What do you think?
Rate this book
The Religious Life of Theological Students
A classic that shows the importance, for those preparing for the ministry, to grow both as scholars and as people of God. Originally delivered as an address in 1911.
15 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1911
2 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
B.B. Warfield
222 books92 followersBenjamin Breckinridge Warfield (usually known as B. B. Warfield) was professor of theology at Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. Some conservative Presbyterians consider him to be the last of the great Princeton theologians before the split in 1929 that formed Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
(Wikipedia)
(Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
August 21, 2018
Excellent talk on the need for students to pray, study devotionally and serve as a part of a local church during their theological studies.
August 28, 2022
2020 First read: Good 3 stars.
2022 Second read: Loved it, so good, 5 stars.
Committing oneself to the study of the things of God is a wonderful and dangerous thing. Warfield, through a series of related exhortations and admonitions, calls the theological student to not lose his evangelical experiential fire through his studies. For ministry, Warfield says that knowledge is important, but spiritual fitness is also extremely important, but do not draw a false antipathy between these. They are not a zero-sum game. It is also important to remember that the hard work of study is no different, this is that glorious truth recovered by Luther of the goodness of any work, if done unto the Lord. According to Warfield, dereliction of this duty is as bad as a neglectful father, we must commit ourselves to the work with diligence, we must not skimp on these duties. The ditch on the other side is to still take to these duties in a secular spirit, even if done heartily. One remedy is to recognize the holy privilege of the task. Warfield calls it “devotion,” and he means devotion here in both senses of the word, he says, “in the sense of ‘zealous application,’ and in the sense of ‘a religious exercise.’” This studying of spiritual things has a unique call to be done in the Lord, with all of the proper evangelical and experimental responsiveness. Though Warfield pointed out earlier that the protestant work ethic lifts all tasks to a holy meaningfulness if done unto the Lord, our specific dealing with the Word of God demands an acute response, for it is (or it ought to be) done in the self-conscious presence of God. Therefore, Warfield said that we are to put not just our mind, but our heart also into our studies. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt, so the religious student ought to be careful that he does not come to treat holy things with a wholly indifference. He is rather to see them as a religious exercise, for that is what they are. Do not treat the subject matter as merely an academic exercise. By the same token, Warfield says that we are not to treat the meetings and gatherings of our seminary as negligible either, but rather, to avail ourselves of as much of them as we can. We must depend on the nourishment of these gatherings, as well as seeking to nourish others with our presence there. We should not complain about the quantity of activities, if we do this, we serve only to expose our own spiritual weakness, and we should see this as seriously concerning regarding the spiritual condition of our hearts. Furthermore, Warfield points out that Jesus Himself availed himself of spiritual gatherings; of anyone who has ever lived he could have exempted himself from them, but he did not. The ditch on the other side of the road is not letting it crowd out our spiritual zeal, for Warfield notes how many students observe a decrease of zeal in from they enter to when they leave seminary. In seminary, we are to be careful that we do not become a Martha with all the activities, we should strive to keep ourselves a Mary. Do not let your work become all work and no pray.
