Practicing Christian Doctrine: Thinking and Living Theologically

The Definition and Misconceptions of Theology

• Common Perceptions and Reactions: The word "theology" often serves as a conversation stopper, evoking uncertain silence or negative associations, such as:     * Obscurity: It is viewed as something pretentious or far removed from everyday life.     * Fear of Deconstruction: Some fear the study of theology leads to a loss of faith.     * Ethical Concerns: Associations with self-righteousness or historical violence against those with differing views.
• The Inherent Nature of Theology: Contrary to these views, theology is inherently against elitism and sanctimoniousness. It is the study of a God who loves the world and is intended for all Christians to practice with love.
• Etymological Roots:     * Derived from the Greek words $theos$ ("God") and $logos$ ("word," "speech," or "reason").     * In the Gospel of John: $logos$ is identified with Jesus Christ, who was "in the beginning . . . with God" and "became flesh" (John 1:1, 14).     * Scriptural Connection: Paul urges Christians to let the $logos$ of Christ dwell within them while teaching (Col. 3:16) and describes worship as "rational" ($logike$), involving the "renewing of your minds" (Rom. 12:1–2).
• Theology as Worship and Witness: Theology is practiced through bear-witnessing to the gospel, preaching, and defending the "reason [$logos$] for the hope that is in you" (1 Pet. 3:15 ESV).

The Integration of Academic and Lived Theology

• Forms of Theological Work:     * Daily Work: Includes prayer, praise, testimony, preaching, and teaching by the people of God.     * Academic Practice: The formal study, teaching, and writing of theology in educational and published contexts.
• Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: A phrase from the early church meaning "the law of prayer is the law of belief."     * Geoffrey Wainwright’s Interpretation: This contains a double suggestion: the rule of prayer is a norm for belief, and what must be believed governs what should be prayed.     * Relationship: It implies an active life of discipleship where a personal relationship with God informs correct belief (orthodoxy), and belief simultaneously informs the life of faith.
• Transformation of the Mind:     * Sin causes humans to be "estranged and hostile in mind" (Col. 1:21).     * Grace is required to transform the mind so that Christians can "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).     * Theology is not merely about info-gathering or systems; it is about faithful discipleship and worship.

Doctrine and its Theological Hierarchy

• The Queen of the Sciences: Medieval Christians called theology the "queen of the sciences" because every other discipline (biology, psychology, etc.) studies aspects of God’s creation. Theology provides a "bird’s-eye view," seeing all disciplines in light of God's Word.
• Definition of Doctrine: On a smaller scale, theology refers to an organized set of Christian teachings on themes like Scripture, God, creation, humanity, Jesus, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church, and final hope.
• Interconnectedness: Doctrines are interrelated; a change in Christology (theology of Jesus) will inevitably affect beliefs regarding salvation, humanity, and the church.
• Theologians on Dogma and Doctrine:     * Karl Barth: Dogma is the agreement of the Church's proclamation with the revelation in Scripture. Human theologies are mere "proposals for dogma."     * George Lindbeck: Doctrines are "communally authoritative rules of discourse, attitude, and action," similar to grammar rules.     * Robert Jenson: Dogma represents irreversible historic choices by the church that determine its identity as a community of the gospel.     * Serene Jones: Doctrines are "imaginative lenses" used to view the world and understand everyday challenges.     * Dorothy Sayers: Insisted dogma matters enormously as the "rational explanation of the universe."
• Spectrum of Authority:     * Dogma: Teachings at the highest level of authority and trustworthiness, usually shared ecumenically (e.g., across all Christian communities).     * Doctrine: Authoritative within specific communities (e.g., Lutheran doctrine) but not necessarily universal.     * Individual Proposals: Theological work by individuals (e.g., Martin Luther on justification) that may eventually be recognized as authoritative by the wider body.

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Resources for Theology

• Structure: Named for John Wesley, conceptualizing four resources that inform Christian life: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.
• Hierarchical Order: Scripture is the primary source of doctrine; tradition, reason, and experience are resources for understanding that source. All resources stand under the authority of Scripture.
• Scripture (Sola Scriptura):     * The Protestant reformers used the phrase $sola scriptura$ ("Scripture alone") to check the tendency of humans to bend tradition or reason to fit sinful desires.     * External Authority: Scripture is the reliable Word of God that rectifies all human words.     * The Difficulty of Interpretation: Theology is necessary because humans often misinterpret Scripture (e.g., uses to support the Inquisition or slavery). Theology teaches how to read Scripture faithfully in new contexts.     * Wesley’s "Man of One Book": John Wesley claimed to be a "man of one book" but read broadly from church history to help interpret that one book, following the rule that "Scripture interprets Scripture."

