reflections have been made clear already. In his Introduction, Purves asks, “Does a classical tradition exist?” It is made clear that these great pastors of the past shared similar convictions based upon God’s revelation of what a pastor should be and what he does. In today’s context, a pastor is often valued according to certain personality traits: he’s a go-getter, a people person, and a master coordinator. These play a part, but looking at the classical tradition, a stronger emphasis is placed on the pastor having a spiritual maturity and life of obedience that qualifies him to fulfill his calling. Concerning the calling itself, this work does an excellent job highlighting just how monumental this calling is. The fear of Gregory of Nazianzus and the expectations Chrysostom show that the office is not to be taken lightly. To be put in care of the church bought with God’s own blood and to one day give an account for their souls gives me a more serious fear to be entering an office like none other. The enormity of the task reinforces the necessity of Scripture and the Gospel. You cannot care for the church apart from the power of the Holy Spirit who creates them by the Word and confirms them by sacrament. For these reasons this work especially reminds the minster to care for his own relationship with God and recognize the necessity of the means of grace in fulfilling a holy and terrifying calling.
January 6, 2014
I almost gave this one five stars. A very convicting book for any minister to read. The author walks the reader through five famous books on pastoral theology. He looks at books by Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter. While I have read several of these works, Purves does a good job synthesizing the data, putting the authors in context, and then giving some points to take away. He also show the common themes that show up in the different writings despite those writing being separated by centuries.
Two things I took away: the spiritual formation of the pastor is the key to the spiritual growth of a church. Second, all pastoral theology must be explicitly rooted in the Scriptures, not psychology.
A really good introduction of pastoral theology and worthy of reading by any pastor or anyone who wants to be a pastor.
One note: He is mainline so he uses "He/she" when is talking about pastors. This gets annoying, but otherwise the book is conservative.
Two things I took away: the spiritual formation of the pastor is the key to the spiritual growth of a church. Second, all pastoral theology must be explicitly rooted in the Scriptures, not psychology.
A really good introduction of pastoral theology and worthy of reading by any pastor or anyone who wants to be a pastor.
One note: He is mainline so he uses "He/she" when is talking about pastors. This gets annoying, but otherwise the book is conservative.
January 23, 2015
This book summarized the historical views of five significant personalities in church history: Gregory of Nazinzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter. I am not a historian, so I found it rather frustrating at times because the editor did not provide commentary on the various doctrines represented in the compilation.
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July 28, 2011The annals of church history record the wisdom of sages who spoke on the role of the sacred office of pastor. These venerable men developed a theology to guide pastoral care and to impart instruction to ministers about the foundations and scriptural exhortations of being a shepherd of the flock of Christ. Contemporary American Protestants have sought to honor the heritage left behind in the records of these men by allowing those books to collect dust and remain largely unavailable to pastors today.
Such is the situation described by Andrew Purves, of the Pittsburgh Seminary, in this delightful volume. Its pages try to inform the widespread ignorance of that heritage by expositing the words of those in the church’s history that have written on Pastoral theology. By examining the works of Gregory Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer and Richard Baxter, Purves hoped to connect contemporary pastors with words that would speak to an ecclesiastical culture largely bereft of scriptural understanding of the pastoral task.
After having thus introduced the topic, Purves turned to the first figure, Gregory of Nazianzus. Narrating Nazianzus’s biography, Purves highlighted the constant struggle that Nazianzus felt between the call to the “throne” and the call to the “mountain” (10), i.e. between pastoral responsibility and solitary contemplation. In Nazianzus’s Pastoral theology, one theme was prominent–the idea of the pastor as a physician of souls. While Purves found this theme helpful, he recognized that contemporary connotations of the work of a physician could cloud the imagery (20). Nazianzus further pictured the pastor in relation to the church as similar to the soul in relation to the body, thus seemingly reflecting the platonic idea of the ruling class of philosopher kings being the soul of the body of the populace (18). The other significant theme that Nazianzus expressed was the weight of the responsibility that the pastoral office incurs (19, 24-25). It is that fearsome obligation that Nazianzus recognized to which Purves attributed Nazianzus’s struggle between the throne and mountain (19).
