"Why is there such a disconnect between what is being taught in universities, divinity schools, and seminaries across the country, and what is being taught every Sunday from the pulpit? ... three possible explanations.
The first is that some ministers, though they learned about the conclusions and debates within Biblical scholarship while in college, never really bought into much of it. ...
The second possible explanation is simply that ministers don't want to alarm their congregations by consistently talking about the historical-critical method of Biblical scholarship. Since congregations are made up of lay-people, they might have their faith shaken if they learn that, for instance, we don't actually know who wrote most of the books of the Bible, Church tradition of authorship notwithstanding.
The third possible explanation is that pastors want to keep their jobs. ... if ... , a pastor is constantly barraging his congregation with historical scholarship instead of feel-good sermons reinforcing theirfaith, not only will he start losing members, he might even put his own job in jeopardy."
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