Is one doing theology when one asks deep questions about life that on the
surface have nothing to do with God?
Always enjoy your posts,
Moorad
-----Original Message-----
From: George Murphy <gmurphy@raex.com>
To: Wendee Holtcamp <wendee@greendzn.com>
Cc: Moorad Alexanian <alexanian@uncwil.edu>; asa@calvin.edu <asa@calvin.edu>
Date: Monday, December 06, 1999 6:27 PM
Subject: Re: Phil Johnson's agenda
>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/
>