Purves’s treatment of John Chrysostom followed the pattern of his treatment of Nazianzus, as the remaining treatments also did roughly. This began with a biographical overview, in which Purves stressed the antagonism between Chrysostom and the local ruler, and continued with a synopsis of Chrysostom’s theology. The final section was on Chrysostom’s pastoral theology. Chrysostom accentuated the importance of a pastors loving care for the laity (43). He also made a sharp, but not excessive, distinction between the clergy and the laity (43-44). Purves ended that section with Chrysostom’s call for purity in the pastor’s life; a call on which Purves commented by saying that there is no virtue in withholding any moral restraint (54).
Gregory the Great, though ordained a priest to take the office of pope, came from a monastic background (57-58). This background was reflected in Gregory’s understanding of consecratio, which is a praxis balancing spiritual and physical aspects of one’s life (61). Further reflecting that background was Gregory’s insistence on a purity of lifestyle among the priesthood, matching, as Purves noted, the regula of monasticism (63). This high expectation of lifestyle was coupled to a requirement for educational training and other qualification for the task (63-64).
The section on Bucer highlighted the work of this oft-forgotten reformer. His theology and biography both contained themes of Bucer’s tendency to bring opposing parties together (79, 82-83). Bucer’s pastoral theology was intentionally biblically based, thus developing a christocentricism that emphasized evangelism and ministry of the Word. This is apparent in Bucer’s recognition of the pastors in Strasbourg as “co-laborers in the Word of the Lord” (83)–a title which suggests the centrality of the Word for the pastoral task.
Purves took a slightly different course on Baxter, describing the Puritan environment in which Baxter lived before returning to the common course of biography and theology. Baxter’s pastoral guidance arose from Acts 20:28, and taught that the pastor must establish himself spiritually before going to the people to seek their conversion and establishment in the Word. This conviction was modeled in Baxter’s methodology of visiting each family in the parish in order to catechize and instruct them.
The consummation of all of this material comes in Purves’s conclusion. In that conclusion, he wove the common themes into a composite pastoral theology. That theology demands that the pastoral task be founded on Scripture, recognizing the profound responsibility of the pastor’s high calling to a blameless lifestyle and commitment to and accountability for those in the pastor’s charge. These ideals are reflected in the example ordination sermon that closes the book, clearly outlining the expectation that is to be held of pastors.
This work is cleanly and consistently organized, thus facilitating the reader’s understanding. The biographical and doctrinal sections on each pastor well set the stage for comprehension of the primary purpose, the pastoral theology. Purves did not feign to have written an exhaustive work on the relevant texts but rather to provide practical application of the overall emphases of each of the studied pastors (3-4). In that regard, the entire project of this work is appreciated.
One problem that might arise in the mind of the reader is the theological background of each pastor. This is especially the case of Protestant readers and the first three pastors, who might more correctly be labeled as priests and a pope. If priests were understood as being in strongly mediatory roles, then such understanding would affect those pastors’ theology of the pastorate. This, for instance, manifests itself in Chrysostom’s pastoral theology in that, while not wanting to overextend the distinction between clergy and laity, the distinction may still be too strong for the taste of many Protestants, particularly those who espouse the priesthood of the believer.
Purves, himself writing from a Presbyterian background, recognized the possibility of such taint in Chrysostom’s pastoral theology (47), but this need not be warrant for dismissing what Chrysostom had to say. The sections on each pastor’s theology provides information that readers can take into consideration when assessing that pastor’s pastoral theology. Pastors today being thus critically thoughtful on what is presented in this book can still find the pastoral theology from these historical figures profitable.
This book provides an introduction to, but not a complete discussion of, the works considered. This, as has already been noted, is conducive to Purves’s purpose to apply the works to contemporary ministry, but that brevity invites the reader to look further into the topic and into the original works discussed. This task has become more accessible to English readers of the book, for whom at least one of the works has greater availability in English. The translation of Bucer’s work, unpublished at the time of this work’s publication (130), has since been published, further facilitating the English reader’s deeper investigation into these pastoral theologies.
