In the past few days we have reviewed the history and structure of the Presbyterian Church. In trinity theological college, we were also given a glimpse into the importance of theological studies in ministry and social engagement, as well as a taste of how exciting old and new testament studies can be. In all, the talks so far have given me a better overview of what it means to be Presbyterian, and what a theological education may entail.
Firstly, the history of Presbyterianism has been mostly encouraging and helpful to my understanding of church and why things are done in certain ways (e.g. Holy Communion). The guy named Andrew Melville, his vision for the church, and his passion for true discipleship have sustained the development of the Presbyterian Church over the century.
When the council of Presbytery elders were described as a group of most honest men by Adam Smith, I marvelled that a group of people could truly shine forth the righteousness of God. Are our churches are seen like this today - groups of honest, upright and accountable men leading the congregation? Are we, as lay members of the church (I don’t quite like the term ‘lay members’) trusting and honouring our leaders enough, so that others also respect as they see the good lives of our elders? Are our elders making sound decisions the congregation can see is good?
I don’t know, and I guess it’s a good conversation to have with new pre-believers who step into our church.
I wonder if hearing the history of Presbyterianism would make some of us feel ‘denominationally superior’ (only came up with that term during the talk). It seems like Andrew Melville made wise decisions not to follow the Anglicans in the book of common prayer, and came up with simple but true marks of the church (word, sacrament). It almost sounds like we belong to the denomination with the best decisions made and most doctrinally sound beliefs.
While I’ve truly appreciated the deeper insights from knowing the history of my beliefs, we must still remember that under God’s rule there are no denominations. We are one body in Christ and we should work to being that one body under one Lord.
Next, the talks on theological education have enlightened for me what it means to enter formal education in theology. As it is, my participation in STEP is not ad-hoc or separate from all the other things God is doing in my life, but a key part of my journey in this season. As I continue to seek my purpose in my life and ask God to lead me ahead, these talks and introductions to old and new testament studies have been/ will be helpful in shaping my walk through this season.
These theological sessions, while deeply fascinating in themselves, are for me a road on which I may choose to wander. So I question, if these extremely interesting explanations of the bible (like Genesis in its historical context) were intentionally made known to the congregation, will we be able to encourage deeper and more engaging conversations about God’s Word?
Each of us are forming our own theology in our daily interactions - when we discuss things with our friends and leaders, when we choose to help a stranger in need on the road, when we read books and articles and listen to talks and sermons that point us to the truth of God. I think even, that each of us will have a theology special and secret to ourselves.
While largely similar to other people of the same faith (and perhaps even more similar to people in the same denomination) God will still speak to each of us in a way specially tailored to who He knows we are. As we search though, it’s definitely helpful to receive sound guidelines to make sure we are kept on track along the way.
Abigail Lai
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