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Misconceptions about Theology #2

September 21st, 2009 by Janette

In the hopes that we would be people who long and search for the deeper things of our Christian faith, we’ve been taking a look at some of the misconceptions we hold about theology and how they skew our approach to it or even repel us from studying theology completely. Last time we challenged the misconception that theology is impractical. I think misconception #2 would be that theology is for the professional, the pastor, or the missionary but not for the average Christian.

Let me first move theology away from the seminary classroom. Though many seminaries do a great job teaching theology, this is not the only place that study of this kind can happen. It can be your personal study with a Bible and a pen, your deeper conversations with friends that bring up questions and make you search for answers, the reading of a great, classic book, or listening to a talk online. It is not necessarily taught in a classroom and rarely is the living out of it, the practical application of which we talked last time, taught in that setting.

So removed from a classroom, how can I, the average Christian engage in this pursuit of a deeper understanding of my faith and what benefit will it have? First, let me address the benefit. As in any relationship, the more you know about a person, the better able you are to relate to them and appreciate them. The same is true of God. If I only ever know the simple truth that God loves me without ever exploring the profundity and depth of that statement, wouldn’t my experience of that love be limited to that simplicity? Wouldn’t my experience of that love only heighten with exploration of its depth? If I know God as sovereign and in control but never venture into what that actually means, can I be deeply content and at peace when my circumstances seem out of control? There is something to be said of simple faith but is simple faith a refusal to get deeper into that which I can understand with effort, or is it a willingness to accept the fact that no matter how hard I study, I can’t ever fully understand God and on those things, I can simply say, “He is God. I am not and therefore will never fully comprehend but I trust what I know already of him and so it’s okay.” So if there is great benefit in getting a deeper, fuller understanding of our faith, how do we do it even if we’re never afforded the opportunity of taking theology classes?

Well, I can’t say how you will best learn. Each of us have different ways of learning and different ways in which we feel most connected to God. Some things that have helped me are reading the Bible with a pen and paper in hand and jotting down things I notice instead of simply reading and forgetting far too quickly what I’ve read. Or going through my concordance at the back of my Bible pulling out all the verses that talk about God’s sovereignty for example and studying them. Grab a good book (we’ve got some in the Grace library) which explains and expounds on a certain truth about God that you’ve been wrestling with. Consider asking a friend you respect what they believe about this question you’ve had and be willing to wrestle through it together. However you go about it, my encouragement is simply to go for it. What a temptation it is to let the busyness of life keep us from asking and answering the deep questions but how much we miss if we let it.