Theological Amateur Experts
Theological Amateur Experts
From the very outset, I do not wish to be misunderstood. All of us--especially those of us who profess faith in Christ and who are faithful in His church--should seek to be the very best theologians that we possibly can be.
As a matter of fact, all human beings, simply by virtue of their being created in the very image of God, are, inevitably and without question, "theologians." No one is exempt from this. Paul makes this clear in Rom. 1:19, where he wrote: "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them," (ESV). The problem is, the vast majority of fallen human beings are very bad theologians. The preaching, hearing, and believing of the gospel of Christ is the only way anyone's theology begins to improve.
All professing Christians are, by virtue of their profession, what I will call "Christian" theologians; and they are to take their responsibility seriously. Among this body of believers, God calls some men to be what I will call, "pastoral," or, "vocational," or, (even) "professional" theologians. Amongst this latter group, some are better at the job, than others.
The people with whom I am going to take some issue in this paper are the ones who style themselves to be "expert"; but who are yet, as is very evident to those who know better, far from it. They are "amateurs" in that this is not their calling--and yet they seem to think they have a right to esteem their own views above all others.
Someone might say, "Well, are not you doing the same thing--in that you are asserting that you possess a calling from God, to teach the church her theology?" Our answer is, "No; and yes. 'No,' in that we do not 'style' ourselves at all. In fact, we did not even have anything to do with our appointment to this role. And, 'yes,' in that we do acknowledge that we do indeed have this responsibility; and that it was given to us by God."
My own experience with "theological amateur experts" is that they do not like the truth of the gospel; and, as a result, they embark on some program to justify their unbelief, and to seek to replace the truth with some fine-sounding arguments.
The subject at hand is more critical than we may be accustomed to think (it is). There is no more vitally-necessary science than theology. God's theologians/pastors are the ministers and surgeons of the heart, soul, and mind. Who among us would want some guy off the street coming into the operating room and doing heart surgery on us? Most of us would prefer someone who had a calling to this work, who was qualified to do it, and who had the training and the experience to make it successful.
. . . But, when people entrust themselves to themselves, or to self-styled "theological amateur experts," they are doing themselves a horrible disservice. More is at stake than they could possibly imagine.
But such is the self-flattery and pride of sinners. Many of them would rather go to hell, than to listen to Jesus and His truly-appointed church ministers. . . . Are there sometimes frauds in these roles and positions? Of course there are; and our gracious and loving Father has warned us about them, (cf. for example 2 Pet. 2:1).
Again, if you are a true Christian, become the best theologian that you can become. If you do, you will realize that a big part of your theology is that you are not alone, and that your Good Shepherd has provided you His own specially-called under-shepherds, (cf. 1 Pet. 5:1-5).
Rev. Mark J. Henninger
Treatise #71
29 January 2026
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