Theologians, whether Christian or in some other context, are serious people. They have to be so in their natures. If they were not they would surely do something else. Even though some persons berate theologians for their orientations, especially in regards to God (unseen and mysterious), in assumptions that cannot be proved or disproved since they deal with out-of-nature contexts; in a variety of theories about God, his nature and activity; and, in the affirmations of the teachings of theologians that assume their field is the Queen of the Sciences when, in fact, theology is not a science. If it were a natural science I would believe it false and there may be much asserted that is false even for those in true context.
Theology, when done right is orderly, holding together in a logic closely related to that practiced by reflective minds in the confines of nature. Persons using reasoning limited to nature have an advantage in verifiable and replicated evidence. The advantage of the theologian is to reach beyond verifiable facts, which is to reach beyond life/death for a source of meaning, for morality’s guidance, for assistance in gaining aspirations both human and divine, such as love, peace, hope, and rightness (righteousness). Theology has an intimation for objectivity in it, even when it is wrong – likely implied in that whatever is wrong may not be effectively refuted by that available to us in nature. It balances the complexities of societies and persons, as groups and individuals. I am devoted to Christian theology based on Scripture that is commonly referred to as the Bible. The Bereans were seen as noble in the way they treated the dangers of fiction in theology. They were prepared to challenge even the Apostle Paul whose credentials for Christian theology were impeccable and proven in his ministry. The test was not even in Paul’s ministry, but in the veracity of Scripture. This is important to remember in following the remaining sentences of this Page. I believe in biblical theology. Whatever embellishment further than that may or may not be true, and, in the common contradictions of much of theology, some teachings cannot be true. It is important to believe in that complexities about God we can be distracted from necessary faith.
In our era there are so many conflicting theologies that even the person of faith may feel like chucking the matter and live out life in some reclusive environment, in silence and private prayer, concentrating on the benefits that faith has offered in this life, and the promise of even better situations in an elevated heaven that includes fellowship with the divine. The proof of Christian faith is in the living of it. It not only deals with hope (life beyond nature in an idyllic environment), but with the experience of natural life. Persons of true Christian faith live longer than normally, gain healthier life contexts, are concerned for the benefit of other persons, make loyal citizens, and the story extends well. None of this denies that there is uneven application of Christian lifestyle by many Christians, but, as with the Bereans, the truth is not to be found in the violations, but in the source of the affirmations. In the faithful following of those tenets is the proof of them. Scripture provides all that Christian faith requires, and mastering that teaching is the way to finding Christian meaning and application for life. The Church was founded to advance the knowledge of Scripture that focuses on the Gospel of Christ. The church does that fairly well in its missionary effort.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemy in that the unity of Christians is violated by the contradictions of churches. Those contradictions occur in the various theologies, and their presentations. For the lay learner the contradictions between claims and conducts become serious problems. These multiply as the individual insists on adapting the general culture to Christian faith and practice, rather than permitting the opposite. Bruce Barton in his book, The Man Nobody Knows, persuaded some readers to believe that if Christ were living, he would be an entrepreneur making effective business operatives. It sounded upbeat, but empty of a biblical theology. It was a theology of materialism. Christ to man is neither conservative nor liberal, rich nor poor, Republican nor Democrat, this or that of human concept. He is uniquely God. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020