2022 Second read: Loved it, so good, 5 stars.
Committing oneself to the study of the things of God is a wonderful and dangerous thing. Warfield, through a series of related exhortations and admonitions, calls the theological student to not lose his evangelical experiential fire through his studies. For ministry, Warfield says that knowledge is important, but spiritual fitness is also extremely important, but do not draw a false antipathy between these. They are not a zero-sum game. It is also important to remember that the hard work of study is no different, this is that glorious truth recovered by Luther of the goodness of any work, if done unto the Lord. According to Warfield, dereliction of this duty is as bad as a neglectful father, we must commit ourselves to the work with diligence, we must not skimp on these duties. The ditch on the other side is to still take to these duties in a secular spirit, even if done heartily. One remedy is to recognize the holy privilege of the task. Warfield calls it “devotion,” and he means devotion here in both senses of the word, he says, “in the sense of ‘zealous application,’ and in the sense of ‘a religious exercise.’” This studying of spiritual things has a unique call to be done in the Lord, with all of the proper evangelical and experimental responsiveness. Though Warfield pointed out earlier that the protestant work ethic lifts all tasks to a holy meaningfulness if done unto the Lord, our specific dealing with the Word of God demands an acute response, for it is (or it ought to be) done in the self-conscious presence of God. Therefore, Warfield said that we are to put not just our mind, but our heart also into our studies. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt, so the religious student ought to be careful that he does not come to treat holy things with a wholly indifference. He is rather to see them as a religious exercise, for that is what they are. Do not treat the subject matter as merely an academic exercise. By the same token, Warfield says that we are not to treat the meetings and gatherings of our seminary as negligible either, but rather, to avail ourselves of as much of them as we can. We must depend on the nourishment of these gatherings, as well as seeking to nourish others with our presence there. We should not complain about the quantity of activities, if we do this, we serve only to expose our own spiritual weakness, and we should see this as seriously concerning regarding the spiritual condition of our hearts. Furthermore, Warfield points out that Jesus Himself availed himself of spiritual gatherings; of anyone who has ever lived he could have exempted himself from them, but he did not. The ditch on the other side of the road is not letting it crowd out our spiritual zeal, for Warfield notes how many students observe a decrease of zeal in from they enter to when they leave seminary. In seminary, we are to be careful that we do not become a Martha with all the activities, we should strive to keep ourselves a Mary. Do not let your work become all work and no pray.
August 22, 2021
A short address from Dr. Warfield to his students at Princeton on the importance of maintaining a healthy spiritual life. Warfield urges his hearers to treat theological study as an act of worship and to be diligent in both knowing and loving God.
April 22, 2020
Every address has to put forth one primary principle so that its listeners might profit from it for a longer time of fruitful reflection. However, given its precision and pertinence to every era and generation, I am glad it is in print so that I could have access to the content of that speech.
March 10, 2021
God loves you. Your communion with him matters. Keep study and prayer together. This is critical for theological students. That's how I'd summarize this little booklet.
March 13, 2021
Oh that someone had gifted me this before starting college and “formal” theological studies. May God use it still.
March 14, 2025
I wish I had known to pick this up 2 years ago. Sobering, convicting, and motivating. Every Seminary student should read this and tremble.
I plan to read this before every semester from now on.
I plan to read this before every semester from now on.
May 15, 2010
Warfield does a wonderful job in this book explaining the absurdities of the thought that theological studies and holy personal religious practice must be separate. He expounds on the necessity for both and how theological study is that religious practice if a student would set his heart, as well as his mind, to his books. Anyone considering a ministerial profession ought to spend some time in these 15 pages.
February 10, 2022
A good word of exhortation.
May 10, 2021
Great little reminder to never separate theology from doxology.
“A minister must be both learned and religious. It is not a matter of choosing between the two. He must study, but he must study as in the presence of God and not in a secular spirit.”
“A minister must be both learned and religious. It is not a matter of choosing between the two. He must study, but he must study as in the presence of God and not in a secular spirit.”
July 13, 2023
Worthy of reading and re-reading for ministers and aspiring ministers in seminary.
“Religion does not take a man away from his work; it sends him to his work with an added quality of devotion” (5).
“No religious character can be built up on the foundation of neglected duty” (8).
“Religion does not take a man away from his work; it sends him to his work with an added quality of devotion” (5).
“No religious character can be built up on the foundation of neglected duty” (8).
November 4, 2024
Fantastic insight of the devotion involved in being a student in seminary. Study without devotion bears false fruit in the same way that knowing how a parachute works doesn’t prepare you to pull the cord when you need it.
September 4, 2019
A great read for the prospective seminary student
This is a Good Read for prospective seminary students. It makes the ministry of the Gospel as a vocation a real and sacred endeavor. This book should be read prayerfully and many times throughout the student’s seminary stay. I recommend this reading to all prospective and current seminary students. This rating was chosen for its clarity and truthfulness. Thanks for the opportunity to recommend this reading blessings to all of you that partake of this glorious information.
This is a Good Read for prospective seminary students. It makes the ministry of the Gospel as a vocation a real and sacred endeavor. This book should be read prayerfully and many times throughout the student’s seminary stay. I recommend this reading to all prospective and current seminary students. This rating was chosen for its clarity and truthfulness. Thanks for the opportunity to recommend this reading blessings to all of you that partake of this glorious information.
June 5, 2022
8/24/21: Finished a second time for my New Testament background class. A great exhortation to study prayerfully and with a heart of worship.
