Why Theology is Important

I often feel very frustrated when listening to services on the radio. Most of them seem to be planned for the benefit of churchgoing people or those who are housebound and would go to church if they could. They include congregational singing of hymns of which no-one can understand the words unless they know them already. They encourage us to have faith in the loving God who looks after us, without ever facing the question “how do we know?” They urge us to follow Jesus more closely, without spelling out what that might mean in practice. In short, most of them are just bland.

When you watch a television programme or listen to a radio talk about the natural world, or history, or the universe, you learn things you didn’t already know. If you watch a programme about quantum science, cosmology or relativity, you may not understand much of, it but there’s something fascinating and inspiring about listening to someone who is an expert and an enthusiast in their subject, and your mind is at least stretched a bit. How often does this happen in a broadcast religious service?

It is probably even less likely to happen when you go to a service in your local church. The only churches where you are likely to hear any serious biblical exposition or theological discussion are those with a very conservative theology, and even they have generally become blander than they used to be. Look in any high street Christian book shop, and you will find plenty of nice bibles, hymn books, prayer books, charity greetings cards and little easy-reading devotional books, but where will you find anything that will stretch your mind? Christian faith today – like politics and many other areas of life – has gone through a great dumbing down.

This is weakening the churches and the Christian faith generally. Without theology, churchgoing people are resisting change because they have never really thought about what the church is for. They are holding doctrines and moral dogmas that perpetuate prejudice and treat certain kinds of people cruelly. When unbelievers challenge their faith, they have no idea how to defend it. And without theology they can become unbelievers themselves if they have to face serious illness, bereavement or misfortune for which their faith has not prepared them.

I am not suggesting that Christians should read more heavy academic theological books. Such books are certainly available, and as someone with a theology degree I find them interesting. What I mean by the theology we need more of is something much more down to earth. Theology is people talking about their experience of God and their thoughts about God – and that is something we can all do. Most churchgoing people don’t do it because they have questions in the back of their minds that they are afraid to ask in case of being told they should have more faith, or they shouldn’t let their doubts undermine other people’s faith.

I mean questions like: how do we really know there is a God? Does prayer really change things? Why do bad things happen to good people? What really happens when we die? These questions are very difficult to answer. Even some of the biblical writers struggled with them without finding a straightforward answer – see Job, Ecclesiastes and some of the Psalms. But they are not academic questions. They are questions that affect us personally, questions we all need to grapple with if we are to have a faith that really helps us to live our lives.

Jesus once asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” After hearing some of the answers he asked, “Who do you say I am?” This is the difference between academic theology and the theology every one of us needs to have. As a minister, I know more than most people about what others have said and written about God, but as far as the really difficult questions are concerned, I’m no wiser than anyone else. Really useful theology begins with the question, “Who do you say I am?” That is a question only you can answer. And it’s no use trying to pull the wool over God’s eyes: God already knows what you think. God is infinitely loving, understanding and forgiving. If you are wrong, let God, not other people, put you right.