Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Theology Matters - Sort Of
It is rare that I find an iMonk post from somewhere other than iMonk, but today I owe a hat tip to Reformed Chicks Babbling. Who turned up this rare "join the conversation post at iMonk. Asks Spencer:
Spencer's point is that we often hold theology as idol and let it stand in the way of genuinely reaching out to people. I could not agree more - I've written about it many times, and it is truly sad to see the stories that have piled up in the 100's of comments there.
Theology matters because it is important that we work very hard to understand what we believe - but that's all it is - what WE believe. It's not God, and it certainly is not a thorough and complete understanding of God. Scripture is quite plain
Hmmmm.
I’m looking for stories; stories of how relationships were changed for the worse because of theology.The action is all in the comments. It is a fascinating question. I have several stories - the friend that told me I wasn't a Christian because I did not speak in tongues (It took a few years to heal that one) and, of course it could be argued that it changed the last presidential election.
I want commenters to tell- briefly- their stories of how theology caused stress, conflict, change, separation and distance in relationships with spouses, family members, parents, friends, co-workers and/or fellow Christians.
I’m not interested in changes from Christian to atheist, etc. Or in announcing you were gay. I want to know how someone becoming Calvinist changed your relationship. How did someone’s charismatic practices cause rejection?
Spencer's point is that we often hold theology as idol and let it stand in the way of genuinely reaching out to people. I could not agree more - I've written about it many times, and it is truly sad to see the stories that have piled up in the 100's of comments there.
Theology matters because it is important that we work very hard to understand what we believe - but that's all it is - what WE believe. It's not God, and it certainly is not a thorough and complete understanding of God. Scripture is quite plain
Prov 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.Simply put - we are incapable of complete and thorough understanding - I don't care how smart you are. When we let our theology stand int he way of God moving in people's lives then we believe that we are smart enough to understand it all. I think that is called sin.
Hmmmm.
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