Here in the last known interview with Martin Hengel, posted on the Zondervan’s Kononia blog. It went up earlier this week, but I only had time to watch it this morning.
Professor Hengel interviewed by John Dickson from CPX on Vimeo.
Hengel met with the faculty of Trinity Western and Regent College in April 1999, the day I defended my MA thesis. To be invited to tag along was a real treat. In the course of the discussion, he was asked how he was able to get the funding for his research, since the questioner had been criticized by TWU supporters for using critical methodologies. Hengel responded something to the effect of, “You must let them see your testimony,” which I took to mean helping them see the practical payoff for the church. Many simply want to do research, without much thought to its benefit to the larger Body of Christ. This is unfortunate, and the lack of support is probably a natural concequence of failure to connect research to mission. Not all research has a connection to the church’s mission, and rightly so.
A question that has helped me keep these issues prioritized is this: What am I characterized by? Learning about the cognitive processing of language does not have a direct pay-off for the youth group, but it helps to build a foundation for future learning and research. However, if I am characterized by never getting around to practical exegesis, I had better stop telling myself that this is my focus. It is like the dad that works all of the extra hours “for the family.” Right.
Hengel’s words have stuck with me, and I carried the notes from his presentation that day with me in my wallet for a number of years, rereading them as I had time waiting for apointments. Take some time out and watch the video.
