A paper presented to the European Theologians Network at the European Leadership Forum hosted in Eger, Hungary.
May 20-25, 2006.
An older definition of “Theology” describes it as “the science of God and of the relations between God and the universe.” (A. H. Strong) More recently theology has been pursued as a study of meaning in human life and its symbols of transcendence. (Gordon Kaufmann) Wayne Grudem describes his “Systematic Theology” as a “…study that answers the question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic.” It seems to me we might best understand theology as inquiry into the existence and nature of God and of his relations to creation, with special reference to the purposes of human life and salvation. It could be pursued simply as an intellectual exercise, driven by the will to know, or as an exercise in being right, driven by the need to control. But the description I have just offered emphasizes the primary need of human beings to know how to live. The general human problem is practical: to find an adequate knowledge-base for practice.
Christian theology is essentially historical and biblical. Its primary datum is the action of God in human history, especially in the person of Jesus Christ. It looks to him, “the Lord of Glory,” as the key to life and to the knowledge of God and of human deliverance: “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (I Cor. 1:24) Confident discipleship to him is the “blessed life,” an eternal kind of life, for man on earth, and Christian theology has its point in the furthering of discipleship to Jesus Christ in the present Kingdom of God. From such discipleship all else follows, and within such discipleship every human ability and resource is welcome.
The primary aim of Christian theology is the fostering of confidence or belief in Jesus Christ. The usual pastor or teacher, when he arises to speak, is faced with a wall of de facto and normally “well-meaning” unbelief—frequently in the form of: “Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.” (Matt. 9:24) The usual case is one where people know what they should believe (doctrine), profess it because they know they should believe it, and strongly desire to believe. But of course belief is not something we can will to do. It comes from how things are presented to the mind, tested in experience, and accompanied by the movements of the Holy Spirit. (“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” “Faith is a gift,” not something we work up. “The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to more faith” in the gospel.) This is the area where the Christian theologian works. Theology is in the service of the pastor and teacher, of the evangelist and apologist. It aims to present truth to the mind in such a way as to clear the way for belief, which then will certainly guide our actions. It is a daunting thought in today’s world, but there is reason to think that we always live up to our beliefs—not necessarily to what we profess to believe, however. Our problem is what we do and do not really believe.
Let us look at some of the primary questions the theologian can help us to belief with.
A primary task for the theologian is to deal with the question, “Is God lovely?” What would it mean for God to be lovely, and what reason do we have to think he is? How can we love Him if He is not lovely, or we don’t see how He is?
Another vital question is: “Is God in charge? And in particular, can human beings—can I—be safe in his care?” “How can one not be anxious?” (Matt. 6:25, Phil. 4:6) “Is that faith?”
A related question is: “What is the kingdom of God? And what does it mean to enter it and live in it?” “How does one seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?”
Other very practical questions: “What is the gospel? The central message of salvation? And what is salvation? Can we be saved without being disciples of Jesus?”
This will lead on to “What is the saving work of Christ? Is it just his death for us? What about the resurrection and salvation?” Paul said if Christ is not raised we are yet in our sins.
And to evermore practical questions (under the heading of Soteriology) such as: “Can we be delivered from practicing sins? Is that perfection? Is it okay if I don’t really change? Does anyone ever really change? What is my part in spiritual transformation? What are spiritual disciplines? Are they valid? Do they work? What is supposed to happen ‘in church’? What is prayer all about? How can I learn to pray? How can I live interactively with God at work, or in my community?” Etc. etc.
The four major questions every human must face are:
(1) What is reality?
(2) Who is well-off, blessed, has the good life?
(3) Who is a really good person?
(4) How can one become a really good person?
What are the human answers now prevalent to these questions?
Christ answers these questions, respectively:
(1) God and his kingdom.
(2) Anyone alive in the kingdom of God.
(3) The person who is pervaded with agape love.
(4) By placing their confidence in Jesus Christ, loving him and following him.
And through Christ’s answers, answers to all the above questions can be worked out.
The task of the Christian theologian is to hold clear and true answers to these questions before the church and the world by example and by communicating. They should be public figures because of their excellence in life and thought. They would normally be pastors and teachers in the church. But the church is to be the light of the community and world. The most important thing happening in any community can be what is happening in the meetings of Christians. That is God’s intent. It has been true for most of our past. Consider how badly the worlds answers to the basic questions are serving, and step forward boldly as theologians: as those with the knowledge of God. (Phil. 1:9, Col. 1:9-10, 3:10, etc. etc.)
It is a major part of the theologian’s challenge today to represent the teaching of Christ about God and man as knowledge. First to clearly and insistently claim it to be knowledge. Then to demonstrate it in life. And then to introduce others into it on the basis of good teaching and their own experience. It is all true, it works, it is accessible to everyone, and there’s nothing on earth to compare with it.
Fearlessly present the eternal life that is knowledge of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 17:3), in the world today, confronting all proposed alternatives lovingly but forcefully.
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