We live in a world that value qualifications more than character. If we have the qualifications, people assume that we have the intelligence and therefore the competence to get the job done well. Perhaps it is because qualifications are more tangible and measurable. This causes many to overlook character as the main criteria. As a result, people are focusing more on getting qualifications rather than building character. Actually our academic pursuit should encompass character building too. The two should not be dichotomised. But due to the fact that our society values qualifications more than character, people are looking for ways to get their qualifications within the shortest time. In this way, they ignored or cut short the character building process.
This thinking has influenced the church in the same manner. Bible institutions can end up focusing more on teaching biblical knowledge rather than character formation. Churches can end up focusing too much on doing ministry rather than shaping the being of their believers. We, ourselves, become more concerned about our academic qualifications and social standing rather than transforming our lives. There is a need to integrate the two again. The purpose of biblical knowledge is to transform our lives so that we can pass on the teachings of God correctly and truthfully. The purpose of Christian ministry is to glorify God so that more would come to taste the goodness of God. The purpose of our lives is to conform to the image of God so that we can be effective witnesses for Him. If we are not careful, we would end up building this generation with big heads, big hands and often big mouths but with small hearts. This would put the Church into a crisis. Let us return to the call for character formation for this is the will of God. Let us never forget to translate our knowledge into shaping our character. What we do should be an outflow of our being. Let God grow our hearts big enough to contain the kingdom of God.