Theology?

[Allan Walker]

THEOLOGY?​

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. (1 Corinthians 2:13, NIV)​

Theologians have, over the centuries, brought the search for an understanding of God down to an intellectual exercise using “human wisdom,” that is, techniques introduced by early philosophers and developed further in academia.

The reason for doing this was to gain the favour of the intellectuals of the day and to achieve some status within the academic community and thus the wider world.

The intended consequence of this was to exclude the uninitiated (the “ignorant and unlearned”) from the inner circle. In other words, it separated an elite that can know God from the rest of us who cannot, at least not without their help and then only to a limited degree.

It has served to create and strengthen a virtually impassable chasm between the ruling class (clergy) and those over whom they would rule (the “ordinary” Christians).

This is, of course, in complete contradiction to New Testament teaching which so clearly tells us that under the terms of the New Covenant:

No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’​

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.(Hebrews 8:11, NIV)​

An understanding of Scripture that is purely a result of intellectual inquiry is of no value to God.

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians 1:20‑21, NIV)​

This is why Jesus loved to receive children so much.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. (Matthew 11:25, NIV)​

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:14, NIV)​

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[mlepfitjw]

Very good article, Allan.

 

[Allan Walker]

To take this matter a step further, I would like to share with you a quote from Millar J Erickson’s book, “Christian Theology” (page 1245). He doesn’t beat about the bush and sums up some of the fundamental issues which are at the heart of this problem.


“There are certain dangers associated with the study of theology. There are certain theological diseases to which one is exposed and which one may contract as a result of this endeavour. Helmet Thielicke has described several of them quite vividly in his Little Exercise for Young Theologians.

“ ’One of the most common and most serious is the sin of pride. When we have acquired a considerable sophistication in matters of theology, there is a danger that we will regard that knowledge as a badge of virtue, something that sets us apart as superior to others. We may use that knowledge, and particularly the jargon we have acquired, to intimidate others who are less informed. We may take advantage of our superior skills, becoming intellectual bullies.’

“Or our knowledge of theology may lead us to a type of theological gamesmanship, in which the arguing of one theory against another becomes our whole purpose in life. But this is to convert what should be the most serious of matters into a sport.”

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[ViaCrucis]

THEOLOGY?​

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. (1 Corinthians 2:13, NIV)​

Theologians have, over the centuries, brought the search for an understanding of God down to an intellectual exercise using “human wisdom,” that is, techniques introduced by early philosophers and developed further in academia.

The reason for doing this was to gain the favour of the intellectuals of the day and to achieve some status within the academic community and thus the wider world.

The intended consequence of this was to exclude the uninitiated (the “ignorant and unlearned”) from the inner circle. In other words, it separated an elite that can know God from the rest of us who cannot, at least not without their help and then only to a limited degree.

It has served to create and strengthen a virtually impassable chasm between the ruling class (clergy) and those over whom they would rule (the “ordinary” Christians).

This is, of course, in complete contradiction to New Testament teaching which so clearly tells us that under the terms of the New Covenant:

No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’​

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.(Hebrews 8:11, NIV)​

An understanding of Scripture that is purely a result of intellectual inquiry is of no value to God.

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians 1:20‑21, NIV)​

This is why Jesus loved to receive children so much.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. (Matthew 11:25, NIV)​

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:14, NIV)​

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This comes across a lot like an argument from ignorance, an ignorance of theology.

In fact, you are doing theology in this very post of yours here.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Allan Walker]

This comes across a lot like an argument from ignorance, an ignorance of theology.

In fact, you are doing theology in this very post of yours here.

-CryptoLutheran

Actually. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

How the churches have come to where they are is quite simple. Any human organisation eventually becomes an end in itself. There are salaries to pay, buildings to maintain, appearances to keep up and careers to promote. Eventually the church members become a means to an end rather than the end in itself. Adding to church numbers becomes a necessity because of the revenue that is generated.

They take captive into their authority structures those who, with pure hearts, are seeking to serve God and his people. Theology is one tool which is being used very effectively to give the leadership a psychological hold over the church members.

