It is also best done by people who actually have theological training. The democracy of discourse on Twitter can blind us to the fact that only a minority of people in most theological conversations here have really earned the right to an opinion.
It is great to have broader and more open conversations about the Bible and theology here, yet there are reasons why we've expected people who express public opinions on theology to have extensive theological education and to be subject to rigorous stress-testing of their ideas.
Some people have queried my comments about the need for extensive theological training for anyone publicly expressing theological opinions. Others have read too much into them. Let me unpack them.
First, I never claimed that such persons need formal academic *credentials* or a formal theological education. Nor that everyone with such credentials or an education are qualified. However, few who lack credentials are qualified.
Second, I never claimed that you must have extensive theological training to hold theological opinions. Rather, that extensive theological training really is important for people who *publicly express* theological opinions.
Why is this important? Among other reasons, because as we express theological opinions publicly we increasingly assume the responsibilities of teachers, who face a much stricter judgment. Twitter blurs the boundaries between public and private and we must take care of our speech.
Third, why do I use the term 'training'? Mostly to contrast with the approach of the dilettante. The dilettante dabbles on their own terms, and isn't really subject to anyone. Their knowledge is typically highly uneven, shaped and constrained by their private concerns.
'Training', by contrast, whether formal or informal, isn't just dipping into a subject as a dilettante, but involves submitting to a pedagogy, apprenticing oneself to masters, and gaining competence in a body of teaching. Trained persons approach theology as a 'discipline'.
Finally, in publicly expressing one's theological opinions, one should expect oneself to be held accountable for your words by others, sharply criticized if you are wrong, etc. Challenge and attack properly comes with the territory.
