I read "10 Propositions on being a Theologian" by Kim Fabricus of the Faith and Theology blog the other day and it got me to thinking about the topic. What all does it mean to be a theologian? Why should we study theology? What is theology's primary purpose? Where do we derive theology from?
So I am endeavoring to attempt to answer the question of "What is a theologian?" Actually, the more pertinent question is "What should a theologian be?" as the answer to what a theologian is, is a person who studies the topic of God. There is nothing more to it really. But as to what a theologian should be, the answer is not so simple.
What should a theologian be?
1) A theologian serves the Church - He does not study for his own entertainment or curiosity. They may enjoy it and may be curious regarding to truth about God, but if that is their sole or primary motivation then they are as much value to the Church as the scientist who is an atheist.
2) A theologian is to be a holy person - The author of Hebrews in chapter 5 says that the man who discerns good from evil is the one who is to be given the solid food (the deep Christian). Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 2-3 that the man who is spiritual (the one who is constantly follow the Spirit) is the one who understands the wisdom of God. A person who claims to be a theologian but lacks a righteous life has little true understanding.
3) A theologian is to be a humble person - Any person who takes pride in who he is and thinks much of his intellect will be extremely prone to stubbornly hold onto their ideas in the face of evidence that suggests differently. He should not think much of his intellect, but instead recognize that he is all too much prone to errors, if not even more so than others due to his heightened chance for pride.
4) A theologian is to be constantly be reforming his thought in all areas - Any person who thinks they are set in their knowledge on a certain topic probably knows very little because in all likelihood they forced their theology to be true and in fact know very little because the truth will probably bring up new questions in the area that contradict his understanding. It is like a psychologist who claims to know all there is about a certain aspect of personality.
5) A theologian is not to be a person who routinely creates new ideas - While he is to reform his thought, to create a new idea is to say that all the people of the past were in error. That isn't to say that there are not times where a theologian uncovers a new teaching, but if one is constantly coming up with something new, they are in all likelihood going to be error. Instead, the theologian express old things in a new way so that the people whom they serve may understand.
6) A theologian is to be a person who would rather be obscure than well-known - Any man who wants to be well-known is a man who faces temptation to be please other people or to conflict other people just to attain attention. They are constantly in conflict when invited to functions that recognize their theological aptitude and accomplishments because they serve as a temptation.
7) A theologian should be one who understands and explains truths in a simple manner - So often times when people think of theologians, they think of people who talk about obscure topics using terminology that competes with the complexity of nuclear physicists. And unfortunately, this is not far from the truth for some theologians. On the other hand, Jesus spoke about the deep things in a more simple manner. For instance, with Nicodemus he used birth to portray a deeper spiritual reality. Now not everyone may understand the deep truths in even the simplest manner, but theologians should not speak in 10 syllable words with thoughts only another theologian could understand, but in a way that a child could begin to grasp it. The writers of the Bible did not make a habit of speaking about things that were complicated, but they instead preferred to address the simple and explain things in a simpler manner.
8) A theologian should focus first on the practical - Too many times, theologians try to tackle the deeper issues, such as predestination, the atonement, the Trinity, etc., etc. primarily. For what purpose does this serve though? Whether the Son was subordinate or co-equal with the Father has no real matter with how a person should live their life. What is more important, the precise relationship between the Father and the Son or how a man can become more holy in their lifestyle?
9) A theologian should be a psychologist - They may not understand the neurotransmitters in the brain or know about the different mental disorders that people suffer from, but they are to understand people in relation to sin, holiness, and humility. If they don't have this, their knowledge does little to serve the church.
10) A theologian should be a counselor - Anyone who tries to understand God and His grace given to humanity needs to understand the needs of those whom God gives grace so that he could be a means of grace. While he can't save anyone, he can give deeper spiritual insight for those who struggle.
11) A theologian is not one who reads or writes many books, but one who spends much of the time they could be writing with thinking, prayer, Bible reading, and meditation - Long one, huh? Solomon says it best; "Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to the body" (Ecc 12:12 - NET). Books are pf value, and I do not mean to speak against writing and reading, but these things are wearying, and the tired theologian is the person whose capacity for understanding is weakened.
12) A theologian is to be an exegete - A person who claims to be a theologian and derives their teachings from the Bible should be obsessed with exegesis, to the point that it assumes a higher role than theology itself. In doing that, theological understanding comes naturally and is less likely to be influenced by the subconscious desires of many theologians to create something new and fresh.
If a theologian falls short of these routinely, they are coming to closer to being worthless for the church, if they are not already there.
By no means is this everything, but it is something that many theologians and those who aspire to be (such as me) can fall short of frequently.
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1 comment:
Wow, in response to what is a theologian.I found your article about it, quite useful.I myself consider to be a practicing theologian in my studies.And I always find myself in the position.To ask Pastors .As they say :theology is the study of God. And so found in my dictionary as the same meaning...Of course I crossed it out and found it to be sacreligous.So I go up to pastors and proclaiming theologians.and ask,"How does one study God?" and I say, No one can study God .We can observe what has been given to us by God in his grace.As He guides his people .But I find that saying theology is the study of God creatres a god of a lesser entity to be studied ,lower than themselves. Most people really don't realize this and they just study and say what they read or taught.And this is most people coming out of school of theology .
So I heard a sermon on line.And in this church they have someone claiming to be a theologian.I spoke to him once I had a question.He didn't respond to me kindly.Needless to say they made up a reason to kick me out of church. They actually slandered me out.So I looked up after writing him in response to his sermon a little paragragh on a theologain or theology.I then continued to look up under ."What is a theologian?"and I found your aticle.And I thought it was simple and to the point from another person.It was very useful to give what was needed. The writing was very humble, simplistic, and beatiful.I thank you for the blessing to share with another.
Thanx,Theresa
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