The result is that those in authority have lost sight of the one and only purpose of the church which is to shepherd each and every child of God in its care to a place of full maturity in Christ.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:28‑29, NIV)​

The performance of the church institutions goes far beyond mere failure for they are, in fact, actively opposing the realisation of God’s eternal purpose in the lives of his people. There are few in those leadership roles who actually understand what this means.

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[ViaCrucis]

Actually. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

How the churches have come to where they are is quite simple. Any human organisation eventually becomes an end in itself. There are salaries to pay, buildings to maintain, appearances to keep up and careers to promote. Eventually the church members become a means to an end rather than the end in itself. Adding to church numbers becomes a necessity because of the revenue that is generated.

They take captive into their authority structures those who, with pure hearts, are seeking to serve God and his people. Theology is one tool which is being used very effectively to give the leadership a psychological hold over the church members.

The result is that those in authority have lost sight of the one and only purpose of the church which is to shepherd each and every child of God in its care to a place of full maturity in Christ.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:28‑29, NIV)​

The performance of the church institutions goes far beyond mere failure for they are, in fact, actively opposing the realisation of God’s eternal purpose in the lives of his people. There are few in those leadership roles who actually understand what this means.

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The irony is immensely thick here. You attack theology by using your own theology. And then you condemn the Church and speak of it as actively in opposition to God--no doubt presumably part of your condemnation involves things like self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and the like; and yet you do the very same things here, painting yourself as a self-righteous hypocrite willing to point the finger at everyone but yourself.

This is nothing I haven't seen before. If I had a nickel for every time I met someone who came around spouting some spiritual-sounding nonsense I'd have a pretty decent pile of nickels.

Christ says to go and clean the inside of the cup.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Tigger45]

Can’t beat Pr. Fisk when he starts to rhyme. All he’s missing is the beat box.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Millar J Erickson’s book, “Christian Theology” (page 1245) He doesn’t beat about the bush and sums up some of the fundamental issues which are at the heart of this problem.

Yet someone made it to page 1,245 of a 1,312 page systematic theology written by a professor of theology to ferret out this little nugget of wisdom which was somehow turned into a means to attack churches (in general).

It really makes me wonder why there was found no other interesting thing in an entire systematic theology.

There's a danger in raising your kids in the west, there's a danger in being a minister or pastor, there's a danger inherent to all Christians and that is the potential for our faith to be treated by those calling themselves Christian as a thing common place.

But warning of potential dangers and pitfalls of theological knowledge, most especially to those who would actually read to page 1,245 of a 1,312 page systematic theology, is a positive thing to do to make sure your audience stays humble in their newfound knowledge, and is not indicative of some widespread issue surrounding theology and the study of it. Warnings are given so your cognizant of certain dangers and can adjust for them so you don't fall into various traps like pride.

If I say there is a danger in being immersed in Christian teachings from birth, in that a person hears the same Gospel messages with such frequency it becomes a common thing, such that it becomes mere background noise in a world full of noises. Is that me saying raising your children in a Chrisian home is bad so don't do it?

Of course not... it's should lead you to look always for ways to overcome the potential pitfalls of living in a Christian nation, in Christian homes. To keep the message of the Gospel relevant and awe inspiring to those being raised in it.

This is all the writer was doing, giving warning so people could adjust appropriately and humbly to their newfound level of theological knowledge.

 

[BBAS 64]

Recommended reading for sure

 

[Allan Walker]

The church institutions are the modern day “towers of Babel” which have been built by men to satisfy their own needs independently of the purpose of God. Their final destruction has been foretold for 1900 years in Revelation 18:1-24.

When the time comes, the Lord issues the following instruction to his people:

“ ‘Come out of her, my people,’

so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;…” (Revelation 18:4, NIV)​

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[ViaCrucis]

The church institutions are the modern day “towers of Babel” which have been built by men to satisfy their own needs independently of the purpose of God. Their final destruction has been foretold for 1900 years in Revelation 18:1-24.

