Craig Gaunt
Christian Theology I
To use a metaphor, theology is “bridge-building”. It is comparable to a village on top of a mountain whose inhabitants were so joyful to be on this mountain that they wanted to tell a neighboring village on a nearby mountain. This second mountain village was ignorant of the first, and so the first decided to build a bridge connecting the two. What the first failed to realize is that the second village was so consumed with change and progress that, while one half of the bridge had been completed by the first village on their own side, they could not fit the final pieces together on the opposite side. The reason is that the second town kept knocking down its walls, rebuilding the entire complex, and then repeated the process. It was only after the first village observed this time and again that they knew they must constantly change the opposite end of the bridge to suit what the second town had altered. The point is that the first mountain is the unchanging Word of God and is the foundation for the kingdom of God, which is the village. The second mountain is the world, which is constantly changing. The bridge is theology, connecting the two. While the first mountain that holds the town and bridge does not change, the bridge is ever-changing to better the interaction between the two towns.
How theology is done is best described by a quote once said by Karl Barth. “Read the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.” One must stay grounded in studying God’s Word with a humble and prayerful attitude, relentlessly desiring God to use His Word to conform them into the likeness of His Son. On the other hand, they must also keep their eyes and ears open to their culture as far as what its needs, fears, and problems are. Once those two ends have been established then it is time to connect them, and the question becomes, “how does God speak through His Word to the church, and then how should the church then proclaim these words to the world and its issues?” At the same time, the church needs to be ever vigilant in the world and attentive to it in order to comfort some with the gospel and convict others with the same gospel. Theology is the tool to aid the church in both comforting and convicting which are both grounded in the living God and His Word.
Theology is unique in its relation to other practices and disciplines in both Christian and non-Christian realms. Although both disciplines set out to answer very similar questions, its main difference to philosophy is its starting point. Philosophy starts with the self while theology has its grounding in God. These two starting points affect their respected methodologies. For example, because theology starts with the presupposition of an omnipotent being controlling the universe, it is not unreasonable to believe that this being could break His laws of nature in order to prove His power over them and perform miracles, such as parting the Red Sea or healing diseases. Conversely, because philosophy is based highly in reason and empiricism, miracles are not possible because either there is not enough conclusive proof of their existence or they can be explained through naturalistic means. In other words, a highly naturalistic, modern philosophy would state that if a human being cannot observe it through their senses, it does not exist.
Theology is also unique to worldview. Quite literally, a worldview is how someone looks at the world and interprets its events and their place in it for themselves. Theology is what one does with that interpretation by using Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience to construct both a mentality and a behavior in order to better live out their faith in response to the interpretation. Recalling the bridge example, a worldview would be how the first village’s people observed the villagers on the second mountain, why these second-mountain villagers acted the way they did, and what needed to be done in order to reach them despite a constantly changing environment. Theology overlapped with this last step, and then it sets about to actually build the bridge. Theology and worldview may be two separate realms of thought but they constantly interact with one another and build off of each other in a circular pattern. A person uses a worldview in order to construct a theology in their given cultural context, but the worldview is itself built on a theology in order to give the worldview structure and a foundation. More simply, it is iron sharpening iron.
Theology is also different from Bible and biblical studies both on the scholarly and lay levels because both these groups usually contain two distinct groups of people. There are those who want to know exactly what the text said in its original context so they may read the Bible and consult a lexicon or commentary to know precisely what the author was saying to the original audience. However, they fall into the trap of “overcontextualization” which means they treat God’s Word as nothing but a piece of collective antique historical accounts or even literary fiction and do not allow themselves to be transformed or sanctified by obedience to it. The other group consists (mostly) of laypeople who take the other extreme approach and yank verses out of their contexts completely in order to force their relevance into individuals’ lives. Theology safeguards against both extremes because its process involves looking at the verses in their original contexts and then seeking to make them relevant to believers as a unified structure of belief. In other words, verses are used as pieces of a puzzle that, when completed, shows the person of God and humanity.
