Who needs Theology?

Mention the word ‘theology’ and you’ll probably get a chorus of yawns and rolled eyes. In Western society we are taught very little about theology, just that it is boring, that polite people don’t discuss religion or politics because it is controversial and a matter of private opinion, and that it has nothing to do with real life anyway. So who need theology? Everyone, actually. And everyone deals in theological matters each and every day whether they realize it or not.

Theology is, first and foremost, the basis for our worldview. A worldview is the lens through which we view everything around us and perhaps more important it is the underlying basis for each and every decision we make. A worldview is comprised of those things we consider important and even ‘transcendent’. If this is so, then how could we let such an important thing go unexamined? Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living”, which has a large element of truth in it.

Someone out there might say, “I’m an atheist, so since I don’t believe in God I don’t care about theology”. Even so, that person still has a worldview (based on atheism) and atheism is by definition an opinion on the existence and nature of God, and therefore is a theological viewpoint.

An example of how theology can be applied daily by anyone might be taken from my own tradition of evangelical Christianity. Since I believe that Jesus Christ is the earthly representation of God, and that my goal is to become as Christ-like as possible, and knowing that Jesus said that we should be concerned with the poor and outcast of society, I will find ways to help people in whatever way I can. It may be through contributing to a good cause like the Salvation Army or it might be to give a ride to a Senior Citizen when they need to get to the doctor’s office. It might be simply talking to and listening to a hurting soul. The point is that my theology dictates my actions.

The challenge is obvious. Examine your theology. Is your life in line with what you say you believe? If not, you are living a lie. A person who says they love humanity, but doesn’t love individual people is a hypocrite. Whether your theology holds water (reflects reality, is truthful…) is the subject for another post.