{"id":6048,"date":"2015-10-15T18:42:15","date_gmt":"2015-10-16T01:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=6048"},"modified":"2015-10-15T18:42:15","modified_gmt":"2015-10-16T01:42:15","slug":"knowledge-versus-knowing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/knowledge-versus-knowing\/","title":{"rendered":"Knowledge Versus Knowing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KnowledgeSS-Post\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The word \u201ctheology\u201d invokes a wide range of emotions and arguments.\u00a0 To some it is a substitution for just \u201cknowing Jesus\u201d for others it is the ability to proof text what you really believe.\u00a0 Stanley Grenz and Roget Olson in their work, \u201cWho Needs Theology?\u201d addresses holistically the true need of theology.\u00a0 Grenz and Olson believe that \u201ceveryone is a theologian\u201d (p. 12) in some form or fashion, whether they acknowledge or not.\u00a0 Their premise is, \u201cno one who reflects on life\u2019s ultimate question can escape theology.” (p. 13)<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWho Needs Theology?\u201d is an overview of the word \u201ctheology\u201d and what the word invokes.\u00a0 It is not a treatise on a particular directive of theology, it is a thought provoking overview of man\u2019s deepest to know something that is bigger than they are.\u00a0 One of my greatest takeaways from the book was, \u201ctheology is seeking to understand with the intellect what the heart \u2013 a person\u2019s central core of character \u2013 already believes and to which it is committed.\u201d (p. 16)<\/p>\n

Of great worth the book analyses five forms of theology:\u00a0 folk, lay, ministerial, professional, and academic. (p. 26)\u00a0 As I read and deciphered these five forms, a realization that my early development was a combination of the first three:\u00a0 folk, lay and ministerial.\u00a0 The concept of professional and academic theology was never demonized but seemed to be for those on a distant hemisphere than the one I occupied.<\/p>\n

The gauntlet was laid down when Grenz and Olson said, \u201cbeing a theologian requires that you become disqualified with your present level of understanding.\u00a0 You must desire to deepen your comprehension of the Christian faith and be committed to growing toward mature thinking about God, yourself, and the world.\u201d (p. 136)\u00a0 This statement is rich with conviction and hope for searching for true theology, not just mental understanding that creates, \u201c\u2026a kind of esoteric knowledge possessed by a few superior intellectuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have heard several times that a DMin is to help with the \u201cpractice\u201d of ministry.\u00a0 To date we have explored ethnography and social geographies which, as should be in holding to the nature of their writing, have illuminated a lot about humanities ability to cluster and form groups to the ability of us to want to express who we really are.\u00a0 \u201cWho Needs Theology?\u201d leads back to the centrality of human understanding \u2013 \u201cfaith seeking understanding\u201d (p. 25).<\/p>\n

Systematic Theology can lean to the \u201cesoteric knowledge possessed by a few superior intellectuals\u201d (p. 24). \u00a0If this attitude is not kept in check with the knowledge and experience of Jesus Christ, then a psuedo-Christian hierarchy is developed. Chapter Two\u2019s title, \u201cNot All Theologies Are Equal\u201d, should have had a follow up chapter, \u201cNot all Theologians Are Equal\u201d.\u00a0 The possession of intellectual truth is not synonymous with knowing the focal point of the search, Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Readily would I admit that I have been influenced by folk theology in season of my childhood and early years.\u00a0 Folk theology refers to \u201ca kind of theology that rejects critical reflection and enthusiastically embraces simplistic acceptance of an informal tradition of beliefs and practices composed mainly of clich\u00e9s and legends.\u201d (p. 27)\u00a0 Yet I would differ that there was not a rejection to critical reflection and thinking, it was more the lack of knowing \u201chow to\u201d.\u00a0 The authors claim that \u201cfolk theology is often intensely experiential and pragmatic \u2013 that is, the criteria of true belief are feelings and results.\u201d (p. 27)<\/p>\n

Transparency would say that I am appreciative of the experiential and the pragmatic.\u00a0 It played a role in creating a sense of life and enthusiasm to what could be a religious dirge found in the world of religion minus Christ, based in intellect and devoid of feelings.\u00a0 In contrast I have moved toward the professional and academic worlds theology.\u00a0 The cry within my life is to simply embrace \u201cfaith seeking understanding.\u201d (p. 24) \u00a0I want to “know” and have a “knowledge” of Jesus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Introduction The word \u201ctheology\u201d invokes a wide range of emotions and arguments.\u00a0 To some it is a substitution for just \u201cknowing Jesus\u201d for others it is the ability to proof text what you really believe.\u00a0 Stanley Grenz and Roget Olson in their work, \u201cWho Needs Theology?\u201d addresses holistically the true […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"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":[198,534,703],"class_list":["post-6048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-grenz","tag-grenz-olson","tag-theolgy","cohort-lgp6"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6048","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\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6048"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6050,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6048\/revisions\/6050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}