Why Learn About Theology?

For a long time--at least since high school, I’ve had a significant interest in “-isms” and which one I fit into. Which camp do I find myself in? Perhaps it’s innate human nature to want to belong to a group, or maybe it was just me, but this interest has guided a lot of my learning over the years. It manifested itself through an obsession with politics in high school, and as I’ve grown in my faith, an interest in theology. So, while I’m by no means a theologian or an expert, I’ve enjoyed learning a lot about theology in this pursuit of which “-isms” I adhere to.

Simply mentioning the topic of theology connotes divisiveness and controversy for many people. It can be intimidating to study ideas that seem confusing and trivial. Can't we just have a relationship with Jesus and forget about all that doctrinal stuff?

While I agree that a relationship with Christ is our primary goal as Christians, I would contend that our relationship is not as deep and intimate without a proper theological foundation. Consider your relationships with other people - do those relationships not become more meaningful as you get to know someone better? Theology is simply the study of God - we are getting to know the God that we are in a personal relationship with. This should excite us!

As I’ve learned about various theological concepts, I’ve come to understand that theology is more than just for fitting yourself into particular camps, or making sure you’ve got it all right. A.W. Tozer famously said, “The devil is a better theologian than any of us, and is a devil still.” If we neglect to learn theology at all, we fail by not caring to know God and His Word better. But if we pursue theological knowledge for the mere goal of being right, we also fail by making it about ourselves. The proper role of theology should be to lead us to worship God, and that pursuit is the goal of this site.

How precisely does theology help us in our Christian life and in our worship? I propose four primary ways that theology is important to every Christian:

1. It fuels our worship. This one is important because it extends theology beyond just an intellectual exercise. We can spend every waking hour learning about God, but if it doesn't translate into worshiping Christ as our ultimate treasure, we are wasting our time. That being said, our worship is shallow if it isn't rooted in the knowledge of who God is. Knowledge and love are the two legs upon which our worship must stand.

2. Theology stabilizes our faith and keeps us from error. In Ephesians 4, Paul warns against being "carried about by every wind of doctrine" (vs. 14). Without a proper theological foundation, we will be like a feather in the wind, following whatever doctrine sounds good. Many theological errors are dangerously similar to the actual truth, therefore a thorough understanding is necessary to discern truth from error.

3. It grounds and connects us to historical Christianity. Christianity is not exactly a new religion. Followers of Christ have scoured the Scriptures in search of the truth since the time of the apostles, and many of the most brilliant Christian thinkers have preceded us by hundreds of years. We would be foolish to not learn from their efforts. You won't get far in your studies before you see the influence of people like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and the fathers who debated crucial doctrines as part of the Ecumenical Councils. We do best to compare our beliefs to those espoused by Christians throughout history, and need the humility to reexamine our beliefs if they are in stark contrast to widely held beliefs throughout time.

4. Theology can actually build unity in the Church. Yes, you read that correctly. While it's true that many people end up being divisive when it comes to theology, it can bring unity and understanding as well. Studying doctrine allows us to prioritize which issues are primary, secondary, and tertiary. Placing doctrines into their proper category of importance will help us know which issues are a "hill to die on" and which ones are okay to disagree on. Learning theology will also help us understand the logic behind views that we disagree with, and lead us to respect the genuine convictions of those who hold those views if they're grounded in Scripture.

I pray that this short introduction will ignite a desire in your heart to pursue the study of theology as you seek to know and worship God more. The subsequent posts will cover a particular doctrine, key event, or important figure in theological history. My ultimate goal isn’t to be comprehensive in my writing, but instead hope to give a general overview of each doctrine and why it matters in the life of an everyday Christian. Consider it your “free sample” that will hopefully encourage you to dive deeper in your own research. I’m looking forward to getting started!