{"id":11426,"date":"2012-06-20T13:00:14","date_gmt":"2012-06-20T17:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=11426"},"modified":"2015-06-14T13:17:46","modified_gmt":"2015-06-14T20:17:46","slug":"10-reasons-never-argue-theology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/10-reasons-never-argue-theology\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons Why I Never Argue Theology"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This is a guest post by Sam Riviera. He\u00a0spends most of his time and energy caring for others in his community so that through his life and actions they might see Jesus. He also makes some of the best cookies you have ever tasted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you would like to write a guest post for this blog, check out the guidelines here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Argument<\/p>\n

Does Our Theology Define Us?<\/h2>\n

Have we ever said \u201cWhat those people believe is wrong!\u00a0 We believe what the Bible says.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose\u201d people might say the same thing about us.<\/p>\n

We organize our beliefs about God, religion and what we think the Bible says into a system we suppose is consistent and call it our theology.<\/p>\n

Does Our Theology Unite Us or Divide Us?<\/h2>\n

If we base our theology on the Bible, then your theology and my theology should agree.\u00a0 Correct?<\/p>\n

But we all know that probably none of us agree on everything.\u00a0 With that in mind, here are ten reasons why I never argue theology with anyone:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I think I\u2019m right.\u00a0 You think you\u2019re right.<\/li>\n
  2. I know I\u2019m right.\u00a0 I attended seminary.<\/li>\n
  3. I know lots about theology and can devastate almost any opponent in a theological \u201cdiscussion.\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. Maybe I\u2019m not always right.\u00a0 I heard N.T. Wright say in an interview that he is probably wrong a third of the time.\u00a0 I concede that he probably knows more about theology than I do.\u00a0 If he thinks he is probably wrong a third of the time, then maybe I\u2019m occasionally wrong.<\/li>\n
  5. I hate arguing with people.\u00a0 When I look back on it later, even though I may have won the argument, I never feel good about it.<\/li>\n
  6. I\u2019ve noticed that my superior theological knowledge never really changes anyone\u2019s mind.\u00a0 They only pretend to agree.<\/li>\n
  7. Arguing theology consumes too much of my time, time spent researching my position \u2013 wasted time.\u00a0 It leaves me little time to help or serve others.<\/li>\n
  8. Arguing theology prevents me from really getting to know other people.\u00a0 It prevents me from hearing their stories and from knowing their joys and their sorrows.<\/li>\n
  9. Arguing theology just doesn\u2019t look like Jesus to me.\u00a0 Somehow I can\u2019t imagine Jesus arguing theology.\u00a0 I can imagine him partying with sinners, forgiving prostitutes, healing people and dying for me.\u00a0 I can imagine him talking about the Father\u2019s love.\u00a0 I can imagine him engaged in lively discussions with the Pharisees.\u00a0\u00a0 But I cannot imagine him arguing theology.<\/li>\n
  10. Arguing theology prevents me from loving my neighbors.\u00a0 When I\u2019m trying to prove the correctness of my beliefs, I end up thinking I\u2019m right and they\u2019re wrong.\u00a0 That mindset does not help me love my neighbors as I love myself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Why do you avoid arguing theology?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Do you love discussing theology?\u00a0 Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If we base our theology on the Bible, then your theology and my theology should agree. Correct? But none of us agree on everything. With that in mind, here are ten reasons why I never argue theology with anyone:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2231],"tags":[1336,1394,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-11426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-redeeming-theology","8":"tag-guest-post","9":"tag-sam-riviera","10":"tag-theology-general","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n10 Reasons Why I Never Argue Theology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If we base our theology on the Bible, then your theology and my theology should agree. 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