Justion Taylor interviewed Dr Peter J. Williams, Warden of Tyndale House, Cambridge, the premiere research library for biblical studies. Biblical scholarship doesn't usually rank high on the priority list of most lay persons, but its worth is utterly important. Williams points out:
Christians accept that it may take vast sums of money to train a soldier or a doctor, and yet sometimes we are unwilling to accept that, if we want Bible scholars as well trained as our medical specialists, it is also going to involve serious investment. Investing in Christian scholarship is a long-term strategy and will usually seem less appealing than more obvious and apparently pressing needs. However, if the church does not have robust scholarship then it will be highly vulnerable to false ideas.
Williams' suggestion for mature charitable giving makes sense:
Evangelicals need to divide up their giving in sensible proportions, giving some to urgent and immediate causes, but also making adequate provision for ministries that tend only to yield fruit in the longer term.