Is Theology a
Four-letter Word?
Thomas D. Reeves
For those who have watched with any
regularity that deep theological show The Simpson’s, you
will most certainly be familiar with Homer Simpson. In this
impetuous and sometimes bawdy satire, Homer often represents that
which is shallow and thoughtless in American culture. Homer’s
limited attention span displays itself in almost every episode. If
someone is conversing with Homer and he loses interest, his eyes
glaze over and he begins to day-dream.
As a Christian who has grown up in the
church and has pastored for a while, I have often encountered this
same glazed-over look. All that I need to do is mention the word
theology. With many, this will provide not only a response
that Pavlov would have appreciated, but often brings any discussion
to a screeching halt.
There are many reasons why the word
theology has become an almost obscene word which often
produces yawns, clock-watching, and “glazed-over” looks.
However, what I would like to suggest is that everyone has a theology
(good or bad), and that understanding what you believe is vital to
understanding and discerning your own motivations, direction, and
interaction with the world around you. In other words, theology
is not optional for those who take the importance of the Word of God
and the illumination of the Holy Spirit seriously. A sound and
growing appreciation of what we believe as Christians is at the heart
of the church’s witness, unity, uniqueness, and future in this
country.
Is Theology for
Everyone?
Much of the thinking at the lay level
(and unfortunately, also at the ordained level) is that theology is
for those people who don’t have anything better to do with their
time. At the very least, it would seem, only scholars and teachers
should have to grasp it. Theology is certainly not very helpful to a
normal pew-sitting (or theatre chair/ folding chair sitting) person
who has no formal Seminary training!
However, theology is not just
for the professor, the priest, the bishop, the pastor, or the vicar.
Some of the most detailed theological development that we find in the
New Testament is contained in letters written to…hold on to your
seats…churches. The Apostles where silly enough to send their
readers back to what they believed about the character of God and the
greatness of their salvation (theology) to in turn deal with
their very down-to-earth, often region-wide problems.
For whatever the reason, many pastors
and churches alike have decided to avoid “all of that difficult
theological stuff”. Thus, many clergy deal with the
scriptures in obscure/benign ways or in the so-called “practical”
and “down-to-earth” ways which often deal with the symptoms of
life without ever dealing with the deeper issues behind the symptoms.
Even when the scriptures are read in the service (in some instances
and traditions not very much scripture is read at all), there will be
little or no mention of them in the sermon/homily. If the scriptures
are engaged, often the listener is barraged by cross-referenced
verses where the context and the setting of these verses are never
developed. Thus the listener is left having to trust that the
preacher/teacher has done his/her homework. Is it any wonder then
why teaching and preaching such as this often lacks clarity,
authority or any kind of enduring quality? Could it be that
preaching/teaching that trivializes the depth and breadth
of the scriptures contributes to the perception that the scriptures
really don’t matter to everyday living?
Is Theology
Relevant?
There is much talk among professionals
and laity alike about what a sermon or lesson should “look like”
or “sound like”. It is often suggested that preaching must be
“relevant”, which in the end means that you avoid anything that
could ever smack of something “theological”. In seeking to make
the Bible become “relevant”, most of the solutions given by the
“experts” are methodological. Could it be, however, that the
reason the scriptures seem irrelevant has more to do with how we
teach, preach, listen and view the Word of God, than some kind of
“method” that can somehow make us “relevant”. What if the
clergy actually presented the scripture as the inspired literature
that it is? This would mean taking
seriously the context of the Word first for the original
listeners, so we could then more authentically help people
understand why this same scripture matters in their own twenty-first
century lives. Maybe if people coming to worship every Sunday
demanded that the clergy preach the Word of the Lord in its context,
God’s voice could more clearly be heard. Could it be that pastors
who seek to protect listeners from the text of scripture (hoping they
will return to hear happy and palatable words), are contributing
greatly to the muffling of God’s voice? Where anymore is the
Reformer’s emphasis on the Word and Spirit as vital
to our worship? It is God’s voice that is needed and
relevant. Our perceptions and creative approaches are
supposed to help convey not distract from God’s voice in the midst
of a local congregation.
