Likewise, Talbot’s former Dean and Research Professor Clint Arnold recently released the second edition of his magisterial, 857-page commentary on Colossians. Along with his masterful commentaries on Acts, Ephesians, Philippians, and more, such scholarly dedication will provide untold help to both pastors and academics for years ahead. These works will help such leaders more deeply understand the truth and importance of the text of Scripture. Lest we forget, the very reason we are able to read Scripture in our native language is because of the painstaking work of Christian scholars who love the Bible and love the local church.
I could point to many other examples, just at Talbot alone, such as the generation-shaping work of J.P. Moreland in philosophy and apologetics. Or the development of a biblically oriented view of spiritual formation from Kyle Strobel and Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation. Or the Old Testament scholarship of Dominick Hernández who recently presented a lecture on the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Reagan Presidential Library. Or the expertise in Reformation Theology and theological reasoning from Karin Stetina. Or the work of Mihretu Guta in answering questions about AI from a metaphysical perspective. I could go on and on.
Talbot and our like-minded, sister seminaries choose to be both scholarly hubs and church-driven institutions. We want to develop scholarship in the mold of the late, great New Testament scholar Gordon Fee, who described his vocation as being a “scholar on fire.” That’s what we want for our scholars at Talbot. We want to develop scholars who are on fire for Jesus and his church, and then we want to deploy them into the world for the sake of the mission.
Other modes of theological education can be helpful, but the cultivation of robust scholarship in church-connected institutions of theological education can’t be replaced. In fact, we need the robust, theological education and scholarship of such seminaries now more than ever.
