Some of you are thinking, "I’m a Christian, but I am not a theologian." Let me tell you a secret: Everyone is a theologian. There is no question that you are a theologian; the only question is whether you are a good or bad theologian! Let me explain.
I have a three year old nephew named Calvin. Calvin is energetic, inquisitive, and friendly. You can spend several afternoons being bombarded by his questions. "What is that?" "Why?" "Who’s that?" "Why?" Asking questions helps him find out of the whats, whys, whos, and hows that enter his mind. He even asks questions about Jesus, prays, and says grace before meals. This means that Calvin is a theologian! The questions he asks and the prayers he prays show how his theology is forming—that he believes things about God.
So, everyone is a theologian. Why? Because everyone has questions and beliefs about God, and many people pray. Even atheists have beliefs about God, and not just that he doesn’t exist. It is often poor theology that leads to disbelieving in God. How we pray shows many things about our theology: what God cares about; that he listens; that he is alert through the day and night; even that he understands English! Yes, everyone is a theologian. If you pray to, have questions about, or believe things about God, then you are a theologian.
Many times people don’t care how they learn about God. Radio, TV, Oprah, Dr. Phil, friends, the President, and others all form some people’s theology. Our goal is to learn on purpose about God, combining devotion and theology to read Scripture better, and to live more faithfully. Ask questions! Share thoughts! We’ll become better theologians—better prayers and Bible readers—together.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Someone has said that the church is a hospital for sinners rather than a rest home for saints. I think that is true but sometimes we are the patients and sometimes we are the practitioners. Christ is the doctor and the Bible is our diagnostic reference source.
Post a Comment