Originally posted on jonspellman.com
I LOVE Calvin and Hobbes. In one of my favorite of their comic strips, Calvin and his stuffed tiger/imaginary friend, Hobbes, are serenely lying under a tree, contemplating life. Hobbes asks, “Do you believe in God?” After a ponderous moment, Calvin replies emphatically, “Well, SOMEBODY’s out to get me!” This sentiment sums up much of how modern Christians view God. He is essentially a human, with human qualities, only bigger and (of course) better. In their book, Who Needs Theology, written 20 years ago, Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson make a declaration that turned out to be eerily prophetic:
“We fear that Christianity may be in danger of becoming a mere ‘folk religion’ (unreflective believing based on blind faith in a tradition of some kind), relegated to the realms of sheer subjectivity and emptied of public credibility.”
Is this not an apt description of the world in which we presently live?
Where a wholesale, societal departure from sound theology takes place, an environment in which a theological free-for-all can easily develop. In many Evangelical circles, the church has assigned the duty of theologizing to the Academy, finding very little use for theology in the “real world.” We remain content to hold onto emotionalism and oral traditions passed down through successive generations as a hollow substitute for thoughtful reflection about God. At least this is the case in my particular brand of Evangelicalism. Have you ever heard (or uttered) these pithy little catch-phrases?
“Let go and let God!”
“Too blessed to be stressed!”
Or how about this one,
“God is good, all the time! And all the time, God is good.”
Most folks who proudly display these bumper-stickers would be hard-pressed to articulate a sound theological underpinning for these sentiments. Then, when a genetic heart condition is diagnosed and the question of how bad things can happen to good people is raised… well there’s no room for thatconversation. Or worse, the one with the illness must be harboring some kind of hidden sin that is “blocking the flow of Jesus’ healing virtues.” (These words were actually spoken to me by an over-zealous Pentecostal seeking to explain how prayers had not been effectual in curing my Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.)
We need sound theology. We need it bad.
In truth, everyone engages in theology at some time or another in his life. Whether or not it is soundtheology really is the question. Like Calvin (the one with the stuffed tiger), we all reflect on the existence and nature of God at some point, even if we do so accidentally. When we do, we are engaging in theology. I wish I could say that all of my theological musings are firmly anchored in a deep desire to know more about my Creator. But the reality is, I am not much different than my fellow humans. I instinctively explain his behavior in terms that are couched in my traditional folk theology. He makes sense to me inside of that very narrow frame. And so long as I am disease-free, have money in the bank and my children are all squeaky-clean I can comfortably remain there. But when the harsh realities of life force my head out of the sand, I hope I have a firm theological underpinning that will not crumble.
Who needs theology?
I suppose I do…
Jon Spellman
Jon and his family reside in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2009, Jon completed work at King’s Seminary (Van Nuys, CA) with a Masters degree in Practical Theology and is presently engaged in Doctoral studies in Leadership and Global Perspectives at George Fox University. As an ordained minister of the Foursquare Gospel, Jon has 24 years of pastoral ministry with nearly 20 of those years spent serving as Senior pastor or Co-Senior pastor. Read more about Jon Spellman
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