Think Theologically?

Many of my pastor buddies use the phrase “think theologically.” It is a good phrase, as far as it goes.

By that they mean that when we think through different issues or actions in life, we should consider them from a theological point of view. We should bring to bear theological perspectives into the situation, what does God’s word say in regard to the issue.

There is one shortcoming and one problem with such language.

First, the problem.

When they say, “think theologically” they are including more than a Biblical perspective. They are including into that perspective what other theologians have said on the given topic. In fact, when they encourage people to think theologically, the next statement from their mouths may be a quote from Luther, Calvin, Augustine, John Paul II.

While we treasure, or at least should, the Communion of Saints, to let that Communion precede, supersede or in anyway trump the Scriptures themselves leads to the problem that lay at the heart of the Reformation movement. A problem with the phrase “think theologically” is that it is broader than what is intended. It quickly devolves into quoting a famous theologian and not the Bible.

Second, the short coming.

From a certain point of view all human thinking is theological. All human thinking is conditioned by what one really does or does not believe about God, gods, no gods, self-as-god, their words and their silence. Even a-theological thinking is theological thinking. Strictly speaking, the most secular view of life is a theological position and all thinking that derives from it is in that case theological thinking.

Here is a yet more excellent way. Let’s focus on thinking Biblically instead. This is similar, but it is not the same. To encourage Biblical thinking is to encourage people to look, reason and live from a Biblical point of view, which is indeed a theological point of view, but a very particular one. Such an emphasis will help protect Christians from succumbing to the internalization that grows out of today’s social imaginary (a phrase from Charles Taylor the philosopher, not Chuck Taylor the Converse All Stars guy).

In my current rereading of The Bible, I am struck again with how the Israelites and people of Judah kept “losing the Bible,” they kept losing the Scripture (Torah). Its absence did not prevent them from thinking theologically, they just adopted the theological thinking of their neighbors. That never ended well.

Then they would rediscover the word of God. During the days of King Josiah, the high priest Hilkiah says, “I have found the Book (remember Bible means book) of the Law.” That Book was at the center of revival.

So let’s commit ourselves to thinking Biblically. When we consider items of popular culture, moral ways of life, building a value system and “what does God want me to do,” let’s commend ourselves to the Bible and the teaching therein to guide not just our thinking, but also our believing, hoping and living as well.

Consider these four items when it comes to Biblical thinking.

• All Christians should personally read and reread the Biblical text. Do not leave this to “the professionals!” Bible reading sat at the heart of the Reformation movement. Biblical thinking will not occur without Bible reading. Regular Bible reading will inform your mind, build a frame of reference for life and build a vocabulary for discussing and understanding it.

•  Parents should work intentionally to teach their children to read and understand the Bible. This should come before soccer, dance, band or getting the kids into a good college. Bible reading serves as the greatest life-skill a parent can pass on to a child. Parents should insist (and work with) that their local congregation supports this.

• Using the Bible as an external guide to your thinking is the most counter cultural endeavor you can engage in. We live in a time, although you can argue that this temptation has always been at the heart of sin, that teaches us to look inside ourselves for truth. Being driven to find the truth within ultimately enjoins us to be our own creator, to take matters into our own hands based on our own mind. To be led by the Bible as an external guide* with objective truth will put you at cross purposes with the world around you. Be prepared not to be supported by the culture and to feel like an outsider.

• Christians can only be a blessing to the world around them if they are able to articulate the Biblical faith. We cannot give away what we do not have. There is only one hope for the world. Jesus. Jesus is at the center of the Bible. It is his story.

Do not worry that such a focus will lead to “bibliolatry.” Bibliolatry grows out of a mindset not a practice. Bibliolatry occurs when people driven by fear and pride exalt themselves above others. It may be connected with Biblical data but not true Bible knowledge.

Biblical thinking occurs when Christians humbly, regularly and personally engage in reading the Bible to look for their Savior. Biblical thinking grows out of a rich, intimate relationship with Jesus. To know the Bible is to know Jesus in deep intimacy. When our congregation speaks of Knowing the Peace and the Power of the Cross, we mean more than information, we mean intimacy.

A friend once said, “To have a passion for Jesus is to have a passion for the Bible because that’s where we meet him.”

To think theologically is not bad, it is good as far as it goes, it just doesn’t go far enough. To think Biblically gets to the heart of the matter, the very heart of God: Jesus.

*Indeed for Christians there is an internal power and wisdom, namely the Holy Spirit who dwells within. But this indwelling is always congruent with the Bible.