It goes without saying that it is crucial for the church to do theology. The most important reason is because Christ himself commanded it (Matt. 28:19, 20). Making disciples involves correct teaching and proper handling of truth as well as behavior in accordance to it. Many of the epistles, especially the pastoral ones, written by Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude also deal with the practice of presenting the truth plainly but also being prepared for false teachers that will creep into the body of believers. Two thousand years has not stopped this at all, and the church that finds itself in the post-modern world is constantly facing heresies that seem to stem from former ones but with a new face to promote them. Theology is the church’s tool to guard itself against heretical influence so that it can lead the true flock of believers in the actual truth. The church must also use theology to formulate logical arguments in order to refute false teachings because simply reciting verses and saying “have more faith” will not suffice for many issues facing the flock. Additionally, for the local church to stay relevant in whatever society it finds itself, it must continue to do theology between the Bible and the world. It must bring to the people the Word of God in a way that speaks to them, and they must also bring the concerns of the people to the throne of God.
Christians as individual believers must also engage theology if they are to grow in their faith, especially in today’s world. In a post-modern context, believers are constantly hammered with every new idea being presented as valid as every other because there is no such thing as absolute truth. From this presupposition, there seems to be a glorification of sinful acts and anything trying to stop them is labeled “intolerant” which has become the worst form of evil. Like a map and compass guide a captain to use his ship to steer through troubled seas, theology is the tool for a Christian to use Scripture to steer through this sinful world and its ideas. Here in the West, we have also put too much emphasis on salvation being confirmed by an emotional experience. The common picture involves someone getting out of their pew or chair, stepping forward in tears, asking forgiveness of sin, and committing their lives to Christ. While this is certainly not a bad act, many of those who come forward in earnest later abandon their commitments at the first sign of difficulty or when the “emotional high” wears off. Theology grounded in God’s Word reassures the believer that their commitment to Christ is not in vain as well as provides them the knowledge not only to sort through the lies of this age but also to speak and live the truth just as the Lord did during His early ministry.
Although many would take a look at youth ministry and view the desire to give them theology as being a waste of time, this author staunchly disagrees. Youth today are lost and constantly searching for a cohesive system to govern their lives. Family and church have been replaced by friends and, most of all, media. Media has been the one place that youth turn to for guidance and acceptance. They realize that the only sources of love can come from those that have not lied to them and let them down. With government being manipulated by money, the families broken by divorce and heartache, and the church rocked by scandal and charges of irrelevance, it is no surprise that teenagers are running out of places to feel like they belong and are protected. Church goers today also underestimate the desires and hungers of adolescents. Simple Scripture memory verses will not be enough because today’s youth thirst for meaning which is not heavily stressed in a post-modern society that believes there are no purposes. Theology gives the youth a purpose, a reason why they can stand out from the crowd and express individuality, and a community in which they belong and are important. Sadly, theology is not stressed enough in youth ministry because many are only concerned with trying to get more numbers in the church and keep them there or entertaining their younger congregants instead of giving them spiritual meat they need to grow.
The direst consequence to ignoring theology in any ministry setting (but especially in youth ministry) is that once a person leaves the church on Sunday and goes out to face the world, what they are left with is a few Bible verses, some entertaining stories, and a good feeling at best. This is not enough to anchor a person as they face the world the other six days out of the week. Their faith becomes highly privatized and compartmentalized, not affecting their public life at all. If they are of high school age, then odds are they will go off to college and adopt a paradigm that forces their faith into a small closet in the name of progress and “objectivity” where it will eventually be forgotten as the believer will adapt the patters of this world. The author has seen it for himself first-hand. My goal in having a theologically informed perspective is to give my congregation something that I have been sensing it needs: depth. Salvation messages have their place, especially in a congregation of new or non-believers, but people cannot live on milk alone, especially when they desire something more. To repeat what was said earlier, Christ does not want us to simply make converts but disciples. Disciples need their Master’s theology so that they can live in this world and face the evil one with knowledge and wisdom. Theology is the key.