It has been objected that Purves presents only one classical tradition rather than recognizing multiple traditions of pastoral theology. The authors Purves presented might be said to be of a Reformed tradition and a more Patristic tradition, but Purves’s use of tradition seems to be different from tradition as used to describe Reformed or Patristic traditions. Purves seems to be referring to classical tradition in order to contrast with contemporary pastoral methodologies. He set this opposition out in the introduction, where he notes in this tradition the emphases of biblical and theological grounding (8), which he finds lacking in contemporary pastoral perspectives (3). This contrast arises further in the text at points, as in Purves observation of the biblical foundation of a christocentric pastoral theology of Bucer as opposed to the paucity of biblical rootedness among today’s pastoral theologies (85).
Applying Purves’ work to contemporary pastoral theology is not merely an esoteric consideration as though a pastor need contemplate what might be useful in the book for the pastoral task. It is rather the raison d’être of the book. Purves’s purpose is to take these works on pastoral theology out from deep within the stacks of church history and place them on the front page of today’s pastors’ consideration.
Purves said of Nazianzus’s theme of the pastor’s role as a soul physician that it provides a unifying guidance for pastors. This guidance comes as an antithesis to the trivializing and fragmenting administrative and liturgical duties in which pastors today must engage (20). This couples with Nazianzus’s emphasis on the weight of the pastoral task. Such recognition can diffuse the levity with which the pastoral office can sometimes be treated. So, from Nazianzus, we learn that to be a pastor is to bear the grave responsibility of caring for the souls of the church.
Chrysostom’s call to purity is a sober reminder to pastors today, even in the battle for sexual purity (52). Along with this purity comes a call for tender care for the congregation. The love that pastor ought to show to those entrusted to them is to be modeled after the love that Christ had for the Church.
Bucer’s pastoral theology reminds pastors to ground their work on Scripture. Scripture is to be the foundation for understanding what their task is and the proclamation of that Scripture is also to be the primary purpose of the ministry. Pastors are not to find the inspiration for their work in a CEO model or in some other way the wisdom of man. Bucer’s emphasis is further reflected in Baxter’s systematic presentation of the Word. This emphasis, as reflected in both authors, reminds contemporary pastors to focus on that aspect of ministry and not those things emphasized in the church growth movement or on promulgating the pastor’s own fame.
This book is an excellent introduction to the topic, encouraging further study into pastoral theologies that are not typical of most contemporary models. Both pastors and other ministers can use this resource to help found their own pastoral theology or to remind them of many of those things that are important in the task of being a minister of the Word. Purves’s work challenges contemporary models with wisdom from Christianity’s heritage. Those who glean from these pages and vicariously the pages of the five pastor/theologians represented should be both provoked to the gravity of their task and encouraged toward fruitfulness in their labors, remembering that the dusty volumes of church history can speak volumes to pastoral ministry today.
Such is the situation described by Andrew Purves, of the Pittsburgh Seminary, in this delightful volume. Its pages try to inform the widespread ignorance of that heritage by expositing the words of those in the church’s history that have written on Pastoral theology. By examining the works of Gregory Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer and Richard Baxter, Purves hoped to connect contemporary pastors with words that would speak to an ecclesiastical culture largely bereft of scriptural understanding of the pastoral task.
After having thus introduced the topic, Purves turned to the first figure, Gregory of Nazianzus. Narrating Nazianzus’s biography, Purves highlighted the constant struggle that Nazianzus felt between the call to the “throne” and the call to the “mountain” (10), i.e. between pastoral responsibility and solitary contemplation. In Nazianzus’s Pastoral theology, one theme was prominent–the idea of the pastor as a physician of souls. While Purves found this theme helpful, he recognized that contemporary connotations of the work of a physician could cloud the imagery (20). Nazianzus further pictured the pastor in relation to the church as similar to the soul in relation to the body, thus seemingly reflecting the platonic idea of the ruling class of philosopher kings being the soul of the body of the populace (18). The other significant theme that Nazianzus expressed was the weight of the responsibility that the pastoral office incurs (19, 24-25). It is that fearsome obligation that Nazianzus recognized to which Purves attributed Nazianzus’s struggle between the throne and mountain (19).
