"Doing theology" is an endeavor to understand the Divine. Theology literally means the study of God. It certainly seems a little audacious that someone would attempt such a lofty venture. Thankfully, we do not attempt to study God in a vacuum.
How do you study God? Where do you start? These are good questions.
The work we do to understand God is aided, if not enabled, by two realities:
1. God has made Himself known to us. This is revelation. God reveals Himself to humanity. God wants to be known, because He desires for humanity to be in a loving relationship with Him. It is His intent to be known and not be hidden from those He loves.
2. God has given us the Bible which is completely inspired and is accurate, reliable, and true. It clearly articulates the character of God, His intent in creation, the problem of sin, and how to be in relationship with Him. The Bible inerrantly reveals everything we need for salvation (redemption from sin, entire sanctification, glorification, growth in grace, and on going fellowship with Him).
Theology is a pursuit of the truth that God has revealed to us. It is not a philosophical idea we can manipulate or change on a whim. God's nature and expectations do not change based on geographical area, cultural settings, or trending fads. This is not to say that methods are stagnated, architecture is forever set, or written/verbal communication has no fluidity. But God, and who He is, never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.
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Here are a few problems that give rise to bad theology.
1. Some who "do theology" do not like who God has revealed Himself to be. They do not like certain characteristics. They often view God's revealed nature or the plan of salvation as something that is a turn off to them or people they know. Bad theology arises from the intent to serve as a public relations manager for God rather than a mouthpiece of truth.
2. Some people seeking to understand God are actually trying to fit God into their own narrative. Cultural ideologies permeate their pursuit to the degree that they are unwilling to release their biases to embrace unchanging truth. When human narratives replace divine truth as the object that we are seeking, falsehoods take center stage.
3. Many are pressured by the world to capitulate unchanging truth for temporary priorities. As finite beings we can easily be tempted to ignore the infinite God's priorities and commissions. There is much pressure to kneel at an idol of human ideology or trending fads. Much of our theological focus has prioritized issues that never make a page of the New Testament.
The general rule is that theology beginning with the human experience leads to error, but the theology grounded in Biblical Truth is guided by the Holy Spirit. Are we seeking God first or humanity first? Are we prioritizing love through obedience or compromising for comfort's sake? Is our understanding of the divine Christocentric or humanistic?
Are we recognizing that we were made in the image of God or are we trying to make a god in our image?
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