I don’t know if it’s just me, or if it’s just in some of the circles I move around in, but there seems to be a sort of growing anti-intellectualism within Evangelical Christianity. There’s this idea that people should only read “approved” books. Some groups have even banned (or at least strongly discourage) their members from reading certain Christian authors.
Now, I’ve got to admit it: that really bugs me… a lot. Actually, I'm pretty sick of it. Folks who think they have no need for theology don’t realize that they are only one small step away from bowing to the shine of pagan gods. Folks who think that faith means turning the brain off don’t realize that what they think if faith is hollow and lifeless—dead. Folks who think that anything that smacks of theology is merely the “wisdom of men” and can be tossed out with the evening trash are deluded and deceived—they do not have the truth, only their own personal illusion of truth.
Faith is not blind. Faith and reason are both gifts of God. They are two sides of the same coin. One without the other is not truth but a lie. Faith that is not thought out is not biblical faith. It is empty-headedness. Reason that has no basis in faith is not intelligence, but vanity. They must go together—one lifting the other, one under-gurding the other, one informing the other.
It was Martin Luther who said that “Literalists are lemmings.” To have faith without reason is to have no faith. It is to be a lemming. It is to follow someone or something to our destruction. Faith that rejects reason and theology and intellectualism rejects Christianity.
That’s not to say that only the intelligent can be Christian. That’s not to say that faith is only for those who are theologians or scholars. By no means! Paul tells us that God’s foolishness is wiser than any human wisdom. It is not human wisdom we seek. It is God’s. And God’s wisdom comes only through diligence and perseverance and persistence and hard work. It’s what discipleship is all about.
Anyway, I suppose I could say more, but I won’t (at least not now—maybe later.). Suffice it to say that I believe it’s time (past time) for Christians to start taking their faith seriously enough to use their brains, to wrestle with the tough issues of their faith. It’s time to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.
3 comments:
I dont like theology... cause its over my head I know in whom i serve and i feel thats all i need to know. even though it would not hurt me to know the theology stuff .... so yeh just some thoughts from sue. which usally dont make sense :)
To say “I know in whom I serve” is doing theology. To know God is a theological issue. Not that etymology settles everything, but the word theology, of course simply means God (Theo) Study (ology). I read once that theology is faith seeking understanding.
To say “Jesus died for my sins” is theology. To say, “I am crucified with Christ” is theology. There is no getting away from doing theology. My point is that all too often the theology that we do has not been thought through. We indiscriminately buy in to the theology of Lehay and Jenkins. We grab onto this notion and that notion and we end up with a syncretistic theology that is something far less than Biblical.
Let’s go back to knowing God. If I asked you to tell me about this God you know, what would you say? Chances are most of what we know of God is something deeply encultured by our western society and mindset. Most of the time that leaves us with a god that is far too small to be the God of the Bible.
For instance, read Isaiah 40. The exiled Israelites thought they knew God. But the god they thought they knew had become shrink-wrapped to fit into their limited experience and expectation. “‘To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal?” says the Holy one” (Isaiah 40.25).
So how do we know God? Well, at one level the answer is only as God reveals himself—Jesus, of course, being the most complete revelation of who God is. At another level, though, we know God as we study God through God’s word. One of the tasks of theology is to keep us from shrink-wrapping God. That’s why theology is dynamic. It is continually fighting to shake limiting notions that hem God in.
One more thought and then I’ll shut up (sorry for going on like this). Though theology needs to by systematic, I personally find the current trend toward a more narrative theology liberating and exciting. Systematic theology is helpful; it gives us categories to work with. But narrative theology is relevant because it touches us in the midst of life—in the middle of the story we find ourselves part of… God’s story.
Okay, I’ll shut up now. John
wow... a lot of that is over my head to many big words. hehheehe but i guess i just dont think that hard about that stuff. and i dont have the desire to . oh well
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