Welcome to my notes on Autodidactism.
“Autodidactism”, or “Autodidacticism” [19], is the act of self-education, or teaching oneself about a subject or subjects in which one has had little to no formal education. [19]
EXAMPLES
Regardless of their lack of formal training, “many notable contributions have been made by autodidacts” [1].
➢ Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) – was an Italian polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, “widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived” [22]. His genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man, a man of “unquenchable curiosity” [22] and “feverishly inventive imagination” [22].
AUTODIDACTISM IN CHRISTIANITY
In Christianity the laity, that is ‘unqualified lay ministers’, are often considered somewhat “illegitimate” or substandard, compared to those who attended Bible School and/or Seminary.
Yet, historically Biblical Christianity, always believed that “the call to ministry is as sovereign as the call by grace” [2].
In the words of Joseph Philpot (1802-1869):
“Jehovah will take the tinker from his barrow, and the cobbler from his stall, and send them to preach His word” [2]
God “took Elisha from the plough” [2]. (1 Kgs. 19v16-21) He took the Prophet Amos from his flock (Am. 1v1) and “gathering sycamore fruit” [2]. (Am. 7v14-15) He took Saint Matthew from tax-collecting. [9] (Mt. 9v9, 10v3) Saint Luke from his medical practice. [7] (Col. 4v14) Saint James, Simon, Andrew and the Apostle John [10] from fishing. (Mk. 1v16-18, 4v21-22; Mk. 1v19-20; Lk. 5v10-11) John the Baptist was the son of a Jewish priest. [11] The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee. [6] (Acts 9v3-9; Gal. 1v13-14; Ep. 3v4-6) The Apostle Barnabas was a Levite. [12] Saint Timothy was a teenager. [8]
Throughout Church History some of the most prominent and influential theologians were ‘unqualified’ [in educational terms].
Among them John Bunyan (1628-1688) [2], George Fox (1624–1691), William Huntington (1745-1813) [2], Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892), Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897-1963) [15|16] and Deer [2].
The only biblical qualifications towards Christian ministry, was that they had to be saved, “apt to teach” (1 Tim. 3v2; 2 Tim. 2v2), “patient” (1 Tim. 3v3), “blameless” (1 Tim. 3v2), “sober” (1 Tim. 3v2), “vigilant” (1 Tim. 3v2), “of good behavior” (1 Tim. 3v2), “given to hospitality” (1 Tim. 3v2), single or the husband of one wife (1 Tim. 3v2). They are NOT “given to wine” (1 Tim. 3v3), “greedy of filthy lucre” (1 Tim. 3v3), “brawlers” (1 Tim. 3v3) or “strikers” (1 Tim. 3v3).
Dr. Joseph Charles Philpot (1802-1869), formerly a Fellow of Worcester College at Oxford while with the Church of England In England and later the Editor of the Gospel Standard Magazine, when he became a Strict (or Particular) Baptist, was very much against “the manufacturing of ministers by the gross at the Bishops’ ordinations, and all that mass of evil which has sprung out of a worldly and wealthy establishment.” [2]
In his Letter of Resignation, Dr. Philpot writes to the Provost of Worcester College:
“As a member, too, of the University, and Fellow of the College, I am unavoidably and necessarily mixed up with many evils, which I am convinced are equally hateful to God. Thus, in this capacity, I must sanction the whole principle of a University, as needful to qualify men to become ministers of Jesus Christ. But who that knows experimentally the sovereignty of Jehovah in choosing His ministers will not feel it to be dreadful presumption thus to train up unregenerate men to stand forth in His holy name? The call to the ministry is as sovereign as the call by grace. And Jehovah will take the tinker from his barrow, and the cobbler from his stall, and send them to preach His Word, as he took Elisha from the plough, and Amos from ‘gathering sycamore fruit’. By continuing, therefore, a member of the University I tacitly set aside the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, which can alone qualify a man for the ministry, and substitute a knowledge of Latin and Greek, and such mere ‘letter-learning’ as is called Divinity. But by doing this I necessarily reject as ministers some of God’s most eminent and deeply-taught servants, as Bunyan, Deer, and Huntington; and exalt in their room unregenerate men, who were never taught a single truth by the Eternal Spirit. And as, by continuing a member of the University, I sanction its principle, so in some measure do I sanction its practice. What that practice is, let those testify who have passed through the various stages of Undergraduate, Bachelor, and Master of Arts. But where in all that practice do I see the marks of Christ, or ‘the footsteps of His flock’? Can they be traced in the drawing rooms and dining rooms of the Heads of Houses? in the Common-rooms of the Fellows? in the breakfasts, wine-parties, and suppers of the Undergraduates? What, I would ask, is usually heard in the latter but shouting, and singing of unclean songs, or conversation on the boat-race, the steeple-chase, or the fox-hunt? And what is commonly heard in the former but the news and politics of the day, and all such trifling, and sometimes even unseemly conversation, as is the mark of the soul that is ‘dead in sins’? Where among all these, either professed ministers of Jesus Christ or such as are training to be so, is the name of the Savior, or the voice of prayer heard? If anywhere, it is among a few despised undergraduates, who have enough religion to see the open evils around them, but not enough grace or faith to separate from the system altogether. And who that knows the University will not allow the following to be a faint sketch of the course run by most of her children? Initiated in boyhood in wickedness at one of the public schools, those dens of iniquity, or at a private school, in some cases but a shade better and in others worse, the youthful aspirant to the ministry removes to College, where, having run a career of vanity and sin for three years, he obtains his degree. Fortified with this, and his College testimonials, procured without difficulty except by the very notoriously immoral, and those who have shown some symptoms of spiritual religion, he presents himself to the Bishop for ordination. Examined by the Bishop’s Chaplain on a few commonplace topics of divinity, and approved, he is ordained amid a heap of other candidates, without one question of a spiritual nature, one inquiry as to his own conversion to God, or one serious admonition as to his motives and qualifications for so dreadful a work. The cold heartlessness and technical formality usually displayed by Bishop, Chaplain, Archdeacon, and Registrar, with the carelessness and levity of most of the candidates, can never be forgotten by one whose heart God has touched, and who has witnessed the solemn mockery of a semi-annual ordination. But further, as a Fellow of a College, I am connected with a body of men, who, however amiable and learned they may be (and if I forget the kindness of some of them I would be ungrateful indeed), are yet ignorant of Jesus Christ. Their acts as a body I am a party to, and indirectly, if not directly, sanction. Thus I help to give away college livings to unregenerate men, though I may know in my own conscience that they are not even called by grace, much less to the work of the ministry. I am a party also to giving testimonials indiscriminately of good life and conduct to be presented to the Bishop by the candidates for ordination (the document requiring the college seal), as well as to the electing of Fellows and Scholars for their classical attainments, and thus thrusting them into the ministry, and, in a word, to the whole system of education pursued, which, as a means of qualifying men to be ministers, I believe to be hateful to God.” [2]
Charles Bridges (1794-1869), a Leader of the Evangelical Party in the Church of England In England, confirmed:
“Without minimizing the value of a formal, seminary education in certain instances, we doubt not but that the true Christian Minister will be best furnished, and esteems at far higher value, that learning which he obtained ‘in the secret place of the Most High’!“ [1]
Dr. James White (1962-) of Alpha and Omega Ministries earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Bible from Grand Canyon College in 1985, a Masters (M.A.) in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1989, a Th.M. in Apologetics from Faraston Seminary in 1995, a Th.D. in Apologetics from Columbia Evangelical Seminary in 1998, and a D.Min in Apologetics from Columbia Evangelical Seminary in 2002. Yet, speaking on the subject of “the modern American seminary situation” [18], White confirms:
“I think the Lord is going to fix this for us in the very near future, to be honest with you, because I think that any school, that will stand on biblical morality ethics, will soon not be able to get a dime of government money – and that’s going to change a lot of this. We are going to see a lot of ingrown, in the church, churches cooperating with other churche, locally, to do Christian education, training ministers … When I look at the New Testament the only thing I find, about training up men, is Paul says to Timothy, ‘Train up men that you have been able to observe. You know their character. And you teach them everything I have taught you.’ Souds like it happens in the Church… Now don’t get me wrong, I benefited from my Seminary experience. But, of course, back then, you didn’t have to in-debt yourself to your eyeballs to do that.” [18]
Daniel ‘Dan’ J. Phillips of Pyromaniacs, earned a Master of Divinity (M.Div), but makes it clear that:
“Though I earned an MDiv and am glad of it, I don’t think seminary is universally necessary, nor best. The biblical model is apprenticeship. Paul apprenticed Timothy, then urged him to do the same for other gifted men (Philippians 2:22; 1 Timothy 4:6; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:1-2; 3:10-17; cf. Titus 1:5). And so, I think the best model is a pastor leading men under his care in guided studies and instruction in Greek, Hebrew, the Biblical sciences, pastoral ministry, and theology. Which I am assuming (in my ideal world) that the pastor has; as all pastors should. The best model is preparation of pastors of churches by pastors of churches for producing men who will pastor churches. The best model is not academic instruction in a non-church environment by men who have not themselves been pastors… Now, to respond specifically to this: ‘In regards to your understanding of the Bible and theology, how much was learned on your own and how much at school?’ Honestly and in retrospect, the most important and central convictions were formed before and after Seminary. What seminary contributed is a firmer and deeper grasp of tools useful for evaluating and developing my Biblical convictions, as well as a good environment for testing them.” [3]
