Thinking Theologically: The Preacher As Theologian Summary

Ronald Allen’s book, Thinking Theologically: The Preacher as Theologian, allowed me to understand why pastors preach and look at their congregations the way they do. To be frank, I never thought about a pastor as a theologian. It is clear pastors have their own specific theology but I did not pay attention to the way pastors brought their theology in the way they preach and observe their congregation and world. I have always been a participant seeking my own personal theology with God, without paying attention to the pastor’s theology. Allen wrote, “theology affects the way preachers understand the Bible,” [1] which is something I understood, but when Allen wrote, “theology shapes how the preacher understands the congregation.”[2] was a new revelation I received from this book.

I had the mindset many preachers based their theology in one field. Allen hypothesized that many preachers do not have a singular theology, but many theologies interlocking together. I found that true …show more content…
I am the Pentecostal Christian who “thinks the Spirit fills individuals and congregations with ecstatic awareness of the presence of God that is sometimes expressed by speaking in tongues… also can be expressed quietly…[and] believe the Holy Spirit anoints the preacher.”[3] This description is something I firmly believe in and hold on to because of various experiences in my personal journey with Jesus. I am also a Christian who strongly believes the Bible is the Word of God. My faith in the Bible is something I hold on to dearly and although humans wrote the Bible and translated the Bible, I believe God’s message is in the Bible and it is His message for us today. My beliefs in this area are the same beliefs listed on page 44 and