Is Theology a Four-Letter Word?

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.