Byrnesys Blabberings

I was recently asked quite a common question so I thought I would share my two cents and see if any of you had any thoughts on the subject.

The Question was really more of a statement which wanted an answer: "Sometimes I wonder what use theology is for real people in real churches"

When seeing the enormous breadth and depth of Theology it is very easy to wonder what real use it is for the Church, when you hear of someone spending years studying the dialectic intricacies of deutero-Isaiah, the question can often be, "What does that do to build the Church?".

In a world with pressing physical need, the need for Christians to live out the realities of  Matthew 25:37-40 and the need for people to serve in local churches as teachers and pastors are very clear, but I think in times when we see this urgency we can overlook the importance of biblical study and doctrinal theology. Our busyness can often derive from seeing the need there is for aid workers, for pastors, for teachers etc. but this response of immediate busyness is to idolize our own ability and effectiveness. Our Busyness does not trust God  it does not respond to God’s leading but hopes to make things better through hard work. The Gospels call us to live compassionately and generously in response to the needs around us but not without prayer, discernment and patience.

Theology is the practice of the Church thinking through its action, often called praxis – Theology helps the Church continue as the Church in its worship to God, its confession within community and its witness to the Word, it corrects when it the Church becomes detached from the Word of God and the tradition of the community, it works to re-balance areas of doctrine and canon which are given too little attention or conversely read isolation.

Although seemingly a different office in scripture, I think that there are some helpful comparisons to be drawn between the prophetic office of the Old Testament and the office of the theologian for the New Testament Church. Theology reminds the community of God of Who God is, What he has done and the correct response namely Worship. Theology reminds the Church of their character distinguished as a new creation.

On the other side of the coin there is also the need within Theology to recognise that the task of Theology is a service to the Church but primarily a service for God. Theologians should be in continual recognition that Theology should be marked by humility towards the lay-person acknowledging that whilst theology is indeed a service to the Church it is a small service, and a small part of the witness of the community of God to the World and of its Worship to God.

In what way do you think Theology serves the Church? What real difference does it make to the lay-person in your congregation?