Exploring theology
Sitting around the table at Cork Grinders was a diverse group of people: A late-thirties former pastor currently a teacher with advanced degrees in theology from a Lutheran seminary; a newlywed twenty-something young woman working downtown in IT; a middle-aged nurse who is young and inquisitive in her faith; a millennial philosophy major who’s also a “recovering” PK; an older dad with a graduate degree in cinema production and his very bright son, both teachers in a liberal private school who maintain their conservatism and maturity; a millennial teacher whose religious heritage is evangelical but has interests in Eastern Orthodoxy. A few others also round out this group, each offering their distinctive views into this mix.
Coffee, tea, beer and wine are in hand as we ease into our conversation on theology. Part of me wishes for the well-controlled confines of a Sunday School class with its limits on time and topic, and its assumption of easy answers or flannel-graph stories. In this group, however, there are no easy answers. The conversation opens with “is theology open or closed?” Is it open to dialog with other disciplines, open to questioning, open to critical thought? Or is it closed, in as much as it asserts its’ own authority, and only serves to discover the right answers to life’s questions while establishing a clear orthodoxy?
The authors of “Who Need’s Theology?” could have told me exactly what would happen next. Two somewhat opposing streams of thought emerge. On the one side (the two opinions fittingly expressed by folks at opposite ends of the table), came comments such as, “Isn’t theology about knowing truths about God? Isn’t it certain doctrines we’re supposed to believe? Shouldn’t we, scripture in hand, discern the truths we’re supposed to believe?” On the other end of the table what surfaced was a different take—no desire to find the right answers or the right doctrines, simply a great desire to explore. To explore theology, doctrine, and beliefs from a wide range of views, and philosophies; taking history and culture into account. They didn’t want to discuss firmly-held beliefs, they wanted dialogue; the journey seemed much more important than the destination. This is very similar to what Roger Olson writes about when after a class on theology two different students met with him to complain about his approach to teaching theology. One student bemoaning that “why don’t you just tell us the doctrines to believe” and the other student “why do you present such firmly held beliefs, you’re indoctrinating us”.[1]
Theology—we all need it. We need it as both well thought-out doctrines that we can articulate and hold to, but we also need it as a process that we can enter into. For example, another question that we posed and wrestled with was “What is the gospel?” Grenz and Olson write that whenever the apostles share the gospel it isn’t simply a flat retelling of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; the gospel is offered
“in context of it’s meaning: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, to cite Paul’s interpretation (2 Cor. 5:19). In the same way, the gospel declaration always comes clothed in theology. And this theology is not something additional to the gospel, it is an essential part of the good news [emphasis mine].”[2]
As we batted around the most fundamental of questions, “What is the gospel?” I recognized two things: first, we always use theology when we answer life’s most meaningful questions. Second, even if we all agree to a high view of scripture our answers are going to sound nuanced based on our generation, or our exposure to doctrine, or our cultural paradigm. Perhaps most significantly, we’ll have different understandings of what a “high view of scripture” actually means.
So Monday night, for example, I stepped out of facilitating discussion and got into a bit of debate with my Eastern Orthodox-loving friend whom, while he personally believes an evangelical construct of the gospel, still couldn’t own the essential nature of conversion for others. He’d known too many Russian families that simply grew up in the faith and believed; “conversion” wasn’t a part of their faith. “Belief” yes, our family believes, they would say. Confessional belief, sure but conversion is lost on them.
My American evangelical bubble is deflating; maybe that’s good, but it does bring up a final observation. I appreciate Who Needs Theology?, and I also appreciate how the authors are intent at defending theology, and undermining the popular idea that theological study is destructive to your faith, that critical thought somehow diminishes faith. While I agree with the authors, I also realize that my deeply-held, long-established thoughts may need some editing. I might need to rethink and allow for a broader perspective. My faith isn’t diminished but I could see in the eyes of some around that table that they’re struggling to hold ideas that are in tension. While we all need theology we also need shepherding towards nourishing pastures. In our desire for wider open fields, let’s make sure we don’t loose any sheep.
[1] Olson, Stanley J. Grenz & Roger E. 1996. Who needs theology? an invitation to the study of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 68-69.
[2] Ibid., 44.