1/19/22: Assigned this again for my Church History class. I have no problem reading it every semester. It’s such a necessary reminder for theology students.
1/19/22: Assigned this again for my Church History class. I have no problem reading it every semester. It’s such a necessary reminder for theology students.
October 13, 2013
I read this short pamphlet five times before I started seminary.
April 18, 2016
Will need to re-read this every year of seminary. Very sobering and encouraging.
December 4, 2016
I recommend this short volume to anyone going to Seminary.
July 21, 2020
This short work is an address by B.B. Warfield about how the intellectual studies of theological students should be matched by their personal piety and devotion. It is a great balance of "heat and light" in the pursuit of the truth. That is, we should intensely and carefully study God's Word to learn its truth, and we should also be intensely prayerful and obedient and practical in response to the truth. He exhorts ministers and ministry students on involvement in church life and private time with God and how theological study should be done with a sense of sacredness for the kind of work in which we engage.
The following illustration from the address encapsulates Warfield's argument: “Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. ‘What!’ is the appropriate response, ‘than ten hours over your books, on your knees?’ Why should you turn from God when you turn to your books, or feel that you must turn from your books in order to turn to God?”
It's Warfield's own careful work as a scholar mixed with his practical, down-to-earth Kentuckian homeliness that makes him such a potent and appealing read almost a hundred years later.
Highly Recommended.
The following illustration from the address encapsulates Warfield's argument: “Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. ‘What!’ is the appropriate response, ‘than ten hours over your books, on your knees?’ Why should you turn from God when you turn to your books, or feel that you must turn from your books in order to turn to God?”
It's Warfield's own careful work as a scholar mixed with his practical, down-to-earth Kentuckian homeliness that makes him such a potent and appealing read almost a hundred years later.
Highly Recommended.
May 1, 2025
This was an unexpected blessing to read, a month before I begin my studies(!!!!) as a theological student.
Some of the things I want to keep pondering:
- "your vocation is to study theology, and to study it diligently, in accordance with the apostolic injunction: 'Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord'"
- theology "has as its unique end to make God known"
- "Put your heart into your studies: do not merely occupy your mind with them, but put your heart into them. They bring you daily and hourly into the very presence of God; his ways, his dealings with men, in the infinite majesty of His Being form their very subject-matter. Put your shoes from off your feet in this holy presence!"
- "If there is no fire in the pulpit it falls to you to kindle it in the pews. No man can fail to meet with God in the sanctuary if he takes God there with him"
- "What place in your life does the 'still hour', alone with God, take?"
Some of the things I want to keep pondering:
- "your vocation is to study theology, and to study it diligently, in accordance with the apostolic injunction: 'Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord'"
- theology "has as its unique end to make God known"
- "Put your heart into your studies: do not merely occupy your mind with them, but put your heart into them. They bring you daily and hourly into the very presence of God; his ways, his dealings with men, in the infinite majesty of His Being form their very subject-matter. Put your shoes from off your feet in this holy presence!"
- "If there is no fire in the pulpit it falls to you to kindle it in the pews. No man can fail to meet with God in the sanctuary if he takes God there with him"
- "What place in your life does the 'still hour', alone with God, take?"
October 5, 2022
Challenging and thought-provoking.
A must-read for those studying Theology for the sake of ministry.
"A minister must be learned, on pain of being utterly incompetent for his work. But before and above being learned, a minister must be godly.
Nothing could be more fatal, however, than to set these things over against one another. Recruiting officers do not dispute whether it is better for soldiers to have a right leg or a left leg: soldiers should have both legs. Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. ‘What!’ is the appropriate response, ‘than ten hours over your books, on your knees?, Why should you turn from God when you turn to your books, or feel that you must from your books in order to turn to God? "
A must-read for those studying Theology for the sake of ministry.
"A minister must be learned, on pain of being utterly incompetent for his work. But before and above being learned, a minister must be godly.
Nothing could be more fatal, however, than to set these things over against one another. Recruiting officers do not dispute whether it is better for soldiers to have a right leg or a left leg: soldiers should have both legs. Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. ‘What!’ is the appropriate response, ‘than ten hours over your books, on your knees?, Why should you turn from God when you turn to your books, or feel that you must from your books in order to turn to God? "
September 14, 2020
Warfield reminds the theological student, that their study is their calling, and the great privilege it is to study theology, while reminding them that their study is not a mere "work" but a religious experience in itself. He also encourages the student to be fully involved in the local church and college community, attending all stated meetings.
