Whether you know it or not, you have your own methodology of doing theology. You have certain reasoning, logic, and methods that you follow to come up with your beliefs about God, humanity, and the world. The fact is, we are interpreters, whether right or wrong. We make assumptions about Scripture; we apply certain logic; and we either consult or ignore history. All of these areas play apart in how we do theology.
What is theology? Theology is basically belief about God, specifically, the Christian God as presented in the Old and New Testament. This is a broad definition, so more specifically, theology deals with such doctrines as the Trinity, Creation, the Atonement, etc. So, how do we do theology?
It is more than just piecing together text from all over the Bible that seem to speak to the topic we are researching or the question we are asking. In fact, this is one of the worst ways to do theology. It is called proof texting. Proof texting is isolating a text from its context and pulling it out to stand alone in order to make a certain point. This is fallacious because the Bible is a series of sentences, which make up paragraphs, which make up chapters, which make up books, which make up the Bible. We have to first see how the sentence fits in the context of the paragraph, chapter, book, and the rest of the Bible. Finally, when we do theology, we want to take an integrative approach. We do not want to disregard history, philosophy, or sound interpretation of Scripture. Let us now look at six steps that will help us do theology right.
1. Identify the problem. First, what problem or deep seeded question are you seeking answers to? For example, one of the questions/problems you might investigate is “Are all things in nature and history the fulfillment of the sovereign plan of God?”
Pitfall to avoid: Don’t assume that your preconceived notion is correct. Many people go into theology with their mind already made up about the answers. Therefore, they come to the table not seeking what they can learn, but seeking how they can defend their view. In doing theology, we want to come with an open mind and teachable spirit, open to the possibility that our present theory may be wrong.
2. Look at history. Many great theologians and godly men throughout church history have wrestled with the same question you are asking. Familiarize yourself with the different views and arguments on the theological topic you are studying. Theology is not done in a vacuum.
Pitfall to avoid: Systematic theology is a recent methodological development in church history. Therefore, we have to avoid reading our current theological categories into the writings of those far from us. For example, the writings of the early church fathers were mainly apologetic. Therefore, they did not write in a systematic way, expounding the details of their theological system. Also, we can’t take our current theological labels and force them on the ancients. For example, we have the theological categories of premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism to explain certain schools of thoughts on eschatology. No such labels and classifications existed then. Therefore, we can’t say “so and so” was a premillennialist, because these categories did not exist in the third century. Rather, what we see is that the tenants of a system are being developed in its infancy during certain periods of church history.
3. Consult Scripture. Here is where one goes to the primary source of information- inerrant and inspired Scripture. Following the steps of sound biblical interpretation (that I talked about in earlier post) and biblical theology (what does Paul teach? What does John teach?, etc) one can find the teachings they are looking for as they study how biblical thought developed from the Old Testament to the New Testament. It is here that one also needs to compare portions of scripture that deal with the same subject and note the development of thought (i.e., creation)
Pitfall to avoid: Proof texting! Knowing how to interpret scripture is fundamental to doing theology right. Bad theology is always built off of bad hermeneutics.
4. Compile the evidence. At this point, the interpreter takes what they have found in both natural and special revelation and seeks to put it together to form a coherent doctrinal category. The doctrinal formulation must be tested by 1) logically consistent, 2) consistency with the data revealed, 3) Its coherence with other doctrines, 4) existential viability.
Pitfall to avoid: Missing the forest because of the trees. Sometimes, when doing theology, one can formulate a doctrine that is logically consistent within itself, but not think through how their conclusions in one doctrine has implications on another. If the big picture is sloppy, it doesn’t matter how beautiful one small piece is.
5. Defend your position. The next phase is defending your conclusion by interacting with various theological views, philosophy, and other religions. Do your conclusions stand up to scrutiny? Are they competent in providing answers to the tough questions?
Pitfall to avoid: Don’t attack straw men arguments. Anyone’s theory looks good when they argue against a theological straw man. Deal with the real issues with real answers. Make sure you interact with the totality of a view point, not just the parts that you think you can tear down.
6. Apply your theology! Theology is of no spiritual benefit if it is not applied to one’s life. Theology is meant to affect how we live and how we worship. It is not meant to be a solely intellectual exercise. The hard thinking should produce holiness.
Pitfall to avoid: Sitting on your conclusions. Once you have formulated your thought on a doctrine, meditate on it and expend spiritual energy in seeing its truth and implications worked out in your life.
For the final post in our “How To” series, we will look at how to evaluate an argument.