About the Author
Dave Young
husband, dad, friend, student of culture and a pastor.7 responses to “Exploring theology”
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Dave, a couple of things come to mind as I read your well-articulated thoughts. First, I am feeling the sympathetic angst of your friends who are struggling, white-knuckled, to maintain their grip on Orthodoxy. For many of us who grew up in strong folk theology traditions, we oftentimes have a fear of losing our faith and slipping into apostasy. So, we avoid conversations with anyone who might cast a shadow of doubt across our closely held beliefs. We live in a state of spiritual anxiety that the proof-texts used to glue our patchwork of beliefs together may not hold up against the slightest wind of opposition. So instead of using our voices for conversations and questions, we use them to shout our simple cliches even louder. That’s just easier than having a difficult conversation.
Your words also put me in mind of Healy’s position that the church should actively pursue theological dialog with blatantly other or non religions. For him, the theology of the church is by necessity open. It is in these important conversations where our sinfulness can be revealed, bringing us to a place of repentance and reformation. We do not hold the monopoly position on all truth, it can be revealed through other streams if we are confident enough to engage in theological conversations with “others.”
Thanks man!
Jon
Jon,
Thanks so much for your comments. I do feel sympathy for those who are struggling with loosing a grip on their untested beliefs. Frankly, as I enter into these talks I also feel like my faith is being pulled apart a bit – not a good feeling.
Yet, I believe this uncomfortable place of growth has to be given time to work. A faith that is tried and tested will be better in the long run, I believe. What I take from your comments is a reminder demonstrate the value of a well tested faith. again thanks
Dave,
Sounds like you have a great group of people gathering together. I first want to really encouraging you for getting that group connected and facilitating these conversations. What a great practice in expanding your critical thinking and encouraging others to do the same.
Not sure it will be helpful to your group but I found page 73 of Who Needs Theology? to be helpful. This is where Grenz/Olson explained the three main categories theologians have been using for years to look at Christian beliefs: dogma, doctrine, and opinion.
In groups you will always have differences but it’s nice to find the main things (dogma) that you can all agree on.
“While we all need theology we also need shepherding towards nourishing pastures. In our desire for wider open fields, let’s make sure we don’t loose any sheep.”
This is such a key point. If someone spends their life studying or debating theology but never comes to know God, the question of whether or not their theological stance is correct is a moot point. Theology within the context of a growing relationship with Christ helps bring clarity and can help us draw nearer to God. Theology for theology’s sake does not bring life.
With that said, entering into a dialogue with people of different theological backgrounds can create a space for the Spirit to speak.
Dave – I’m captured by your image with the balloon above the cactus. Could your experience with your diverse group blow up in the dialogue? Yes, possibly. But that’s where that shepherding piece comes in that I kept hearing again and again throughout all of our posts. Theology is done best in relationships that nurture, seeking to hear, discerning certainly, but “clothed” in the knowledge that it is the good news.
I think we’re all eager to walk alongside you as you journey this uncharted territory, finding out what the group discovers from one another and the work of the Spirit. As well, thank you for sharing the parts of your own learning, a sure sign of a good theologian who takes the time to do self-reflection.
Dave, Reading through all of our responses is making me think of Krish’s book Paradoxology. I think quite a bit of our chatter on these posts is dancing around our comfort zone of what we allow ourselves and others to talk about and what is off limits. It seems things we have categorized as “biblical” are much more approachable than things we would call “theological” because of our degree of comfort letting the question hang out there in faith. I wonder if, from my Catholic upbringing, I am more comfortable in the “mystery” of our faith (which is not necessarily or a good thing). Just interesting stuff to be thinking about. Thanks for the well written post!
God bless you Dave,
I love your context for ministry and how you are moving out of the comfort zone of that Sunday School approach to ministry. I am thinking of going to some of my church members house and invite them to mines just to sit, eat, pray and talk about some of the things they are thinking about God. Theology is important and even though I would rather reflect on ministry and bible, from reading this book Gretz and Olson have put me back on the right track from a different view point. That is that thinking and using your mind in knowing God is just as important as ministry and bible study. Not that I did not think this way but i associated theology with too many doctrines, denominational beliefs about God, and concepts to argue about. I love the tenets of our faith and after we get people to believe to be saved there has to be fundamental things we teach and articulate if we want them to be able to continue to know God.