Purves’s treatment of John Chrysostom followed the pattern of his treatment of Nazianzus, as the remaining treatments also did roughly. This began with a biographical overview, in which Purves stressed the antagonism between Chrysostom and the local ruler, and continued with a synopsis of Chrysostom’s theology. The final section was on Chrysostom’s pastoral theology. Chrysostom accentuated the importance of a pastors loving care for the laity (43). He also made a sharp, but not excessive, distinction between the clergy and the laity (43-44). Purves ended that section with Chrysostom’s call for purity in the pastor’s life; a call on which Purves commented by saying that there is no virtue in withholding any moral restraint (54).
Gregory the Great, though ordained a priest to take the office of pope, came from a monastic background (57-58). This background was reflected in Gregory’s understanding of consecratio, which is a praxis balancing spiritual and physical aspects of one’s life (61). Further reflecting that background was Gregory’s insistence on a purity of lifestyle among the priesthood, matching, as Purves noted, the regula of monasticism (63). This high expectation of lifestyle was coupled to a requirement for educational training and other qualification for the task (63-64).
The section on Bucer highlighted the work of this oft-forgotten reformer. His theology and biography both contained themes of Bucer’s tendency to bring opposing parties together (79, 82-83). Bucer’s pastoral theology was intentionally biblically based, thus developing a christocentricism that emphasized evangelism and ministry of the Word. This is apparent in Bucer’s recognition of the pastors in Strasbourg as “co-laborers in the Word of the Lord” (83)–a title which suggests the centrality of the Word for the pastoral task.
Purves took a slightly different course on Baxter, describing the Puritan environment in which Baxter lived before returning to the common course of biography and theology. Baxter’s pastoral guidance arose from Acts 20:28, and taught that the pastor must establish himself spiritually before going to the people to seek their conversion and establishment in the Word. This conviction was modeled in Baxter’s methodology of visiting each family in the parish in order to catechize and instruct them.
The consummation of all of this material comes in Purves’s conclusion. In that conclusion, he wove the common themes into a composite pastoral theology. That theology demands that the pastoral task be founded on Scripture, recognizing the profound responsibility of the pastor’s high calling to a blameless lifestyle and commitment to and accountability for those in the pastor’s charge. These ideals are reflected in the example ordination sermon that closes the book, clearly outlining the expectation that is to be held of pastors.
This work is cleanly and consistently organized, thus facilitating the reader’s understanding. The biographical and doctrinal sections on each pastor well set the stage for comprehension of the primary purpose, the pastoral theology. Purves did not feign to have written an exhaustive work on the relevant texts but rather to provide practical application of the overall emphases of each of the studied pastors (3-4). In that regard, the entire project of this work is appreciated.
One problem that might arise in the mind of the reader is the theological background of each pastor. This is especially the case of Protestant readers and the first three pastors, who might more correctly be labeled as priests and a pope. If priests were understood as being in strongly mediatory roles, then such understanding would affect those pastors’ theology of the pastorate. This, for instance, manifests itself in Chrysostom’s pastoral theology in that, while not wanting to overextend the distinction between clergy and laity, the distinction may still be too strong for the taste of many Protestants, particularly those who espouse the priesthood of the believer.
Purves, himself writing from a Presbyterian background, recognized the possibility of such taint in Chrysostom’s pastoral theology (47), but this need not be warrant for dismissing what Chrysostom had to say. The sections on each pastor’s theology provides information that readers can take into consideration when assessing that pastor’s pastoral theology. Pastors today being thus critically thoughtful on what is presented in this book can still find the pastoral theology from these historical figures profitable.
