That was a question that occupied my mind a lot a few years ago and I have written about it before. The right theology, the right doctrines that were put into practice in the right way in a local church was the answer to our ills. I still am a big fan of good theology and I still love the grand themes of theology that I used to blog about a lot. I have also come to a point where I see a lot of things as “good theology” that I didn’t formerly give much thought to and I find myself weary and disinterested in winning debates with other believers while the world is full of lost sinners and children starving to death every hour. I am more concerned with the church living as a Biblical community of faith that equips all believers to minister to others than I am with showing off my argumentation skills and converting other believers to my theological camp.
So here are some of my ideas for what qualifies as “good theology” (assuming that the person in question is a regenerate believer in Jesus Christ)
Putting down your books to help a neighbor in need is good theology.
Visiting a lonely widow of your own volition is good theology.
Caring for the needs of an orphan is good theology.
Working for a living so as not to be a burden on anyone else and to provide for the needy is good theology.
A willingness to suffer reproach, persecution, shame and even death without defending your “rights” is good theology.
Loving the Lord your God and loving your neighbor which includes being in community with them, even when they disagree with you on finer points of doctrine, is good theology.
Standing unwaveringly for the truth while being meek and humble is good theology.
Being content in what God has graciously allotted to you, whether in finances or health or anything else, is good theology.
Telling others about Jesus even if you don’t have a certificate authorizing you to do so and even if you aren’t very good at it and even if you don’t really understand all of those big theological terms is good theology.
No talk about the ordo salutis? What about proper eschatology? Monergistic regeneration? Important truths yes but frankly I have encountered a lot of genuine Christian believers who couldn’t explain their way out of a theological paper bag doing a lot of God’s work for others and unfortunately I have met a few theologically rock solid guys who are so concerned with “being right” on this matter of doctrine or that point of theology that they don’t even notice that they are being contentious, divisive and frankly un-Christlike in behavior. I want to me more like the humble servants who love God and are driven by that love for God to love others and less like the self-appointed theology bouncers who keep the rabble out of the church.
A widow all alone in her home surrounded by memories and despair doesn’t much care how many chapters of Calvin’s Institutes you read that morning. Good theology is not about winning debates with other believers, good theology is taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to the lost and caring for those that are most in need.
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