It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ²An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. ⁴ He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵ (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶ and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷ And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. I Timothy 3:1–7

‘. . . and not a new convert. . ..’ This reference has nothing to do with biological age, but spiritual age. Young Timothy was biologically young, but spiritually mature nonetheless. Even so, Timothy is something of a spiritual prodigy in certain ways, and wouldn’t necessarily constitute the rule, but more of an exception. To be spiritually mature typically requires time. The Apostle Paul himself spent years of time growing and spiritually maturing before he presented himself before the Apostles in Jerusalem. As such, as a general rule, I think it is safe to note that getting beyond the ‘novice’ label, the baby Christian stage and into adulthood from there, is a condition for being an elder and/or more generally a teacher in the church of Jesus Christ.

Even so, the learning curve is different for everyone; and only the Lord can ultimately confirm or deny those He would place in the role of an elder or even teacher in His church. The church itself is left with the task of discernment; and this itself is not an abstract action, but one in full dependence on the same Holy Spirit who raises up and puts down the would-be leaders in the church. Clearly, the ‘Pastoral epistles’ go on and give lists of attributes that ought to be present in those men who are recognized as elders in and for the church; and these attributes can generally be extrapolated out to any teachers in the church (men or women).

Yet, enter the digital online ‘Christian’ world. There are novices galore. They have no recognized training, and even if they do, they have anonymity to do as they will (even when using their real names). These novices are easy to spot; they foment division among the brethren and sistren; they engage in sectarian ways that elevate adiaphora to levels of essential and thus required doctrines in order for there to be unity among the churches in the Church. And in this elevation, they spread the yeast of disunity among the saints. A chaotic mood that comes from a sense of vaingloriousness that the would-be teacher (who in fact turns out to be a novice) moves and breathes in and from in all of his/her activities as “theological educators.” In the end, such novices don’t foster the unity already referred to, but an us versus them attitude that punctures the unifying ground that all Christians share in the singular person of Jesus Christ; the Church’s concrete esse (being) and res (reality).

Conversely, the aforementioned ought to evoke a sense of sobriety and seriousness as any of us attempt to “teach” others the Word of God; particularly as that is undertaken online. Whether that be through written or audible media. There ought to be the realization that when we portend to bear witness to Christ in ‘authoritative’ ways, when we set ourselves up as teachers, that we will entail a ‘stricter judgment’ in the End. And to me, what this means is that what the would-be theologians and Bible teachers ought to strive for is to ‘rightly divide the Word of God, which is truth.’ Further, what this ought to entail is that the teacher does their due diligence in constantly learning; learning from the teachers and doctors and evangelists that Christ has provided His Church with; for purposes of her edification. This requires that the theologian, the Christian in general, operates from a humble, teachable spirit. Clearly, given the eschatological nature of theology and theological knowledge, in regard to theologia nostra (‘our theology’), none of us will ever “arrive” this side of the Eschaton. We all, inclusive of the teachers, elders, evangelists et al. see the reality as if looking at a puzzle; with greater vantages of clarity or lesser, as the case may be. If internalized in an unhealthy way, this might cause a paralysis; it might cause the teacher to wonder how they can speak God at all. And so, we walk humbly before our God in Christ.

Doing ministry, especially teaching ministry, ought to be a sobering thing. But when we enter places like Twitter, and other like online forums where professing Christians congregate, the exact opposite of sobriety is on display. What dominates such spaces is the novice way. And thus, as the Apostle Paul warned Timothy, there are many operating in the ensnarement of the devil himself. This ensnarement cultivates an atmosphere deoxygenated by the spirit of antiChrist. A wisdom from below rather than above, and as such, all that is demoniac and topsy-turvy becomes the prevailing marker of the ostensible discourse. In fact, it isn’t a coherent discourse that obtains under such pressures, but a baby-like gibberish and drooling, that ultimately calls for a naptime; and beyond, some requisite discipline that disallows or discounts what is being gibbered until some level of coherent and sober speech that actually bears witness to the risen Christ and triune God can be produced.

Kyrie eleison