THE BIBLE DOES NOT CAUSE CALLUSES ON THE HANDS? VOCATION, TRAINING, AND PASTORAL PRACTICE IN THE CONTEMPORARY BRAZILIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

This article proposes a critical reflection on the tension between pastoral vocation and theological education in the contemporary Brazilian context, investigating the social imaginary that operationalizes the devaluation of formal study in ministerial practice. Based on the analysis of the popular expression "the Bible does not cause calluses on the hands," the study examines how the gap between the "calling" and academic qualification compromises pastoral praxis and ethical responsibility toward alterity. This qualitative research, grounded in a bibliographic framework, articulates the concepts of care of the self (Foucault), interdisciplinarity (Wachs), spirituality as a situated practice (Adam), and the relationship between faith and reason (Brakemeier), through the lens of a critique of religious anti-intellectualism (Pommerening). It is argued that the dichotomy between spirituality and intellectuality constitutes a false dilemma that fosters dogmatic isolation. The study concludes that the integration of vocation and education is not merely complementary but a prerequisite for a pastoral practice grounded in maturation, capable of responding to the complexities of religious pluralism and the ethical commitment to human dignity.