Re: Phil Johnson's agenda
George Murphy (gmurphy@raex.com)
Mon, 06 Dec 1999 18:27:55 -0500
Wendee Holtcamp wrote:
................
> Theology really gets the "church" nowhere, since the people who were most
> well-studied in Jesus' time (Pharisees) were typically the most incorrect in
> their understanding. (Remember, Jesus said in a moment of joy that is was
> God's pleasure to hide things from the learned and show them to little
> children). That is not necessarily children in the age sense, but that
> non-theologically oriented Christians can have greater servant's hearts than
> the most learned. And becoming very intellectual and having lots of degrees
> tends to inflate one's ego rather than promote humility. Power and money are
> very similar that way. .................
Theology in the most basic sense is thinking about one's faith. If we don't
do theology then we are being thoughtless Christians and, among other things, unable to
give any reason for what we believe. Our choice isn't between theology & no theology
but between good theology & bad theology (or if you wish, better & worse). I think
that the problem with a lot of creation-evolution discussion is unreflective &
just plain bad theology.
Too many people are content with the theology they learned (or think they
learned) in Sunday School: There's a big difference between a childlike faith & a
childish one. It's true that some theology can be too abstract & academic & of no use
for the church, but that doesn't excuse anti-intellectualism in theology. We are to
love the Lord with all our _minds_, among other things.
The gospel accounts which focus on Jesus' conflicts with respectable religion
don't give a full picture of Pharisaism. Even with that limitation, the criticism of
the Pharisees in the gospels is not primarily of their theology but of their practice -
cf. Mt.23:2-3. When it came to the theological differences of the time, Jesus was with
the Pharisees over against the Sadducees - who were, BTW, the theological conservatives.
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/