This book provides an introduction to, but not a complete discussion of, the works considered. This, as has already been noted, is conducive to Purves’s purpose to apply the works to contemporary ministry, but that brevity invites the reader to look further into the topic and into the original works discussed. This task has become more accessible to English readers of the book, for whom at least one of the works has greater availability in English. The translation of Bucer’s work, unpublished at the time of this work’s publication (130), has since been published, further facilitating the English reader’s deeper investigation into these pastoral theologies.
It has been objected that Purves presents only one classical tradition rather than recognizing multiple traditions of pastoral theology. The authors Purves presented might be said to be of a Reformed tradition and a more Patristic tradition, but Purves’s use of tradition seems to be different from tradition as used to describe Reformed or Patristic traditions. Purves seems to be referring to classical tradition in order to contrast with contemporary pastoral methodologies. He set this opposition out in the introduction, where he notes in this tradition the emphases of biblical and theological grounding (8), which he finds lacking in contemporary pastoral perspectives (3). This contrast arises further in the text at points, as in Purves observation of the biblical foundation of a christocentric pastoral theology of Bucer as opposed to the paucity of biblical rootedness among today’s pastoral theologies (85).
Applying Purves’ work to contemporary pastoral theology is not merely an esoteric consideration as though a pastor need contemplate what might be useful in the book for the pastoral task. It is rather the raison d’être of the book. Purves’s purpose is to take these works on pastoral theology out from deep within the stacks of church history and place them on the front page of today’s pastors’ consideration.
Purves said of Nazianzus’s theme of the pastor’s role as a soul physician that it provides a unifying guidance for pastors. This guidance comes as an antithesis to the trivializing and fragmenting administrative and liturgical duties in which pastors today must engage (20). This couples with Nazianzus’s emphasis on the weight of the pastoral task. Such recognition can diffuse the levity with which the pastoral office can sometimes be treated. So, from Nazianzus, we learn that to be a pastor is to bear the grave responsibility of caring for the souls of the church.
Chrysostom’s call to purity is a sober reminder to pastors today, even in the battle for sexual purity (52). Along with this purity comes a call for tender care for the congregation. The love that pastor ought to show to those entrusted to them is to be modeled after the love that Christ had for the Church.
Bucer’s pastoral theology reminds pastors to ground their work on Scripture. Scripture is to be the foundation for understanding what their task is and the proclamation of that Scripture is also to be the primary purpose of the ministry. Pastors are not to find the inspiration for their work in a CEO model or in some other way the wisdom of man. Bucer’s emphasis is further reflected in Baxter’s systematic presentation of the Word. This emphasis, as reflected in both authors, reminds contemporary pastors to focus on that aspect of ministry and not those things emphasized in the church growth movement or on promulgating the pastor’s own fame.
This book is an excellent introduction to the topic, encouraging further study into pastoral theologies that are not typical of most contemporary models. Both pastors and other ministers can use this resource to help found their own pastoral theology or to remind them of many of those things that are important in the task of being a minister of the Word. Purves’s work challenges contemporary models with wisdom from Christianity’s heritage. Those who glean from these pages and vicariously the pages of the five pastor/theologians represented should be both provoked to the gravity of their task and encouraged toward fruitfulness in their labors, remembering that the dusty volumes of church history can speak volumes to pastoral ministry today.
August 1, 2023
The "strongest possible connection exists" between theology and pastoral care (2). Furthermore, the greatest theologians in church history were pastors and vice versa. The advice Purves gives to students asking to be good pastors is to study the great theologians and learn pastoral ministry from them.
The pastor must be a theologian. Purves laments that much pastoral work these days lacks deep biblical and theological focus, and instead is far more informed by psychology. Thus, pastoring today has "become concerned largely with questions of meaning rather than truth, acceptable functioning rather than discipleship, and a concern for self-actualization and self-realization rather than salvation." (3) The classical pastor-theologians spoke of God as if He and His Word and His message of salvation are really objective truths (as they are). Their perspective deconstructs the anti-theological paradigm in pastoral ministry today. Purves lays forth that the goal of reading the classical pastor-theologians is not to merely do what they did. Rather, the goal is "to allow these classical texts to provoke us into critical thinking by disturbing our calm, culture-bound assumptions concerning ministry." (3-4)
Purves does not include the written texts of these classical pastor-theologians in this book (other than selections), but instead gives distillations of principles gleaned from them. Faithful ancient texts as these challenge contemporary pastors to consider new questions, challenge assumptions, and see beyond the confines of one's cultural context. For Purves, he hopes that by studying these texts the "connection between the Christian doctrines of God, redemption, and hope, and the pastoral ministry of the church" will be reestablished (4). For pastoral care is simply "lived out doctrine at the points of connection between the Gospel and the lives of God’s people," especially with regard to salvation (4-5).
