Turning Around a Wanderer

I came across these dueling articles, written by the same author, claiming that the only real theologians are Rowan Williams, and then Pope Benedict. Funny titles with serious content, and serious critique of “doing Theology”. James’ entire point is that “doing Theology” is not about arguing:

At the end of the day, academic theology is just about being intellectually sexy, about trying to coin some technical distinction in thought, about being the first to introduce some unknown figure into a debate or trying to mediate a debate through appeal to other thinkers. It is concerned with advancing a body of knowledge, either for the sake of one’s career or, for the slightly more noble, for the state of knowledge. The whole enterprise is purely cerebral, and even that may be too high a compliment.

I never understood, and therefore shied away from, arguing about theology. It seemed far too open ended to produce anything constructive. Without any anchors in confessions, epistemology, or even historical facts building castles in the air is far too easy, and so very impractical. And I’m a pretty cerebral, impractical, academic guy.

So I’ve largely kept away from theology, focusing instead on historical studies (initially from an equally backward approach of restorationism). But, as I’ve encountered more catholic theology I am finding precisely James’ point, that theology is about being affected by God and by that theology. It isn’t, necessarily, about an argument, but about a way forward to being altered by God and the way one thinks about spiritual issues.

For those who find themselves wandering into odd theological concepts I offer this catholic thought as a way of being grounded. Not that you come to the same conclusions – but it is at least a starting point, and operating in a coherent framework about what it means to think theologically. And that theology is true not just mental asentions to propositions that “orders your mental world”. I’m finding joy in being messy, because that is what we are. (Though if Prothero happens to wander over here: I’m not discounting wandering, I look forward to your book on the subject).