{"id":6006,"date":"2015-10-14T22:31:01","date_gmt":"2015-10-15T05:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=6006"},"modified":"2015-10-14T22:31:01","modified_gmt":"2015-10-15T05:31:01","slug":"everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"EVERYONE"},"content":{"rendered":"

In one word, that\u2019s the answer to the book title: Who Needs Theology<\/em>? One could say \u201ceveryone\u201d is the answer because the Bible teaches that humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26,27) therefore how can we help but to DO theology?<\/p>\n

The authors, Stanley Grenze and Roger Olson, state \u201cOur decision to write this book arose out of our shared desire to see a revival of sound theological interest and reflection among God\u2019s people.\u201d Their decision expresses their concern that, \u201cMany Christians today not only are uninformed about basic theology but even seem hostile to it.\u201d (Note: because I read this book on Kindle, siting exact page numbers isn\u2019t possible.)<\/p>\n

The authors quote Anselm who said that Christian Theology is, \u201cFaith seeking understanding.\u201d This definition places theology in the world of the intellect and in the realm of devotion. They also correctly understand \u201ctheology\u201d from the word\u2019s linguistic Greek origins of \u201ctheos\u201d (God) and \u201clogos\u201d (word\/study). Throughout the book the authors define and defend the practice of theology and present some of the tools and approaches to Theology.<\/p>\n

A central concern for the authors is the trouble found in the extremes of (unreflective) folk theology and academic theology that may value personal understanding above faith, and where academic theologians seem more in love with their ideas about God than with God Himself. In the middle lies healthy ground for theological pursuit and reflection.<\/p>\n

As I contemplate the question \u201cWho Needs Theology?\u201d my D. Min. answer is, \u201cInternational Students need Theology.\u201d<\/p>\n

When we visited Skh Ming Hua Theological College in Hong Kong, Dr. Philip Wickerie spoke of the church in China being similar to the African church: a mile wide and an inch deep. Who Needs Theology provides the perspective that will help solve this ministry problem and provides part of the platform for my D. Min. project.<\/p>\n

Chapter 2 says \u201cSensing this need [for lay people to minister through teaching etc.] many churches establish informal training centers to move reflective lay Christians toward semiprofessional ministerial theology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calvary Chapel of Corvallis is such a church. They have established \u201cCornerstone School of Ministry,\u201d which is a non-accredited one-to-two year school providing theological and ministry training.<\/p>\n

I am working with church and school leaders to help fulfill their desire to expand this training in order to provide ministry training opportunities for international students living in Corvallis. For me this fulfills \u201cLeadership and Global Perspectives:\u201d leading Christians from other countries in becoming reflective Christians and leaders in Christian communities in their home countries.<\/p>\n

Chapter four\u2019s statement, \u201cChristians have always held to something like the doctrine of the Trinity,\u201d led me to theological reflection connected to a book by Michael Reeves called, Delighting in the Trinity<\/em>.[1] He describes the Trinity as being Harmony. This led me, as a trained musician, to the following thoughts.<\/p>\n

Consider a \u201ctriad,\u201d a musical chord composed of three notes played simultaneously. (This bit of theology is richer if explained while playing the notes on a piano.) A chord is composed of three individual notes, heard as one sound. The three notes sound together; at the same moment. This is the nature of a chord, its essence: one sound composed of the richness of three parts blended together. Truly the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; the individual notes are present but are, in a sense, lost in the new color of the chord itself.<\/p>\n

Each note in the triad has the same nature or essence. We hear a musical note because it is sound waves produced when a small hammer strikes a string in the piano. Those sound waves make contact with our ear drums, and we \u201chear.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a piano keyboard, the note \u2018A\u2019 which is just to the right of middle \u2018C\u2019 vibrates at 440 Hz (cycles per second). All notes vibrate but each different note, vibrates with different wave lengths, or at a unique pitch. So although every note has the same nature, each note is also unique because it vibrates at its own Hz.<\/p>\n

God, as Trinity, exists eternally as a single Triad\/Chord. This is His nature\/His essence. To know the One, True, Triune God is to hear Him and experience Him as single Triad\/Chord. Yes it is possible to hear the \u2018C\u2019 (the Father), the \u2018E\u2019 (the Son), and the \u2018G\u2019 (the Spirit) individually, but we must understand that God has eternally existed, as the simultaneous existence of three \u2018notes\u2019 which are the same in essence, and yet distinct.<\/p>\n

When we hear God, we hear Triad\/Chord\/Harmony. He does not exist, or sound, other than as Triad. And yet, mysteriously, when Jesus was born one Note of the Chord sounded on the earth and enabled us to hear God in unprecedented ways. And when the \u2018E\u2019 returned to Heaven, the \u2018C\u2019 and the \u2018E\u2019 sent the \u2018G\u2019 so we would continue to hear the voice of God.<\/p>\n

But – God has never for a moment ceased to be a Triad\/Trinity.<\/p>\n

Apply this understanding to Creation. We might associate the creative process with the Father (after all, fathers and mothers create). We read in Malachi 2:10, “Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us?\u201d<\/p>\n

But Scripture states in Genesis 1:2, \u201cThe earth was formless and void…and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.\u201d Also, Colossians 1:16 states regarding Jesus, \u201cFor by Him all things were created… all things have been created through Him and for Him.\u201d<\/p>\n

So different passages of Scripture itself reference ALL persons of the Trinity co-creating. God eternally lives and functions as a simultaneously sounding Three-in-One Chord. God spoke as a three-part chord, and the world was created.<\/p>\n

Language fails to adequately communicate what this bit of theology has done for this theologian\u2019s awe and worship of God.<\/p>\n

Who Needs Theology?<\/em> I do.<\/p>\n

[1] Reeves, Michael. Delighting in the Trinity<\/em>. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In one word, that\u2019s the answer to the book title: Who Needs Theology? One could say \u201ceveryone\u201d is the answer because the Bible teaches that humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26,27) therefore how can we help but to DO theology? The authors, Stanley Grenze and Roger Olson, state \u201cOur decision to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[697,696,128],"class_list":["post-6006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cornerstone","tag-grenze-olson","tag-theology","cohort-lgp6"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6006"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6008,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6006\/revisions\/6008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}