Why Pursue Theology?

I looked around my apartment for some topics to write about and then present at the Sidewalk Theology Society. One of the books I picked up discusses the nature of the atonement, i.e., what Christ accomplished by dying on the cross. I had already read it and made lots of marginal notes, because I disagree so much with some assumptions and some lines of reasoning that the author makes. The author is a Bible-believing, evangelical scholar who probably knows the Bible better than I do. But, in my humility and self-abasement [ ;-P ], I know he’s wrong.

Libraries are full of books about theology, written by scholars and experts, and they often disagree. We pick up books by people we admire, and yet we can drive trucks through holes in their argument. What are we to do? Can we set them right? Can we set the Church right? Can we set ourselves right? I want to be right., otherwise, what’s the point? If the pursuit of theology is not the pursuit of being right about God, of achieving a right consensus about God, then what good is it?

A. We don’t pursue theology chiefly to be right
This is not a post-modernist rejection of truth or right answers or a shared meta-narrative.

But if right answers are our chief goal, then we will probably miss the reason that they are important. For example, we can make a factually correct statement that destroys the recipient, e.g., reminding me of every error I make.

Having the right answers can be a form of control. It can make me less vulnerable to attack. It can keep me from making mistakes that expose me to attack. It is useful, but we don’t get to God that way or win people by out-arguing them.

The truth is not a set of right answers. It is the person, Jesus.

Right answers, considered in themselves, have a way of shifting. For example, astronomy proceeds from Ptolemy to Copernicus, then to Kepler, to Newton, to Einstein—where does it stop? Our grip on reality is shifty.

We connect with people by showing them life, i.e., by being genuinely caring people who walk with Jesus. We can explain what we do and why we do it, but trying to browbeat or manipulate them denies the gifts that God has given them. If we look for right answers for their own sake, we become like the Pharisees in the New Testament, and thus even our right answers become corrupted into the wrong ones.

Yes, of course, I want right answers, because I want to see the truth and have a firm connection with reality. But it is not a correct theology that sets us right, or opens our eyes, or guarantees our connection with reality. That is Jesus’ job. And he will give us the right answers that we need. And this approach does not have an “either-or” form, but a “first this, then that” form.

B. We pursue theology to worship God with our minds (Mt. 22:37, quoting Deut. 6:5)
1. We are in Christ (see Eph. 1), and this has major implications for everyday life. Digging into theology a bit helps us get a clearer view of that reality, and therefore helps us navigate the world.

2. Worldview and life - what you really believe about the nature of the world and your place in it moves what you do. Look at your schedule and your checkbook

3. Integration – theology helps us make better sense of life and see God more clearly (Eph. 1:18-21).

4. Since my theology has great big holes that I can't fill, why should I bother? See Eph. 3:14-19. But our whole life is filled with gaps in knowledge and understanding. We would never say that this means we shouldn’t bother learning more.

My two favorite theological answers are a) Jesus, and b) I don't know. I.e., even though there is so much I don’t know, someone who does know has hold of me. Ignorance has a very important place in handling life. We are not in control, so we need a way of handling that lack of control. Jesus has given us the beginnings of understanding, but, more importantly, he has given us himself. The Bible is not a systematic theology. Our life in Christ requires that we have humility with others, both Christian and non-Christian.

5. Theology is a means to an end (Eph. 4:11-16). It is a road to a clearer vision of God, so that we may worship better, become better disciples. We become stronger so that we may be better servants. We pursue theology as a way of pursuing God himself. I want a clearer vision so that I may be awed by his beauty, love him more deeply, and follow him faithfully.

March 5, 2009