David Wells, Ph.D. is the distinguished Research Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, U.S.A. Wells has a ThM from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1967), a PhD from the University of Manchester (1969), and post-doctoral Research Fellow from Yale Divinity School (1973-74). His penetrating reflections upon the church and the world makes his theology profound and thus for anyone who takes life and theology seriously, it is always a profitable experience to listen to him.
In the Fall 1992 Francis A. Schaeffer Lectures at Covenant Theological Seminary, Wells made a case for the disappearance of theology in the Evangelical church. In the first lecture, he tries to show this by making a study of the subjects being discussed in popular Evangelical magazines and the types of sermons preached in Evangelical pulpits. The study clearly shows a decline in doctrinal preaching and a departure from anything of serious theological character. In the second lecture, Wells offers a triangle model for Evangelical ministry, made up of confessionalism, reflection and spiritual moral wisdom. It is followed by a brief Q&A session. The fourth lecture(4A,4B) deals with the modern man’s constant obsession with the Self and how it has affected Evangelical ministry. The fifth lecture (5A) is on the professionalization of the clergy, where Wells explains how ministry has changed in its definition in our times and how this is dangerous to the practice of biblical ministry in Evangelical churches. The last two lectures(5B, 6A) briefly deal with the issue of biblical preaching. Wells makes a clarion call for having biblical priorities in our ministry and how recognizing the centrality of the preaching and teaching of the Word is absolutely crucial for any biblically faithful ministry in our churches.
Theologians, pastors and everyone who is aspiring to do biblically sound ministry would find Wells really helpful in his analyses, reflections and suggestions. May the Lord bless Evangelical ministries to be known for their biblical fidelity, doctrinal richness and theological astuteness.
The Disappearance of Theology