The writers and works Purves focuses on in the book represent what he calls "the classical tradition in pastoral theology," meaning that these people and works "have together shaped in enduring ways the minds and practices of pastors." (7) The pastor-theologians discussed are Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter.
Each chapter provides a brief biography of the classical pastor, followed by a discussion of his major theological themes, and then a presentation of his pastoral theology with implications for today.
The pastor must be a theologian. Purves laments that much pastoral work these days lacks deep biblical and theological focus, and instead is far more informed by psychology. Thus, pastoring today has "become concerned largely with questions of meaning rather than truth, acceptable functioning rather than discipleship, and a concern for self-actualization and self-realization rather than salvation." (3) The classical pastor-theologians spoke of God as if He and His Word and His message of salvation are really objective truths (as they are). Their perspective deconstructs the anti-theological paradigm in pastoral ministry today. Purves lays forth that the goal of reading the classical pastor-theologians is not to merely do what they did. Rather, the goal is "to allow these classical texts to provoke us into critical thinking by disturbing our calm, culture-bound assumptions concerning ministry." (3-4)
Purves does not include the written texts of these classical pastor-theologians in this book (other than selections), but instead gives distillations of principles gleaned from them. Faithful ancient texts as these challenge contemporary pastors to consider new questions, challenge assumptions, and see beyond the confines of one's cultural context. For Purves, he hopes that by studying these texts the "connection between the Christian doctrines of God, redemption, and hope, and the pastoral ministry of the church" will be reestablished (4). For pastoral care is simply "lived out doctrine at the points of connection between the Gospel and the lives of God’s people," especially with regard to salvation (4-5).
The writers and works Purves focuses on in the book represent what he calls "the classical tradition in pastoral theology," meaning that these people and works "have together shaped in enduring ways the minds and practices of pastors." (7) The pastor-theologians discussed are Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter.
Each chapter provides a brief biography of the classical pastor, followed by a discussion of his major theological themes, and then a presentation of his pastoral theology with implications for today.
January 12, 2024
Andrew Purves, in his book Pastoral Theology In the Classical Tradition, shows the sad state of modern pastoral work as he examines the theological and ministerial convictions of several men in church history who have had great influence in shaping an understanding of pastoral theology. He notes Gregory of Nazianzus’s part in developing an understanding of personhood, and his understanding of pastors as physicians of the soul. Purves also notes the similarities between two St. Gregorys in understanding the categorizing of people; he highlights Bucer’s emphasis upon evangelism of both the believer and the straying sheep; and Chrysostom’s belief in gospel centeredness and the high calling of pastors. All five authors featured stressed the importance of pastoral guidance of the soul, the “congruence between doctrine and care, between pulpit and counseling room,” and the importance of ministers watching over their own lives as they shepherd others.
Strengths: notes significant Hermeneutical problems and the excesses of allegorizing of Scripture by historical figures; points out Baxter’s odd theological beliefs; emphasizes that “one cannot be a pastor without being a theologian;” and shows the modern challenges in pastoral training and the lack of people being trained.
Weaknesses: open to ecumenical thought; encourages use of psychology, saying it’s a requirement and a benefit for a pastor; has no qualms about female pastors.
Use in Biblical Counseling: the classical views encourage a high view of God and pastoral ministry, stressing the role of pastor as shepherd and theologian.
A fascinating read and one that I think offers some encouragement to the reader.
