Tom Hicks on why we need doctrine to be practical

'The minister must give his mind to the standard of sound words revealed in sacred Scripture (2 Timothy 1:13), making them the end and focus of all his mental effort, always with a view to applying every doctrine of the faith to himself first and then to the members of the congregation. In the Scriptures, theology is never taught exclusively in abstract, but is always used in a way to bring comfort and encouragement to those who hear it; therefore, all biblical theology serves the local church and finds its greatest expression in proclamation.

However, if the pastor is not taught to think in terms of sound Christ-centered application, then his messages may seem more like academic lectures or moralistic persuasive speeches than New Testament sermons. Teaching that fails to terminate in the hearts of men by means of the gospel of Christ is incomplete. For this reason, students of exegetical, biblical, systematic, and historical theology all reach their high point reflection and maturity in understanding when practical theological application works itself out in pastoral counseling and preaching. This is true because the end goal of theology is ministry to the person in the pew. If the pastor in training is taught to see Christ-centered applications of every doctrine of the faith, he will be better equipped to wrestle with the hearts and minds of his parishioners from the pulpit. Thus, he must be taught to think in these categories.

My mind was most stimulated and stretched this summer as I observed the way Pastor Malone applied the doctrines of the trinity, predestination, and the death of Christ to marriage relationships, Christian freedom to a grieving widow, the resurrection to a family mourning for a lost loved one, and the Sabbath to a hospital patient. Unless the lines connecting theology to the everyday lives of men are drawn, then biblical doctrine is likely to remain in the ivory tower of the academy, never seizing the hearts of men and never impacting them as significantly as they might.'

Read the whole article at:
www.founders.org/FJ48/article3.html