Am I a better theologian as a teacher or as a youth minister?

You would think that the answer was simple… I was a better theologian while in vocational ministry.

I’m not completely convinced.

Sure, while I gave plenty of talks and sermons while in ministry, there was only a certain depth or detail which these could effectively delve into.

Very few people wish to hear a sermon on the six alternative theories on the humanity/divinity of Christ.

Even fewer teenagers want to hear that talk.

Yet, in my studies of religion course, I teach a lesson on this exact point.

I’m fact, for the year 11’s they do a Christianity unit which includes the deep theological issues such as the incarnation, God’s revelation and the trinity.

Over the course of the year, I touch on suffering, creation, death, judgement, salvation, church leadership, denominational formations and a whole lot more.

For my year 12’s, I’ll be delving into the subject of the Reformation, baptism and sexual ethics.

Of course, this neglects the numerous non-Christian topics which I’ll be covering!

I would never cover this much ground in a congregational setting.

It would be unreasonable to ask as much.

While, pastorally, my load in the school context is minimal (which must be taken into account), the sheer amount of theology I need to digest and ask for my students to interact with - year after year - surely results in me needing to be a sharper theologian in the secular context.