Pens tapped and kept time with the endless mantra of the ticking clock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The white walls closed in and the professor stood at full height above the class. \u201cWhat is your theology?\u201d He waited expectantly \u2013 peering into their soul and past their fa\u00e7ade. They held their breath and grasped onto their shallow belief \u2013 plucking out thoughts and rote answers to appease his curiosity. His question was not one of emotive reaction, but of evidential conviction. It required one to search their soul and separate the traditional from the theological. One hand raised \u2013 trembling in the midst of their uncertainty. \u201cJesus loves me.\u201d They claimed. The professor fumbled in response. The student stood and continued his explanation, \u201cOne\u2019s concept of God determines one\u2019s understand of self. Your identity. Your belief. Your purpose. All of these are conditional on one\u2019s understanding of the Trinity. This requires us to delve into the questions that reach past tradition and find a conviction that is based on truth. This requires us to think theologically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus loves me. These three powerful words are not a mantra for the weak or complacent. They speak of allegiance born out of ardent study. These words are a statement of our perception of the Godhead and our reaction to salvation. Tony Jones, author and professional theologian, presents his thoughts on the theological perspectives of Penal Substitutionary Atonement vs. Christus Victor. He states, \u201cJesus repeatedly taught that he and the Father are one, that the best way to know and understand the Father is by knowing and understanding the Son. And the main message of both the Father and Son is that they love us and want to be united with us.\u201d[1]<\/a> His theological perspective is colored by his perception of unification within the Trinity. If Jesus is a picture of the Father, then there must be a unifying objective by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in regards to the crucifixion. Tony Jones seeks to be reflective in his findings. He converses back-and-forth with various texts \u2013 weighing their validity and comparing them to his understanding of God\u2019s character in relation to self, community and society.<\/p>\n Christian Theology expands one\u2019s view beyond personal interpretation and measures belief in light of reason, logic and context. Grenz asks us to consider a few questions when seeking out theological conviction. When evaluating beliefs, he asks each individual to consider, \u201cAre they consistent? Is there wholeness \u2013 an integrity \u2013 to what I believe and how I live my life?\u201d[2]<\/a> If God is ___, then what? Theology is simply the reaction of one\u2019s intellect grappling with the awe and splendor of God. It is an individual whose consumed and compelled by the heart of one\u2019s Creator. \u201cChristian theology is faith seeking understanding.\u201d[3]<\/a> When we become challenged to tackle the questions of God\u2019s goodness, purpose, presence, sovereignty and grace, we practice Christian Theology \u2013 we practice the pursuit of seeking Christ.<\/p>\n Jeremiah 29:13 challenges us to seek our Creator \u2013 to pursue Christ with our heart and mind. Scripture promises, \u201cYou will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.\u201d Do we want to find God? Do we want to hear from heaven? Many of us stand firm in Folk Theology, because we don\u2019t want to stand before our Father God. Grenz challenges us and suggests, \u201cGood theology always moves from the head to the heart and finally to the hand.\u201d[4]<\/a> Christian Theology is always expressed through hands and feet. It reveals what captures our attention and captivates our affection. If God is our pursuit, then we must delve into the doubts and questions that decorate our own hearts. We must seek Him and be willing to find Him.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Tony Jones,\u00a0Did God Kill Jesus? Searching for Love in History’s Most Famous Execution<\/em>\u00a0(New York, NY: HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2015), 9.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson,\u00a0Who Needs Theology? An Invitation to the Study of God<\/em>\u00a0(Downers Grove, Ill., USA: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 26.<\/p>\n