Diving into Theology

Listening to language is critical to understanding a person's theological beliefs and backgrounds. It is amazing to me the language that we use, the songs that we sing, and the hope we proclaim to other people. The overwhelming truth is that most people just listen and soak up those words and phrases without much thought as to the practical application of them. Think about these phrases and how they have been used:


"Let's go to church." or "Don't run in church." or "This place is sacred." -
In Judaism, places were holy. The temple was holy, and it was the place in which God dwelt. However, the scandal of Christianity is the fact that the Lord is present by the Holy Spirit in you, and where he is (thus you are) is holy. By church, we do not normally mean "the congregation of collected individual participants within the kingdom of God who have gathered to praise God in worship." Instead, we mean the "building." So, parents tell their kids to not eat in church, to not run in church, or to not play in church. Before someone goes on an argument soap box, I agree that some of those things should not happen in the BUILDING, but the "church" is a different story. You see, if I agreed with that theology, I would not have been able to play little league baseball on a team with any Christians because I could not play or run in church. I played baseball for the glory of God ("whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord.) And, with the assembly of two or more Christians (where ever two or more gather in my name, I am there), I would be forced to sit and watch my peers enjoy their sport.

"I'll fly away." or "Your soul will fly to heaven" or "It's all gonna burn anyway." -
This creation, according to the Creator, was AND STILL IS good. The serpent was a crafty created being, so God believed that the world was good even with the instrument of doubt, selfishness, and sin created within it. By and large, Christianity has bought into the Platonic dualism presented by the first century philosophers rather than the eschatological views of scripture. According to scripture, God will bring a new heavens and new earth (in other words, a similar but new creation to what we currently exist within) at the End Times. While the old heaven and old earth (which was good) will pass away, the new heaven and new earth will replace it in the same place. Rather than floating off to some ethereal heaven, Christians are called to go up to meet Jesus to come back down and dwell in the presence of the Lord forever. Also, by saying that this will all burn, we buy into the fact that the kingdom involves no real participation in this world other than "saving souls" for heaven. Quite simply, we must be ministers of reconciliation who try to pull together in the present the Garden Shalom and the End Time Shalom. The earth groans to be made new, and Christians must work to allieviate that groaning by helping all of God's creation to find its purpose and created intent.

"Go talk to the minister." or "We need a ministry for that." or "Why talk to me; I am not in ministry." -
As a Christian, you are a minister. I think the title of a full-time, paid minister is part of the embedded problem. We must use the language and understanding that all people are ministers. The "church" is supporting a ministry if its people do the ministry (not if they decide to hire a minister.) Remember, if the church is the people, the ministry will happen if the people do it. Everyone is a minister. To teens... to adults... to children... If you a part of the church, you are a part of ministry to people. You cannot get away from it. The only question is whether the person is looking to you for ministry.

"We need to go back to the Bible for that." or "He just preaches the Bible." or "You would know what to do if you just read the Bible." -
I am a very strong believer in the authority of scripture. However, I find it arrogant to assume that one person is just preaching "the Bible." Are you telling me that he speaks only in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic? All English translations and sermons are an interpretation of the words of Scripture. Some people try to speak more accruately than others, but they are still trying to interpret the text in a faithful manner. I also find these statements funny because they are rarely said by someone who was not happy with the sermon. However, the theme of Scripture is that the word cuts to the heart so much that it often offends, rebukes, angers, and condemns. Maybe I am just missing the days where we actually talk about the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount, but I have yet to see a person crying as they left because Scripture called them out on their missing God's intent for their life while still proclaiming that the preacher "really preached the Word today." Let's be honest, for most of us, the above statements mean "He preaches insightful, fun, entertaining, and accurate (by my definition) sermons."


At some point, we must begin to think about what we say before we say it. Or, maybe the Scripture is correct: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." If you listen well, you will hear what someone believes. You do not have to have all the answers, and it is likely that the other person does not have them either. Have sympathy. Chose your words well because they may be the beginning of something brand new.