1. All Christians necessarily do theology whether they know it or not!
'Theology' is reflection upon the God whom Christians worship and adore.' (McGrath) Statements such as 'God is faithful', 'God is merciful', 'God is powerful' are obviously theological statements.
2. Theology is inevitable for Christians but this does not mean good theology is inevitable!
'God always wants us to live in health and prosperity and it is basically the fault of our weak faith if we do not achieve this.' This is a theology affirmed by many Christians but I think it is bad theology not good theology. If we want to engage with people who are suffering and help them believe in God, we will need to do theology well. This will require some thought and some effort - maybe even some dedicated time and money!3. Theology is necessary for apologetics and evangelism
It isn't good enough to offer Christian cliches, those outside the church want us to engage with their culture and connect it with the Bible's story of God. I think this is what we see the Apostle Paul doing in Acts 17 - he is doing theology in the public forum, outside the walls of the church.
4. We are commanded to do theology
'Love the Lord your God ... with all your mind.' (Matthew 22:37)
5. Jesus did theology all the time!
Jesus exemplified the commandment cited in point 4. It is clear that Jesus had memorised Scripture (Luke 4). Jesus clearly reflected on and reinterpreted Scripture: 'Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?' (Luke 6:3)
6. Our fight includes theological battles!
Past giants of the Christian church would have been appalled at the suggestion that theology is marginal. There is an overwhelming number of examples. The Reformers immediately come to mind. A more recent example would be Andrew Fuller who worked tirelessly for the cause of world mission - but did not neglect to fight for its core message.
So, that's what I think - any comments?
No comments:
Post a Comment