Do you agree or disagree with the following quotes? Why? When you read them, what was your first impression? What did they get right? What (if anything) did they get wrong?
Theology Quote 1
Theology is supernatural. It is thinking the thoughts of God. It is fire in the bones. It is the breath of God upon your lips. The light of God in our very soul. It is the most challenging and the most rewarding task a person can ever undertake. It is an attempt to know the Unknowable; to understand the Incomprehensible. While no one can fully do these things, we can know and understand some small portion. And those who have tasted this heavenly gift, long for more.
Theology Quote 2
It has been in vogue to say that today the important thing is not Christianity’s truth but its relevance. That is like saying to the sick that the important thing is not the accuracy of the prescription, but taking the medicine. In determining which of the innumerable kinds of medicine to take, how much, and how often, nothing is more important than the accuracy of the doctor’s prescription.
Check back tomorrow when I share where these quotes came from, and my own take on them.
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Quote #1
First impression – too abstract, theology must have structure and is not just thinking about God
Thoughts – I feel that this is a way of looking at theology that makes it much more personal and possibly more relevent to an individual. God is not experienced in a certain structure or prescribed way, but rather in an ever changing and shifting relationship.
Quote #2
First Impression – A little too clinical for me.
Thoughts – I think this quote misses theology a little. Praise God that he is able to cure the sin condition in spite of our inability to get the right “prescription”. For 2000 years theologians have argued over various interpretations and theologies and yet the misseo Dei remains the same. Reconciling messed up people, even messed up theologians.
FedEx,
President,
Men of Praise Motorcycle Ministry
I’m right there with you on both quotes. Too abstract. Too removed from reality. Too focused on prescription, rather than reconciliation.
Wait until you see who that first quote is from… 😉
If theology is grounded in the supernatural innerrant revealed word of a sovreign G-d it stands a chance of being relevant by virtue of said canon being reliable in it’s veracity, so we at least we begin with truth,…. I would add a “theological” quote which certainly qualifies as an inferred cavet against, humanistic propensity to utilize emperical methodology,rationalism, mystic revelation, relative fiducia, ad nauseum etc. to explain to god (little g) who “he” is ( see Job),…. “I WOULD NEVER jOIN A CLUB THAT WOULD HAVE ME AS A MEMBER” Groucho Marx. God laughs Psalm 2
Elias,
That’s a great quote from Marx.
I quickly read that and thought Karl Marx 🙂
Karl…Groucho… whatever! Ha!