One of the tools I use to aid me in writing my blog posts is Google Insights for Search. Among other things, this tool helps me recognize trends in what people are searching for online.
Today, as I was using this tool to help me pick a good blog post title for a future post in my Theology Introduction, I wanted to see how the search term “theology” was trending.
Here is what I found:
The spike there in April 2005 was when the Catholic church selected the new Pope. People wanted to know about the Pope’s theology. But other than that, theology searches have been in a steady decline for the past eight years.
Any guesses as to why?
By the way, if you want to know more about this Google tool, I will eventually write a post on Grace Blogger about how to use it to make you a better blogger. So Subscribe to that blog if you don’t want to miss it.
It’s because theology has become stupid (again). It is now excessively speculative and not very interactive with the text. Hypothesis has replaced observation. Opinion exceeds facts. That simply doesn’t capture people’s practical attention. Complex is interesting…simple is useful. Wisdom over Opinion 🙂 http://www.homeandschoolsuccess.com/home-on-autopilot/wisdom-and-home/
Fred,
Do you really think theology has become stupid (again)? I think it is becoming more nuanced and mainstream.
When last was it stupid?
Use the same tool and search the term “Bible studies”, which shows a similar, alhtough slightly lesser, decline in interest.
The church has lost a huge chunk of the 40 and under (especially 35 and under) segment of our population. Grandma may excited about theology, cathedrals, priestly robes and Bible studies, but most twenty year olds I know are not. They want to see compassion, not cathedrals, love (especially for the poor and the marginalized), not theology that excludes these people and exalts others.
I know maybe one person who does not think theology is dry as dust. Yes, I went to seminary also, but the masses don’t share an interest in theology with seminarians.
I’m not sure theology has to be dry as dust, though it often is taught that way. I think the way you are living out your theology is the best way of teaching it. And when people ask you, you have an answer. That is great teaching!
One of the studies we need is a biblical analysis of ‘rebellious’ generations…seems like Barna has us all thinking a ‘lost’ generation is the previous generation’s fault…the Bible doesn’t support that at all. Each will stand for his/her own ‘sin’ (Rob Bell not withstanding) Ez 18 🙂
I think that this is in large part because our younger generation, of which I am part, values authenticity and practicality. We have come to see theologians as people who sit in their gilded seminaries and argue over fine points that make little or no real difference to anyone not enrolled in those seminaries. The young people that i interact with desire a Christianity that makes a difference in the world that they can see and know is real.
Secondly, many among the theology crowd use theology as a tool of divisiveness and judgement. When someone interprets the scriptures differently than we do we call them a heretic, and say that our not having unity with them is justified because of their sinful theology.
This is not just a problem of denominations, even people within the same theological camp do this, for instance free grace. We seperate and call names and fight and argue over points of theology rather than living in unity and carrying the message of free grace to a world that desperately needs to hear it.
FedEx,
President,
Men of Praise Motorcycle Ministry
Great point. I will be publishing a post later today about the necessity of love and compassion with truth and accuracy.
I wonder if interest in theology is directly related to google searches. I don’t think I’ve ever searched for “theology.” (I may have searched for “dispensationalism vs. covenant” or something like that.) There are also blogs, youtube, plus a boatload of books and ebooks – I wonder if maybe people are just getting theology from different sources…?
Loren,
I think you’ve probably hit on something. “Theology” is too vague. People don’t search for “theology” anymore.
Do a search on “hell” for example, or “how to get to heaven” and we actually see increasing interest over the past eight years.
I also ran “how to follow Jesus” and “what is church” and both of these are also steadily increasing.
So you are right. “Theology” is only “decreasing” because people are learning to use Google for more specific searches.
Jeremy … we all said the same thing. None of this is new….and it is a little inescapable. The people who don’t want to divide over doctrine can come of judgmental and divisive toward those who do divide. I still think we are all stuck in a world of trying to find and follow the truth…sadly it a very subjective pursuit most of the time! 🙂
Yes, the pursuit of truth can be subjective!
I think that, sadly, interest in theology is sharply declining. At least where I live and move, the seeker-sensitive movement has infiltrated the churches, and with it, a staunchly aggressive ‘anti-knowldege’ movement has emerged. Meaningful questions that go beyond the cliche are discouraged, considered anti-spiritual. The biblical text seems to serve as a source of proof texts to manipulate the laity into accomplishing the churches agenda, some of which is good(fellowship, salvation, prayer, etc.), some of it is not. It’s relatively rare that I encounter people that seem to demonstrate any depth to their knowledge of God(theology) beyond churchianity 101 coupled with some highly subjective experience or feeling.
Good points. Surprisingly, while interest in theology is waning among many, many people are rapidly becoming more interested and are joining the ongoing conversation about Scripture, God, and all things spiritual.