When the time comes, the Lord issues the following instruction to his people:

“ ‘Come out of her, my people,’

so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;…” (Revelation 18:4, NIV)​

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Nope. Swing and a miss. Babylon was Rome, the city on seven hills, and the beast she rode upon was the power of the Caesars. Try reading the passage in context.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Allan Walker]

Nope. Swing and a miss. Babylon was Rome, the city on seven hills, and the beast she rode upon was the power of the Caesars. Try reading the passage in context.

-CryptoLutheran

Precisely. That is where the epicenter of church institutionalism lies.

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[ViaCrucis]

Precisely. That is where the epicenter of church institutionalism lies.

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The Roman Empire hasn't been around since 1453, when the Ottoman Empire broke through the walls of Constantinople and took the city. And by that time the city of Rome hadn't been the seat of Roman imperial power since the 330s when Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium (Constantinople).

I know what you're trying to say, you are trying to attack Roman Catholicism and you are following the really lame and tired "Rome and her daughters" shtick. But the 19th century called and wants its anti-Catholicism back.

So, no, that isn't "the epicenter of church institutionalism".

When St. John wrote the Apocalypse he was literally, actually, referring to Rome, and the power structures of Rome as it existed, in empire, as a violent hegemonic power that actually was a threat to the lives of the nascent Christian Church in John's own time.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[fhansen]

THEOLOGY?​

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. (1 Corinthians 2:13, NIV)​

Theologians have, over the centuries, brought the search for an understanding of God down to an intellectual exercise using “human wisdom,” that is, techniques introduced by early philosophers and developed further in academia.

The reason for doing this was to gain the favour of the intellectuals of the day and to achieve some status within the academic community and thus the wider world.

The intended consequence of this was to exclude the uninitiated (the “ignorant and unlearned”) from the inner circle. In other words, it separated an elite that can know God from the rest of us who cannot, at least not without their help and then only to a limited degree.

It has served to create and strengthen a virtually impassable chasm between the ruling class (clergy) and those over whom they would rule (the “ordinary” Christians).

This is, of course, in complete contradiction to New Testament teaching which so clearly tells us that under the terms of the New Covenant:

No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’​

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.(Hebrews 8:11, NIV)​

An understanding of Scripture that is purely a result of intellectual inquiry is of no value to God.

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians 1:20‑21, NIV)​

This is why Jesus loved to receive children so much.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. (Matthew 11:25, NIV)​

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:14, NIV)​

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Anyone who reads the Bible and gives their interpretation or opinion about the meaning of one passage or another is playing theologian, doing what a theologian does IOW.

 

[Allan Walker]

Anyone who reads the Bible and gives their interpretation or opinion about the meaning of one passage or another is playing theologian, doing what a theologian does IOW.

THEOLOGY?​

Fhansen. Thankyou for your comment.

As the children of God, all of whom are being called into an ever-deepening relationship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, we are confronted with a range of theological opinions on quite a number of important subjects. Many sincere and able theologians have given their lives to searching these truths out.

But this has produced profound disagreements on a wide range of fundamental issues.
These range from the permanence or otherwise of our salvation, the meaning of sanctification, to what extent are we required to live under Old Testament law - through to church governance.
Questions arise such as “is Sunday the Sabbath" and “are we required to tithe our income”? Are the gifts of the spirit still operative and is “speaking in tongues” the sign that a believer has received the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

It is a long list with many different answers. At some point we have to make a decision as to which theological opinions we will accept and which we will reject.


Those we see above could be called the “practical” issues. But there are many more truths in the Word of God which have a profound impact upon our lives.
For example, we are told that we have been given the “gift of righteousness.” How does this work out in our everyday lives? We are being, day by day, “transformed into his image.” How can we cooperate with this process?
We are instructed to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.” What does this mean and how will this sense of confidence develop as we pray to our Creator”?

These are sort of issues that should be at the center of theological study and teaching in the church. It is here that the Holy Spirit will enable us to absorb his truths in the manner that will best suit his eternal purpose for our lives.
At the end of the day we come to a place where we have to decide for ourselves how the teaching we are receiving is enhancing our life and our relationship with God and to make the appropriate adjustments.

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