Your cover story "The New Theologians" by Tim Stafford [Feb. 8] is a breath (neshamah) of fresh spirit (ruach) that gives hope of deliverance from the eclipse of historical-critical nonsense. God bless this new generation of theologians and, by the Holy Spirit, may their scholarship help restore Scripture as the inspired, trustworthy, and authoritative word of God to the church and its pastors.

I am especially encouraged by N. T. Wright's challenge "to see the gospel as something which was basically God saving the world. The gospel declared something that was publicly true about the whole world rather than simply opening up an option into which I as an individual and other individuals could step." Amen! It's high time to take the next steps from the Reformation to restore the gospel to its original purity and power.

As a parish minister, I am acquainted with the disparity which exists between the teaching that takes place in seminaries and the reality of life in the local church. Real, personal, and relevant pastoral theology is what seminaries need if they are going to throw themselves into the life of the parish. The new theologians are necessary if this is to occur.

One thing I think is clear is that the new theologians are men and women who have to think "outside the box." They need to know what's going on in the real world where people are living and dying and struggling to find the voice of God in the midst of a million other voices that are calling them to pay attention. They need to be capable of articulating and relating the priceless wisdom of the Scripture in ways that are faithful to the message as it was articulated to congregations long ago, but contemporary and fresh enough to speak to ...