The Religious Nerd

In the book “Who Needs Theology – An Invitation to the Study of God” written by authors Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson, the authors explore an area of thought that has been a matter of debate in modern Christianity; whether or not theology has a place in Christianity and what Christians are theologians.

Most people can think of at least one person in their immediate context who believes that theology has no place in the church today. These people generally say something like “I’ll take the Bible, you can keep your theology” or “I’ll keep Jesus, you keep your theology” essentially branding all theology as counterproductive or outright dangerous to Christianity as a whole. Adding to that thought Roger Olson writes “An influential Bible teacher and radio preacher once quipped, ‘Happy is the Christian who has never met a theologian.”

Undoubtedly, some people hold a variety of misconceptions, stereotypes, false impressions, and over all animosity towards people who identify themselves as theologians.  The animosity is often manifested directly and openly towards people who spend a lot of their time debating theology among their friends.  Anytime anyone has participated in a social media debate about Calvinism or Arminianism, there have likely been outsiders viewing the debate thinking “what a giant waste of time”.  These are the people who think theology is not necessary in Christianity or view it as counterproductive to our mission to make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ.

On the other end of the spectrum are people who are academic theologians, who earn their living from studying and writing about theology. These are not necessarily your local seminary professor, but instead the people who write the books that the local seminary professor uses in their class.  Often times these academic types become disconnected from the practical application of their knowledge in Christian living and are under tremendous pressure to come up with new and exciting interpretations or views on topics that have been previously resolved.  While this isn’t the case for every academic theologian, it is the case for many.

The average Christian struggles immensely in relating to some of the ideas presented by these academic types, and often become disinterested quickly when encountering their material. Thankfully there are smart seminary professors, church pastors, and other mediators who can decipher their material in a way that the average Christian can benefit from it. Often times overly zealous (and often young) people will imitate these academic types and come across as extremely arrogant in how they communicate with less knowledgeable people.  This has undoubtedly caused much tension in Christianity and frustrated many people who are looking in from the outside. There comes a point in time where it appears theology matters more than anything else.

In between both camps exists a middle ground of people who acknowledge the necessity of theology in Christianity. These people recognize the importance of learning about who God is, what His purpose for us is, and how we should apply those teachings directly to our daily lives.  This is the camp that Olson and Grenz argue for in their book.  Grenz and Olson title the first chapter of the book “Everyone Is a Theologian”.

Did you know that if you consider yourself to be the person in my first example who believes with firm conviction that all theology is bad, that you are actually a theologian yourself?  You have beliefs about who God is.  You have beliefs about the proper interpretation of biblical passages.  You have beliefs about how those passages should be applied to your daily living.  While your beliefs may or may not be true, they are beliefs nonetheless, they are theology.You are a theologian!

It is critical to understand that all Christians are theologians.  There isn’t a Christian who exists who isn’t a theologian.  The questions you have to ask yourself are “am I the type that thinks theology has no place in Christianity?”  Or “am I the type that locks myself in my bedroom studying theology, while never getting out of my house to live out that theology in a way that is pleasing to God?”  If you can relate to either of these examples I would encourage you to take the middle ground and recognize the necessity of theology that is lived out in your daily Christian life.  As a wise seminary professor once said “good theology produces doxology.”  Translation: right thinking produces right living.

So, next time your see a friendly theological debate going on, consider the fact that you are a theologian yourself, and just because you aren’t as enthusiastic about publicly debating your beliefs, does not mean you don’t have them or that those people debating are in the wrong for doing so.  If you are the person who locks yourself in your room to study theology with the intent of becoming so smart that you can come out and annihilate your opponents, you should stop yourself right away.  Discover the middle ground that seeks to know who God is, what His plans for us are, and how we are to live a life pleasing to Him. That is what God wants from you and I think you will find that God will use this approach to do some amazing things through you.

Here is an awesome video of why theology matters. Click Here!

Here is an interesting article on Idolizing Theology.  Click Here!

God Bless!