For the Life of the World (Part 1)

Last week I wrote a post titled, 'Theology Matters,' where I tried to make the case that theology should matter for pastors -- especially worship pastors -- because it matters for the life and well-being of the Church. Pastors who don't take theology seriously, I argued, are a hazard to their congregations; and, moreover, they are failing to live into the fullness of their pastoral calling and vocation to be shepherds of their flocks. Without a proper theological grid to guide them, many pastors are effectively leading their congregations right off a steep cliff. We don't have to look far to see the manifest dangers of pastors who are theologically inept. Countless examples could be given.

Part of what I'm attempting to do in this space is to ignite a conversation about why theology is important for the Church. A significant part of my engagement is contextual; that is, it is a response to a lack of theological depth and seriousness among many churches where I live in Wichita, KS.

At its base, theology is learning to speak about God rightly. Thus it is as much about learning what not to say about God as it is learning what to say about God. Learning to speak about God rightly is not an abstract exercise. Indeed, it is one of the most concrete acts we make as humans. The Church should be the place where we learning to speak about God rightly because the Church is where we learn how to pray. And, furthermore, the Church is the place where the story of Jesus is performed continuously -- in the Sacraments, in preaching, in confession and reconciliation, in joy and thanksgiving. The Church is where we learn to be Christian.

That is why theology matters. Without it, the Church ceases to be the Church.

That theology matters, not only for the Church but for the very life of the world, is the focus of a new book by Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun appropriately titled, For the Life of the World: Theology That Makes a Difference (Brazos Press). In this short yet remarkable book -- a "manifesto" as the authors call it -- Volf and Croasmun attempt to make theology the centerpiece of the Christian life once again.

As the book argues, theology has lost its way. On the one hand, outside of an increasingly small group of intellectually-inclined Christians, most people, Christian or not, simply don't care about the work of theology. Many people, it seems, have no real interest in reading theological books or attending theological conferences or seeking theological perspectives on today's most pressing concerns. Theology is not useful for daily life, they think. Is it any wonder, then, that so many pastors have abandoned the discipline of serious theological study and reflection? After all, people are seeking 'practical' answers to their questions, and robust theology doesn't have much to offer them on that score. It is easier for pastors to apply the latest theories in self-help psychology or 'leadership studies' to the problems facing their congregations than it is to make the meaningful but less obvious connection between raising children and St. Augustine's doctrine of creation.

In modernity, the Church is where good theology goes to die.

On the other hand, as an intellectual discipline, theology has wandered aimlessly from its original path. It has lost any semblance of internal coherence. As the authors put it, "academic theology ought to be, but today largely isn't, about what matters the most -- the true life in the presence of God." "And this is a loss for theology itself, " they argue, "-- for theology will either refocus itself on what matters the most or gradually cease to matter at all" (p. 1). The task of their book, then, is to reorient theology to its original purpose, which is to demonstrate the fullness of life found in the person of Jesus Christ.

Theirs is not an isolated agenda, however. For theology that makes a difference in the life of the Church -- that is, in the life of Christians -- is theology that invariably makes a difference in and for the life of the world. It rightly identifies and names the transforming work of the Triune God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- on behalf of creation; work that is at once liberating creation from slavery and violence and drawing it into a deeper communion of love and healing. Theology matters for the life of the world because theology is the only way of life for the world. Following Jesus Christ "into the far country" (Barth) is not an abstract proposition for intellectuals to ponder in isolation; it is, rather, a distinct way of life that makes particular claims on the nature of reality. It obligates one to perform a certain set of practices that, if followed to their logical conclusion, could cost one's very life. When that happens, the world is indelibly changed.

Theology matters because theology is the leaven of Christian discipleship. Living theologically, in other words, is indispensable to being Christian. Without it, we are little more than pagans.

The intent of the authors in writing this book is to spark a large theological bonfire around which Christians can have a serious and long-overdue conversation about the character of theology and its bearing on everyday life. Hence my interest in reviewing it on this blog.

As they put it:

This book is a call to those of us who see ourselves as theologians -- academic theologians, church theologians, lay theologians, accidental theologians, any kind of theologian -- to dare to believe that 'God's home' is the ultimate goal of human striving and the ultimate object of human rejoicing and therefore to make God's home and the world's journey to it the main focus of our most rigorous thinking and honest truth-seeking (p. 7).

And again:

We will have reached our goal in writing this book if it generates serious theological discussion about how doing theology fits into the grand goal of God: fashioning each human and the entire world into God's home and our true home as well (p. 8).

For the Life of the World is a short but potentially explosive book. Over the course of the next six weeks, I plan to blog through each of its (six) chapters: highlighting its most salient points, interrogating its uneasy tensions, and, hopefully, gleaning from its well-worn wisdom. In short, I'm taking my place around the bonfire and lending my (small) voice to the conversation about why theology matters for the life of the world. Take this as your invitation to join the conversation as well. I want to know what you think about their argument and the ideas they put forward. In short, I want you to think theologically with me about the future of theology and its importance for the Christian life.

Take theology seriously: the life of the world depends on it.

*If you would like to purchase the book, which I highly encourage you to do, you may do so here.