The History of Theological Education

by Justo L. González

Theological education has always been vital to the Church’s life and mission; yet today it is in crisis, lacking focus, direction, but also resources and even students. In the early Church, there is no doubt that to lead worship one had to be able to read and interpret the Bible. In order to lead, it was necessary to know at least something about the history of Israel and the work of God in the Gospels, and interpret that history, making it relevant to daily living. Quickly the Church developed schools for its teachers, whether lay or clergy. A catechetical system was organized through which candidates prepared for baptism were given a basic form of theological education. Hence to be a Christian meant persons knew what and why they believed. But over the years, theological education has come to mean education for clergy and church professionals. It has drifted, seeking new moorings.

Genres: Education, Church History, Theology, Nonfiction, History

155 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Justo L. González, author of the highly praised three-volume History of Christian Thought and other major works, attended United Seminary in Cuba, received his MA at Yale, and was the youngest person to be awarded a PhD in historical theology at Yale. He is one of the few first generation Latino theologians to come from a Protestant background. He helped to found the Association for Hispanic Theological Education and the Hispanic Theological Initiative. Dr González is now on the faculty of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta.

Reviews

[Reid Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the subject, weak on theological convictions.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book simply doesn't fit any purpose. Anyone who isn't interested in the subject matter won't tolerate even this extremely simplified survey. Anyone who is won't find much that an hour piddling around Wikipedia wouldn't uncover. Covering the entire history of Christianity in under 150 pages results in many paragraphs that are little more than naming a figure and some books and places associated with them. Even this could be forgiven if the book as a whole or each brief chapter was accompanied by a "For Further Reading" section. But alas, none is to be found. It's hard to imagine an academic book written with less effort.

[Kiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. Gonzalez is mostly known for his two volume survey of Church history, but I wish even more people read this shorter and more focussed work. Gonzales surveys Christian history with theological education in view, primarily of how leaders have been trained through the centuries. A number of threads remain consistent through the ages, and there are some clear focal points that have led to modern day seminaries, which seems to be the focus of his consideration. One thread is that theological education has been a concern for the whole church as an act of worship, not only specialized training for leaders. One focal point is the post reformational era of the Pietists who sought to balance the scholastic schools of thought while combatting rationalism with a more robustly devotional approach to their educational model. This book is based off of a single lecture he gave at two seminaries, one in Mexico and one in America. He brings together those presentations and his analysis of the modern reality and challenge of theological education for today and the future. Pragmatically he hammers home the changing demographics and the failure of most seminaries and accreditors to adapt properly. He cites a number of case studies, most interesting to me being Union Theological Seminary and New York Theological Seminary, and how the latter slowly got higher enrollment over the years by focusing on immigrant churches and their needs. Theological education from cradle to grave, formal and informal, is a high calling and a supreme joy. Each era brings unique challenges and opportunities which God has gifted his people to handle. 155 pages of the church taking seriously the command to love God with all their mind.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who works in theological education, I found this book to be an incredibly helpful resource for learning where many educational practices originated, and where theological education is heading. Gonzalez does a great job of explaining the various practices of theological education throughout church history, as well as showing the origins of universities and seminaries. The author points out how the purpose of theological education was often to deepen the theological knowledge and shape the character of the student. With the establishment of seminaries by the Roman Catholic Church, more attention was given to the training of students for ministry in the church. Gonzalez concludes the book with a helpful chapter on how contemporary theological education may meet the crisis of declining students. By far my favorite chapter was the chapter on theological education in the modern period and Gonzalez’s discussion of Schleiermacher. I deducted one star simply because it seems that this book was not well edited. Typos abound throughout and there are sections here and there that are a little clunky or wordy. Still, Gonzalez is an exceptional writer who shows that the purpose of theological education is to love God with the mind, and that theological education has always been a fundamental aspect of church life.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good historical review of theological education

It’s obvious the author is a thorough historian and is good at identifying trends in history. He helpfully summarizes each chapter which is necessary because there are so many players and multiple trends in each historical period.

It is not always clear where trends in theological education influence and impact public education and I wish there was more of that in this book. I also wish he spent a little more time thinking through the structures of the church and how they could be adjusted to educate the laity. He ends with some very good suggestions towards the end but I feel this is too focused on the education of clergy.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a volume worth reading, but reading critically, as the earlier historical chapters--crafted by a legendary historical theologian--are quite helpful for assembling a basic understanding of the history of theological education. However, Gonzalez's concluding reflections and prescriptions for the future of theological education leave much room for disagreement and discussion.

Read my full review from the Midwestern Journal of Theology here: http://jgduesing.com/2017/05/11/the-h...

[Josiah Trigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This walk-through of the history of theological education is encouraging. One can see the evident work of the Spirit leading ones to practice deep theological reflection in varied expressions based on culture, era, and contemporary philosophical inquiry. Further, Gonzales’ thoughtful “where to now” statements are inspirational and I perceive them to be relatively accurate.

In all, a great work!

[Ben Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a frustrating book. It's essential reading for anyone interested in the subject (there currently isn't anything else that deals with it). But the book lacks proper citations and references, with very little actual evidence to back up the account .

[Chris Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Must read for those interested in the work of theological education

[Cate Tedford]

*this book being on my read shelf*: tell me you’re in div school without telling me you’re in div school