Hello again, and welcome back to my blog!
Many churches today are grappling with the influence of extra-Biblical beliefs that are emerging from contemporary culture. One significant issue is the increasing rejection of the Bible’s divine origin and complete accuracy, leading to the adoption of unbiblical worldviews, particularly concerning human sexuality2. Additionally, there’s a noticeable shift towards creating new worldviews that are only loosely tied to traditional biblical teachings1. This shift is often driven by a desire to make Christianity more relevant to modern societal values, which can sometimes lead to a departure from core biblical principles4.
For this reason, recently, we surveyed graduates of three seminaries that hold to Biblical teaching (Master’s, Denver, and Westminster) in spite of cultural pressures to drift from Biblical teaching. Questions were based on exhortations derived from scripture or frequently accepted attitudes within the church but not directly sourced from the Bible. Two hundred pastors participated in the survey. Read the full report here: https://teleiosresearch.com/pastors-attitudes-towards-biblical-exhortations-in-church-based-ministry/.
Our results showed that pastors generally believed it was ‘important’ to ‘very important’ for church members to maintain Biblical exhortations related to their attitudes towards one another, the church body and leaders, their speech, and the outside community. Extra-Biblical attitudes, although perhaps accepted or fashionable within the church, were more often deemed either ‘not important’ to ‘somewhat important’. Look below at the results.
Why are these findings important?
- These results should encourage church leaders because they demonstrate that a substantial group of church pastors recognize the importance of maintaining fidelity to Biblical teachings. To our knowledge, this is the first time a survey has shown that pastors trained in a Biblically adherent seminary maintain a current focus on Scriptural exhortations.
- Church leaders can take comfort that extra-Biblical attitudes are deemed generally less important by pastors. These data should encourage both pastors and church leaders to maintain their focus on strong Biblical teachings that are associated with an improvement in wellbeing in many religion and wellness studies.
- This should inspire seminaries not to bend their theological stance with cultural trends. Such seminaries will produce Biblically adherent pastors who will tend to maintain these teachings, thereby providing the best chance of promoting physical and mental health.
This study showed that individuals trained in seminaries that teach Biblical principles continue to hold to those principles once they become pastors. As shown in the medical literature, these principles contribute to improved wellbeing.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I look forward to seeing you again next week.
William C. Stewart, MD
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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.
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