Why Does Theology
Get a Bad Name?
Certainly we professionals have not
always contributed positively to the perception of the person in the
pew that the scriptures and theology are alive and vital.
Taught doctrine in the church which turns the Word of God into a
theological textbook (which is then dumped on a congregation
without warning) can tempt anyone to run from the more difficult
passages and realities of our faith. Also, when the scriptures are
preached and taught in a way which communicates simplicity where
complexity abounds (whether in interpretation or application), it
seems likely that people will struggle to relate.
Even if truth has been perceived by the
preacher in the context of the scriptures, there is still work to be
done as we help people engage this truth. As we professionals should
know, this discipline is called Homiletics. Effective
teaching and preaching embraces the difficulty of communicating with
audiences within local, cultural, and age specific settings. I
suggest that the homiletical task has always been a lot of work, and
will always be a lot of work. However, is the starting place
placating and amusing, or effectively helping people hear God’s
voice? (no matter how difficult or uncomfortable the truth may be to
hear at times) It seems to me that the starting place for the
congregation and clergy should be on the latter, and this will always
require worship to be viewed at least in part as a spiritual
discipline for those desirous to hear God’s voice. When the
starting place is the adaptation of Word and worship to the
audience, the temptation becomes great to let other voices shape or
cloud the revelation of our Lord. When this occurs, we can lose much
(if not most) of the counter-cultural message and influence of the
Gospel.
What Makes Theology
Meaningful?
With the church fathers and with
communities of faith departed and present, I submit to you that
Christian theology is something that matters and is alive
(through Word and Spirit). It is not just contained in
the books of some of the best minds, nor was it devised to torture
people as they pursued Christianity at whatever level! It is my
belief that when the truth of God’s Word is put into its context,
we can then embrace the reality that people in scripture are “slobs”
just like us: people seeking God, struggling, questioning, denying,
embracing, showing cowardice, showing great courage, dealing with
doubt……If we are not careful we may start to wonder if maybe,
just maybe the scriptures (which, are the basis of all good Christian
theology) have more to do with life then we first thought. Maybe,
just maybe, we don’t have to check our brains at the door. Maybe,
just maybe, a laborer, a carpenter, an at-home parent, a doctor, a
salesperson, a plumber, a business owner, a teenager, a child, a
professor, or whomever, can hear and internalize
the truth of the scriptures.
However, if we have decided that the
scriptures are largely in need of our rescuing because they are so
out-dated and seemingly irrelevant, then should we wonder when our
leaders and preachers give us nothing but general palatable truth
(often benign Christian morality) or something more related to
entertainment or self-help? Should we wonder why what we believe
about our Christianity seems almost worthless in those quiet times
when we are actually forced to stop and deal with ourselves? What
do we turn to when we have to deal with evil, tragedy, corruption,
and death in our lives, in the lives of those we love, and in the
world around us? If we turn to the Lord, then who is this God
that we turn to and why? In other words, what we believe about God
(theology) does matter. A Theology centered in a relationship
and search for God will have life, and this same theology will impart
life to those within the Church of Jesus Christ.
Does our Theology Influence our Outreach?
Many in our culture are nomads in
search of spiritual substance and authenticity. These people are
ripe to hear the voice of God as it is declared to them through his
people. However, if the Christians that these individuals encounter
(whether clergy or laity) are themselves “tossed to and fro by
every wind of doctrine” what is it that is communicated to these
wanderers? If we ourselves are unsure of our basic foundations, do
we really have anything different to offer others? Is Christianity
nothing more than another special interest group or the newest flavor
of excitement and belief induced by the culture swirling around us?
I submit that through the responsible
teaching/preaching of the Scriptures infused with the resurrection
power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to have a solid, developing,
Christian theology that matters. This kind of theology is
living and communicates hope. This kind of theology can help
the disciples of Jesus Christ find sure footing during the slippery
times of life. This kind of theology can help keep our compasses
heading due north.
Maybe theology is not such a bad
word after all.