Abstract
It is a pleasure for me to share with my friends in theological education as I react to the address of Dr. C. Eric Lincoln.
Dr. Lincoln is prophetic in describing theological education with a clear understanding of the nature and work of God and at the same time
a firm grasp on the nature and needs of persons to whom ministry is provided. His objective of theological education is competence—the
treatment of education for ministry to develop those competencies which are required by the churches. One obvious area is the ability to interpret the black religious tradition. Such interpretation is impossibe without knowing the tradition, the milieu to which it is interpreted and the various disciplines of interpreting. It is clear to Dr. Lincoln that such education is neither solely cognitive in orientation nor solely skill-orientation. What must be sought after is the development of critical judgments that can be used in analysis of problems and decisions regarding action—a critical judgment that is based on theory, on historical understanding, and on insight derived from both classical and contemporary fields of knowledge.