Tradition as a Theological Resource

• The Danger of Neglect: In contemporary North American evangelicalism, individualism and consumerism lead to undervaluing tradition, risking the mistake of treating sinful human experience as universal truth.
• Tradition as Conversation: Theology is a centuries-long, global conversation about reading Scripture well. Tradition provides a range of "imaginative possibilities" (Kathryn Tanner) and encourages humility.
• The Rule of Faith and Creeds:     * Rule of Vincent of Lérins: Christians should believe what has been recognized as true always, everywhere, and by everyone.     * The Creeds: The Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds are recognized as faithful summaries of scriptural teachings.
• Orthodoxy and Heresy:     * Orthodoxy: Right Christian belief.     * Heresy: A doctrine found by the Spirit-guided judgment of God's people to be contrary to Scripture and wrong.     * Significance: While correct doctrine does not save (Jesus saves), false doctrine has negative consequences for practice and spiritual formation.

Reason and Philosophy in Theology

• Faith and Reason: God is reason, and the cosmos is ordered according to a rational plan ($logos$ - John 1:3). Exercising reason is an act of discipleship and stewardship of intellectual gifts.
• Engagement with Other Disciplines:     * Augustine: Integrated Platonic philosophy.     * Thomas Aquinas: Integrated Aristotelian thought.     * Model: Philosophy is used but must be corrected by doctrine when it encounters Jesus Christ.
• Limits of Reason: Sin affects human reason. It cannot function rightly apart from grace. Christianity is not ruled by empiricism; God remains beyond the limits of human description.
• The Logos in Flesh: In the incarnation, Jesus took a human mind and body to show a life of perfect reason, freeing humans to reason rightly (Phil. 2:5).

Experience as a Theological Resource

• Enlightenment Influence: Friedrich Schleiermacher argued for faith based on a "feeling" or internal experience of God to combat modern suspicion of external authority.
• Criticism: Ludwig Feuerbach argued that if God is known only through experience, we make God in our image (idolatry).
• Pietism and the Spirit: Philip Jacob Spener emphasized the Holy Spirit’s work in the "heart"—the center of human desires and emotions.
• John Wesley’s Experience: His heart was "strangely warmed" by God's action, not his own effort. He added "experience" as a stool leg to ensure faith wasn't just doctrine but a reality in the soul.
• Contemporary Experience Theologies:     * Liberation Theology: Gustavo Gutiérrez (1971) focused on the experience of the poor and oppressed in Latin America.     * Diversity: Includes Black theology and Feminist theology, which use the perspectives of specific groups as resources for reflection.
• Apophatic vs. Cataphatic Theology:     * Apophatic (Via Negativa): Statements about what God is not, respecting God's mystery (Tertullian).     * Cataphatic: Positive statements about God based on His self-revelation.

Practicing Theology for Maturity

• Ephesians 4 Analysis: Paul compares "children" tossed by the "wind of doctrine" to those who have "learned Christ." Truthful doctrine leads to transformed lives and "maturity… to the measure of the full stature of Christ."
• Faith Seeking Understanding: Anselm of Canterbury described theology as $fides quaerens intellectum$.     * Anselm’s Axiom: "I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe so that I may understand."     * Theology begins in faith and continues as a quest to understand the implications of that faith for practical living.

Questions & Discussion: Criteria for Theological Reading

• When reading theology, students are encouraged to ask:     1. What are the key teachings and the author’s main concern?     2. What counts as authoritative (Scripture, tradition, reason, experience)?     3. How is Scripture handled (Implicit/Explicit? Old vs New Testament? Privileged themes?)     4. How do the claims relate to other doctrines?     5. How does context (race, class, culture, gender, time) shape the voice?     6. How can this piece be interpreted charitably?     7. How do these claims relate to the life of faith?     8. How would this shape Christian practice (evangelism, church life, spiritual disciplines)?