Why The Church Needs Scholars!

One of the things I've realized throughout my first year of PhD work is just how much the average Christian and just how much the church relies on (often without ever acknowledging that they do) and takes for granted its scholars, those who have devoted their lives to studying the Bible. I've experienced resentment of the church as a scholar and I've also experienced resentment of the academy as a pastor and congregant. But the fact remains, the average person, who wants to stay on the "milk level" of study, often despises or looks down on scholars when, in fact, they wouldn't even be able to read their "English Bibles" if it weren't for the faithful who've committed their lives to study and research. Basically, the logic boils down to something like this (which is VERY simplistic): No scholars = No Bible = No Church. So, the next time you see or hear someone bashing scholars, print off the following manuscript (a mock papyri with uncials, which is what the original text would've looked like, except it would've been quite a bit messier) and have them read, translate and interpret it. I'm not on an academic high horse here, all I'm saying is, I've come to realize just how indebted we all are to our Bible scholars and that the Church needs to do a better job of recognizing and appreciating that! I'm grateful for the many who've gone before me and who've given their lives to helping us preserve our sacred story.