Mark Kielar, who himself earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc) in Business Administration from Bryant College, Smithfield, RI (1977-1981), says:
“Though I would not always recommend independent study as the ideal, ‘ordinary’ course to obtain ones Theological training, in light of the substantially less time most men heading for the ministry spend in theological training (typically 2-6 years), and in light of the reality that Seminaries and Universities are increasingly becoming more and more liberal, sectarian, and incomprehensive in their curriculum, and in light of the opportunity I have had, in that time, to cover a substantively greater scope, depth and breadth of study, I (in hind-sight) am grateful to God for His kind providence in numbering me with those throughout Church History who were self-taught/ ‘taught of God’ by the grace of the Holy Spirit. As Charles Bridges states: ‘Without minimizing the value of a formal, seminary education in certain instances, we doubt not but that the true Christian Minister will be best furnished, and esteems at far higher value, that learning which he obtained ‘in the secret place of the Most High’!.” [1]
Laire Lightner of Repentance to All Nations, wrote:
“In today’s world we have the notion that someone must go to college and get a degree in order to be able to minister or better yet fulfill the call God has for their life. And God has convicted me of this being erroneous thinking! The apostles did not go to college, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Abraham, Noah, King David…etc. Why must we make it a NEED in order to fulfill our call? Is that biblically sound? I do not believe so after fighting with God for a long time on this matter…. But this friends is exactly where satan wants me and you! He wants us to think we are not adequate, eloquent, good enough or well versed enough to fulfill our call. The more he keeps us in fear and our of Truth the more he prevails! So as I have embarked in a journey through scripture and prayer God has revealed to me the following: ‘You do not HAVE to go to ANY college to know the Word, if you seek the scriptures, if you ask for understanding and wisdom, if you fear me enough, if you pray and fellowship with me, if you truly want to know My ways, says the Lord. I will grant you wisdom and understanding, I will make your light shine among the nations and they will come to you, not because of you. But they will see Me. If you dig in the scriptures as for gold and silver there is no college you need to go to to fulfill my call for your life‘. This is what God has spoken to me. And He went on telling me how NOT ONE prophet/apostle who wrote the Bible went to ‘college’. I do not need a BS, MS or PhD behind my name to go to the school of GOD. THE BIBLE IS ALL THE SCHOOL YOU WILL EVER NEED! To prove this point beyond the examples of the Bible, the great A.W Tozer never went to Bible college or seminary. Yet God used Him, spoke through Him and changed the world for we are still reading his books. Why? Because Tozer obeyed and was faithful and diligent in searching the scriptures and knowing the heart of God. That my friends is all it takes! Do not let satan keep you from fulfilling your call due to fear of not having a couple of letters behind your name. They are not needed! If the apostles, prophets and AW Tozer among many others didn’t need them neither do we. BUT, we must be committed to study and examine as well as meditate on His Word. Dwell in the presence of God Almighty daily. That we may be fully equipped and lacking nothing for every good work. Now, am I saying that if God has called you to attend college, not to? NO! You do exactly what God has called you to. But are the majority called? NO. So does that mean God is only going to use the college/seminary graduates? NO! Degree or no degree, you get in the word and plow! Fulfill the call and bless others with your spiritual gift. Do not conform to a society that demands a degree! God doesn’t demand one! No where in the Bible does it state that in order to minister or fulfill your call (whatever that is) you MUST go to something called “college” or training institution. If it was so important, do you not think God would have given us instructions on it? Yet He does say over and over again to study the Word, to mediate on it, to hide it in our hearts. That is the way to knowing God’s heart. The Word, prayer and living in the presence of the Almighty! Pick up your bible and spend some time with the creator, go through God’s theology and doctrinal school and you will need no other degree!” [15]
AUTODIDACTISM IN ISLAM
More information coming soon …
QUESTIONS
Why is this important?
➢ One. Because it is important, that we do NOT disregard the works of those without a formal education, since “many notable contributions have been made by autodidacts” [1]
➢ Two. Because it is important, that we do NOT blindly adhere to Arguments from Authority.
OBJECTIONS
But people won’t listen, if I am not qualified
Whether people listen, or not, has nothing to do with whether you are qualified, or not. It simply reflects on their teachability.