Strengths: notes significant Hermeneutical problems and the excesses of allegorizing of Scripture by historical figures; points out Baxter’s odd theological beliefs; emphasizes that “one cannot be a pastor without being a theologian;” and shows the modern challenges in pastoral training and the lack of people being trained.
Weaknesses: open to ecumenical thought; encourages use of psychology, saying it’s a requirement and a benefit for a pastor; has no qualms about female pastors.
Use in Biblical Counseling: the classical views encourage a high view of God and pastoral ministry, stressing the role of pastor as shepherd and theologian.
A fascinating read and one that I think offers some encouragement to the reader.
April 19, 2022
A wonderful introduction to important pastoral works throughout church history, but has an ax to grind against psychology which distracts from the work. It is written from the Biblical/nouthetic counseling perspective so it frames a lot of the discussion in light of that. I thought those were the weakest parts of the book, but I have my own ax to grind with that tribe.
In spite of those weaknesses, it is a wonderful introduction to Gregory Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Brucer, and Richard Baxter. If all this book accomplishes is exposing you to these works and making you read them, then it is worth the price.
In spite of those weaknesses, it is a wonderful introduction to Gregory Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Brucer, and Richard Baxter. If all this book accomplishes is exposing you to these works and making you read them, then it is worth the price.
August 3, 2022
As I spent time in this book I enjoyed Andrew Purves easy, opinionated but grave authorial voice and interpretations of the classical writers. It’s a well-written, clear, and informative overview of 5 writers on pastoral care throughout church history. Helpful to think on as I unravel the thread of counseling in church history for my Counseling in the Local Church class.
A key takeaway from the assorted authors is the insight that the task of ministry begins first with a relationship with Jesus Christ. A minister cannot effectively minister with a disordered spiritual life.
A key takeaway from the assorted authors is the insight that the task of ministry begins first with a relationship with Jesus Christ. A minister cannot effectively minister with a disordered spiritual life.
February 25, 2021
Not the easiest read, if I'm being honest. That's more me than the author, I think. But there were some very meaningful truths in here from classic pastoral theologians. Read this for a seminary course. Thankful I did.
October 23, 2021
I enjoyed reading about some of our spiritual fathers and the overview of their works on pastoral theology and practice and thought he tied them all together well. I'm looking forward to reading some of these works for myself.
May 1, 2020
A wonderful little overview of the pastoral ministries and theologies of five churchmen gone before us. A challenging read to help us reconsider both the purpose and person of Pastoral Ministry.
November 17, 2023
Absolutely spectacular for pastors looking to grow in faithfulness to the ministry Jesus has given us.
September 11, 2025
Great book! So helpful!
January 8, 2022
An excellent historical overview of pastoral theology. Should be read by every pastor.
February 19, 2017
Really challenging book. Especially for pastors. I would recommend it to all pastors.
March 28, 2012
This book is an introduction to five great pastoral theologians and their respective magnum opuses. The great men of the past are Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer and Richard Baxter. Their primary books are "In Defense of His Flight to Pontus", "Six Books of the Priesthood", "Pastoral Care", "On True Pastoral Care" and The Reformed Pastor. The first three lived in the Patristic Period, the first six centuries of the church, while the last two were Reformers. This book is a quick read and solid introduction to each man and each work.
I found a lot of helpful insight and background in this book, and it really made me want to read the works being described. I suppose that is the point! The author seems to be aiming at Reformed-types, such as myself, with an occasional eye towards the generic seminarian and even the mainline Protestant pastor. I plan on reading all the books listed and this volume gave me good ideas about what to read next (when I get out of seminary).
I found a lot of helpful insight and background in this book, and it really made me want to read the works being described. I suppose that is the point! The author seems to be aiming at Reformed-types, such as myself, with an occasional eye towards the generic seminarian and even the mainline Protestant pastor. I plan on reading all the books listed and this volume gave me good ideas about what to read next (when I get out of seminary).
