I may get in trouble for this one, but I think I'm right. I hope I'm dead wrong. I hope I'm as far away from the truth as possible.
But I think, at least in the ELCA, we have set up a system of professional clergy/Bible interpreters/scholars who become the biblical/theological experts while our folks in the pews flounder. I also believe this has an awfully detrimental effect on our efforts to evangelize.
Let me begin by saying I appreciate biblical scholarship. I appreciate those who delve into Hebrew and Greek word studies. I appreciate those who dig into the historical situations in which these texts were read, heard, and created. I appreciate those who offer perspectives grounded and rooted in life experiences and communal life experiences. I appreciate those who jump into literary criticism, reader response criticism, etc., etc. Expanding the mind is a good thing for the most part. Even in the Church, heresy must exist so that orthodoxy can be defined.
(O.K., that last comment probably was a little over the top. :-) )
But, and it's an awfully big but...
90% of the people in the pews of churches do not engage these types of studies. 90% of the people in the pews could care less about exegeting the Greek word charis. In the U.S. nearly all the folks read the Bible in whatever English form it is presented to them, and they interpret these words plainly with (hopefully) the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They garner insights and understandings based upon their reading. We pastors encourage our folks to read the Bible to come to understand who God is, who Jesus is, who the Holy Spirit is and how They engaged the world and taught us how to live. Yes, this is what we tell them.
And when they come to us with insights or to share something they read, what do we do then?
If for instance, a congregation member comes up to us and says excitedly, "I read that Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Is that true?"
What is our response (aside from the initial panic wondering if this person is upset by Jesus' statement or excited about it)?
"Hmm. Well, first, we have to understand the nuances of the orignial Greek in which the Bible was written. Then, we must try to hear this text as those in the first century heard it. Then, we must understand that these scholars say this and those scholars say that."
Before you know it, we've taken a simple question and turned it topsy-turvy with all our references to scholars, the Koine Greek, and the orignial context of the message! And, instead of truly dealing with the plain reading, we have left our poor congregation member wondering exactly what in the world this text really means. Furthermore, they begin wondering if this text doesn't really mean what it seems to mean, how many other texts don't really mean what they mean. And if there are a whole bunch more that don't really mean what they seem to mean, what do I really know about the Bible anyway, and why do I want to spend more time trying to figure it all out if it really doesn't say what it seems to say.
Well, this is one possible reaction. The other possible reaction is, "Pastor, I can't believe you just said that. Don't you even know what's in the Bible you claim to preach?"
Most folks are too respectful to say such a thing...at least to your face. They will, however tell others.
But, that is another topic. What is pertinent to evangelism is that by setting ourselves up as the resident theological expert who knows the true meaning of the Bible and the true meaning of the teachings of Jesus, we disempower our folks from discovering it on their own. Their faith no longer rests in the words as those words come out of the text and into their minds and hearts; instead their faith begins to rest upon our interpretation of those words or some scholar's interpretation of those words.
And it's awfully hard to convey a message that isn't yours. It's awfully hard to convey a faith that rests upon someone else's interpretations and understandings. It's awfully hard to convey a faith that isn't internallized and wrestled with and chewed on and nailed into place by the Holy Spirit who gives it in the first place.
At one time in my life, I was convinced that all the church needed to do was have plenty of clergy who would go out into congregations and proclaim the "real" meaning of the texts. If we could only show how these teachings were originally heard and how radical they were, it would change the world.
I've sense changed my mind. I no longer believe such an approach is desirable or helpful. Instead, I believe it is my job to get out of the way and let folks experience the Jesus of the Gospels in the manner He chooses to come to them. Some get hit by the plain reading and fall head over heels in love with Christ. Some want to go deeper. I try to give them the tools to do so. It is not my job to give them the perfect, original, only meaning of these sacred texts. My sinfulness prevents me from doing so anyway. Instead, it is my job to help them grow in their relationship with the Living God.
For instance, in the example above, if someone came to me and said, "Pastor, I read Jesus said He was the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him. Is that true?"
My response would be, "What do you think He means?"
I hope this person would engage me at that level. Because I know the next question, "Pastor, what do you think it means."
And at that point, I'm not going to refer to any scholarship. I'm not going to refer to the Greek or Hebrew. I'm going to tell him or her what I believe--what my faith has led me to.
And that's what is at the heart of evangelism--the willingness to share one's faith story with another. It's not about sharing what scholars say. It's not about sharing what the Greek or Hebrews say. It's not about sharing what liberation theologians, or black theologians, or feminist theologians say. Evangelism is about sharing what the Holy Spirit has put into your heart about faith in Jesus Christ.
As such, there is no true theological expert. As clergy, we are called to equip the saints, share our faith, share church doctrine, throw in something from time to time to stretch folks' brains, make them think and reflect so that as they grow in faith, they are not afraid or ashamed or feel inadequate to share that faith with others.
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