Clik here to view.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the growing problem of theological anorexia among Christians in our generation. It’s hard to ignore. Our generation is a walking bunch of starving, sickly skeletons, because our theology sucks. The Barna Group says, “What used to be basic, universally-known truths about Christianity are now unknown mysteries to a large and growing share of Americans–especially young adults.” We have an abundant feast of knowledge about God that previous generations could only dream of—conferences, seminars, classes, commentaries, books, centuries upon centuries of church history, the culmination of over 2,000 years of Christianity. One would think that our generation would have some skin on its theological bones. If you’re a knowledgeable intellectual (as most of you here on the Blackbird are), you know this and it probably annoys you.
Centuries of church history show that the church hasn’t always been in this state. Christians used to care about what they believed. Creeds were drafted, councils were formed, heresies stamped out, revivals and reformations gave new life to the church. All were rooted in the pursuit of truth about God. Theology has driven the church for centuries.
Yet, People think theology is a stoic, rigid, emotionless pursuit with no real relevance to the Christian life. Rather than fueling the spiritual life, theology is seen as stifling. The desire of our generation to live out the Gospel is biblical, but this dichotomy is not… and the result is disastrous. A theology-less life is a sloppy life. Without theology, we are careless, mediocre messes. Without theology, our generation repeats the mistakes of past generations and introduces “new” ideas that were shot down long ago for good reason. Without theology, we are likely to be heretics that preach falsities about the God we claim to serve. And the truly sad thing? Those who care about theology are partly to blame for our generation’s lack of interest in the subject.
Perhaps our generation puts theology low on the list of spiritual priorities because it has (seemingly) been overdone. From its beginnings, Protestantism has been characterized by divisions over minute theological details. After decades of division over baptism, spiritual gifts, liturgy, etc., most Christians want to bury the hatchet and focus on “more important things.” Christians say things like, “Let’s just love God” and “live out our faith” without getting “bogged down in needless theology.” Rather than talking and debating, Christians today focus on acting.
This is, in part, a legitimate if overzealous reaction to the opposite extreme. If theologically ignorant Christians are “anorexic,” those who harbor theological knowledge without acting on it are obese. Their knowledge strokes their ego and gives them an excuse to look down on others who are not as enlightened as them. They know truth and love to talk about it, but their lives are not infused by it. They’re all talk. These Christians make theology look pretty worthless.
Their theology (and their lives) look tedious and dull, and no one is inspired or motivated by them. For all practical purposes, the obese Christian is just as theologically illiterate as the anorexic one, for they do not truly understand the theology that calls them into action. Maybe if more life was infused into their theology, our generation wouldn’t be so bored with it. Perhaps if those who care about theology would let it breathe into their soul and move them, others would be drawn to it. Theology is not meant to be dead, but to set one’s walk with God ablaze. Theology challenges Christians to step up and live out their faith, not to remain stagnant.
A dichotomy has been created between action and theology that makes it sound like one must choose between doing things for God or thinking about God. As a result, there is a perceived argument between the people who know things about God and the people who do things for God.
The solution to our generation’s theological apathy is simple. The world needs to see Christians who understand what it means to be theologically alive. The world is waiting for Christians who delight themselves in the theological feast before them so much that they can’t help but joyfully live it out and share it with others. We need to be Christians who are neither anorexic nor obese, who know how to both absorb and act on theology. It’s time we put that false dichotomy to rest. Scripture calls us to love with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18), and it’s time the church did so.
Clik here to view.