July 18, 2013
This book would be a useful text for a course in pastoral care at a mainline Protestant seminary. It's written by a mainline pastor/scholar, and its descriptions resonated with my experience of studying pastoral care in such a setting: "The modern pastoral care movement within the North American Protestant theological academy by and large revolves around psychological categories regarding human experience and symbolic interpretations about God . . . [It is] concerned largely with questions of meaning rather than truth, acceptable functioning rather than discipleship, and a concern for self-actualization and self-realization rather than salvation" (3). In response to this, Purves calls for a return to "theological realism" and to renewed study of classical texts, not assuming that their approaches can be uncritically adopted, but that they might prompt students to ask different questions.
His presentation of Nazianzen and Chrysostom didn't give me a lot of new insights for my research, but it is thorough and places them in their respective contexts. He also introduces Gregory the Great, then jumps to a little-known work of Martin Bucer's and finally Richard Baxter.
His presentation of Nazianzen and Chrysostom didn't give me a lot of new insights for my research, but it is thorough and places them in their respective contexts. He also introduces Gregory the Great, then jumps to a little-known work of Martin Bucer's and finally Richard Baxter.
January 19, 2017
This covers the general pastoral theology of Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter. Andrew Purves takes the flowery arcane writings and makes it much more readable and condensed.
In an age when we too easily succumb to accolades and position of authority, it is refreshing to read of Gregory the Great and John Chrysostom’s absolute fear of ordination and taking the lead in a church. They had, “a deep sense of (their) own lack of personal qualifications for the work to which (they) were called.”
The most important thing about the Reformation was not that it made crooked doctrine straight, but rather that true doctrine makes life truer and straighter. We can too easily get puffed up about spiritual knowledge; being theologically right can too often be the goal. Right living- not being right- is the point of sound theology. Theology matters coupled with speaking the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15) Chrysostam agreed with Gregory, “if we think wrongly about God, we will live wrongly.” Ironically, Chrysostam was viewed by some as “choleric” and “haughty.”
In an age when we too easily succumb to accolades and position of authority, it is refreshing to read of Gregory the Great and John Chrysostom’s absolute fear of ordination and taking the lead in a church. They had, “a deep sense of (their) own lack of personal qualifications for the work to which (they) were called.”
The most important thing about the Reformation was not that it made crooked doctrine straight, but rather that true doctrine makes life truer and straighter. We can too easily get puffed up about spiritual knowledge; being theologically right can too often be the goal. Right living- not being right- is the point of sound theology. Theology matters coupled with speaking the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15) Chrysostam agreed with Gregory, “if we think wrongly about God, we will live wrongly.” Ironically, Chrysostam was viewed by some as “choleric” and “haughty.”
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June 4, 2020This book has been on my radar for some time. So I was excited to finally get to it this month. There were some good points here and there on the handling of Scripture and pastoral care, but I found the overall presentation a bit verbose and dry. Nothing seemed to pop, no moments of clairvoyance. And, at least for me, it was hard to tease out solid takeaways. And the overall tone of the book felt a bit too ambitious, even ominous. Who would want to be a pastor after reading this? I understand what Purves is attempting to do, he's trying to prepare circumspect ministers for the church. But, sometimes I think that note can be overplayed, where the pastorate sounds like the toughest and scariest job in the world. A notion I find unhelpful. Isn't love a greater motivator than fear? Aside from these criticisms, though, I would like to read more on Martin Bucer. Out of the five ministers presented here (the others being Gregory Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, and Richard Baxter) he seemed to me the most interesting.
February 1, 2014
Excellent introduction to the nature of pastoral theology/work through the lens of classic texts on the subject. This book is very sobering and convicting when discussing the high nature of the pastoral task, and the call of the minister to live a life of holiness. The constant use of "he or she," was annoying, but other than that this book was excellent.
As an aside, there was an ironic endnote where Purves is arguing against mainline churches moving away from a Bible centered ministry, and he seems to want to say good things about Jay Adams, but then pulls back saying only that Adams "tends to represent a much more conservative position."
As an aside, there was an ironic endnote where Purves is arguing against mainline churches moving away from a Bible centered ministry, and he seems to want to say good things about Jay Adams, but then pulls back saying only that Adams "tends to represent a much more conservative position."
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