ADHERENTS
also known as “Autodidacts” [19]
➢ Dr. Joseph Charles Philpot (1802-1869) – British Theologian and Fellow of Worcester College at Oxford – wrote in his Letter of Resignation from Worchester College at Oxford, that while he earned a Doctorate in Theology, he was very much opposed to “the whole system of education pursued, which, as a means of qualifying men to be ministers, [he believed] to be hateful to God” [2].
➢ Prof. Dr. Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) – was an American Professor of Biochemistry at Boston University, Author of various popular Science Fiction and Science books; who was “widely considered a master of hard science fiction” [25]. Regardless of the fact, that Asimov earned a BS (1939) and MA (1941) in chemistry, and a PhD in Biochemistry (1948), he firmly believed, that “Self-education is … the only kind of education there is”.
➢ Raymond Joseph Teller (1948-) – an American Atheist [24], Magician, Illusionist, Actor, Comedian, Writer, Director, Debunker, Skeptic, and a fellow of the Cato Institute [a free market libertarian think tank]; known for his advocacy of Autodidactism [20|21].
➢ Penn Jillette (1955-) [23] – an American Atheist, Magician, Juggler, Comedian, Musician, Inventor, Actor, and best-selling Author; is known for his advocacy of Atheism, Scientific Skepticism, Libertarianism, Free-market Capitalism [23], and Autodidactism [20|21].
➢ Dr. James White (1962-) – American Theologian, Talk Radio Host, Author and Director of Alpha and Omega Ministries in Phoenix, Arizona – earned no less than five degrees, yet readily confessed, that “when I look at the New Testament the only thing I find, about training up men, is Paul says to Timothy, ‘Train up men that you have been able to observe. You know their character. And you teach them everything I have taught you.’ Souds like it happens in the Church.” [18].
➢ Dan Phillips – American Theologian, and Blogger at Pyromaniacs – published an article, entitled “To Seminary, or Not To Seminary” [3], explaining that while he himself earned a Master of Divinity he didn’t consider Seminary “necessary, nor best” [3].
➢ Laire Lightner – Blogger at Repentance to All Nations – published an article, entitled “Women Pastors and Why You Do Not Need to Go to College” [15], explaining that “The Bible is all the school you will ever need!” [15]
➢ Mark Kielar – Host of Cross TV – made it very clear that although he himself earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc), he was “grateful to God for His kind providence in numbering [him] with those throughout Church History who were self-taught/ ‘taught of God’ by the grace of the Holy Spirit” [1].
VIDEOS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Mark Kielar (CrossTV; 11 June 2008) ✔
2. Joseph C. Philpot. Letter of Resignation (28 March 1835) ✔
3. Dan Phillips. To Seminary, or Not To Seminary (Pyromaniacs; 10 June 2008)
4. Lay Ecclesial Ministry (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
5. James H. Dearmore. A Brief Discussion of the Pastor, His Call, Qualifications, and Preparation (Garland, TX: Rodgers Baptist Church, 75040; 1996)
6. Conversion of Paul (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
7. Luke The Evangelist (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
8. Saint Timothy (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
9. Saint Matthew (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
10. John the Apostle (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
11. John the Baptist (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
12. Barnabas (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
13. Laity (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 21 November 2010)
14. Stephen Murray. Theological Education and the Local Church (Daylight; 3 December 2010)
15. Women Pastors and why you do not need to go to COLLEGE… (Rooted In Love; June 2010) ✔
16. A. W. Tozer (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 17 October 2011) ✔
17. Phil Johnson. A Biblical Model of Lay Ministry (Grace To You; 28 October 2011)
18. VIDEO: Dr. James White. Off the cuff, on the modern American seminary situation (YouTube; 26 August 2013)
19. Autodidacticism (Wikipedia; 7 February 2015)
20. VIDEO: Penn and Teller Bullshit – College Part 1 of 2 (YouTube; 24 March 2011) ✔
21. VIDEO: Penn and Teller Bullshit – College Part 2 of 2 (YouTube; 24 March 2011) ✔
22. Leonardo da Vinci (Wikipedia; 7 February 2015) ✔
23. Penn Jillette (Wikipedia; 7 February 2015)
24. Teller_(magician) (Wikipedia; 7 February 2015)
25. Isaac Asimov (Wikipedia; 7 February 2015)
For more information on Autodidactism, please visit the Autodidactism Archives at YouTube.
REVISIONS
10-11.06.2008 / 15.06.2008 / 17.12.2008 / 19-21.11.2010 / 04.12.2010 / 15-18.10.2011 / 28.10.2011 / 31.08.2013 / 02.09.2013 / 24-25.09.2013 / 07.02.2015 / 22.09.2015
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