He also corrects against various false dichotomies presented to object against theological education. A minister should be both a student and a man of prayer. A minister should be both a theologian (academic) and a pastor (caring for souls), there needs not to be a choice between them.
Studying for 3-4 years at a college can seem (and is) difficult, but this helps draw us back to the God we worship and serve. Very helpful.
He also corrects against various false dichotomies presented to object against theological education. A minister should be both a student and a man of prayer. A minister should be both a theologian (academic) and a pastor (caring for souls), there needs not to be a choice between them.
Studying for 3-4 years at a college can seem (and is) difficult, but this helps draw us back to the God we worship and serve. Very helpful.
September 6, 2024
Excellent address from Warfield to students of theology. I recommend to anyone who is endeavoring through seminary/theological academia. Religious studies ought to be exercise for the theological student in devotion to the Lord. We don't turn from our books to turn to God.
I was greatly encouraged and convicted that leaders in the church are not to be merely teachers."A minister must be learned, on pain of being utterly incompetent for his work. But before and above being learned, a minister must be godly." If God has called a student to a religious vocation, then he ought to study diligently, as for the Lord.
It's only 15ish pages! Free pdf online and great audio recording by "Take up the Cross" on Youtube.
I was greatly encouraged and convicted that leaders in the church are not to be merely teachers."A minister must be learned, on pain of being utterly incompetent for his work. But before and above being learned, a minister must be godly." If God has called a student to a religious vocation, then he ought to study diligently, as for the Lord.
It's only 15ish pages! Free pdf online and great audio recording by "Take up the Cross" on Youtube.
March 14, 2023
This book feels like a conversation that a much older man in ministry is having with me at the end of his life and beginning of mine. I loved it and needed it.
The entire premise of the book is that we must see the religious homework we have as not just mundane tasks. Our heart matters AND our studies matter. He also discusses the immense need for personal devotion, prayer, and communal worship as believers.
My favorite quote is:
“It is your great danger. But it is your great danger, only because it is your great privilege. Think of what your privilege is when your greatest danger is that the great things of religion may become common to you!”
The entire premise of the book is that we must see the religious homework we have as not just mundane tasks. Our heart matters AND our studies matter. He also discusses the immense need for personal devotion, prayer, and communal worship as believers.
My favorite quote is:
“It is your great danger. But it is your great danger, only because it is your great privilege. Think of what your privilege is when your greatest danger is that the great things of religion may become common to you!”
December 4, 2019
An excellent essay for all who’s vocation is studying theology. Drawing from a reformational understanding of vocation, Warfield resists the dichotomy which often pits study and devotion against one another. To the theological student, both are meant to come together. I would highly recommend this not only to seminary students but anyone interested in growing more in their knowledge of the faith.
December 23, 2019
A necessity for anyone entering any kind of theological study. I this short address Warfield offers a charge to theological students that they must first and foremost be men of God. He also corrects the notion that scholastics are antithetical to religious exercise. This is a convicting read and will be one that I return to frequently.
March 1, 2023
A must read for any seminary student, and something that ought to be reread frequently. I love that B.B. has such a vision of the glory of God that he is able to extract and share through words, and encourage others to seek it out in their studies as well. It is so difficult to not get hardened to our studies.
August 23, 2017
Little Gem from Warfield.
This short work and Helmut Thielecke's, "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians" should be required reading for any theology students. Both are books worth revisiting frequently.
This short work and Helmut Thielecke's, "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians" should be required reading for any theology students. Both are books worth revisiting frequently.
August 20, 2022
I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone studying theology. Your desk should not be a Judge's bench, but an altar. Every time the Lord speaks to you in your privileged daily studies, bow your head and deal with it, or your seminary will become a cemetery-you will lose your heart to your head.
February 9, 2024
A quick but excellent read highlighting both the importance of theological training AND personal piety for students of theology/pastors. Honestly edifying for any Christian who goes to a theologically rich church or studies theology on their own.
October 19, 2017
Great little read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews