The Theologically Informed Christian

Discussion Assignment Instructions

Post replies of  200 words each to the student prompts. Each reply must incorporate 1 scholarly citation(s) in Turabian format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, etc. Write from an evangelical conservative perspective.

 

Student 1 : Justin

The thought of being a theologically informed Christian seems fundamental to the commands of Scripture that we ought to honor Christ as Lord and always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Pet. 3:15). Being a theologically informed Christian helps build that central affirmation of giving a reason for the hope that is within us. The theologically informed Christian seems to be lost in our day as much of what is seen in contemporary evangelicalism is a very surface level, emotionally driven faith that lacks any real substance on the deep things of God that propel a robust faith and theology. This isn’t just indicative of the pews, but also of the pulpits as many ministers have become more like entertainers than expositors of the word of God. Vanhoozer mentions this when saying, “Theology is in exile and, as a result, the knowledge of God is in ecclesial eclipse.”^[1] The pastor as someone who was once called to be the intellectual of the church, village, and city has been relegated to one who merely preaches behavioral modification. Theology has been divorced from the pulpit and church primarily due to the notion that theology is abstract and cannot serve any function at a practical level. This form of pragmatism is endemic of a secular form of education. Vanhoozer notes this saying, “the perception that the “practical” disciplines are non theological, driven by pragmatism and influenced by secular models in the human sciences, is another prejudice that works against the notion of the pastor-theologian.”^[2] The call for not only pastors but all Christians to be theologically informed must begin with the recognition must begin with the desire to know God more intimately through his word and in the confines of a historical orthodox church.

I personally have sought to be a theologically informed Christian since coming to the faith and realized soon that many of my questions about my newfound faith needed careful reflection. It was through studying God’s word and other disciplines that I found answers that led me into a deeper faith and the desire to be theologically informed. I have found the disciplines of theology, philosophy, and church history to be fundamental to understanding the truths of God. I have found many of the theologians of the past have aided me in my pursuit of God, and as Anselm understood “the task of theology is fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding).”^[3]

This is especially important when understanding how one derives a Biblical ethic from the pages of Scripture and engages contemporary culture. Understanding the various philosophical presuppositions that an individual holds will help the theologically informed Christian to better engage that individual with a Christian ethic and the gospel. The theologically informed Christian will be enabled to glean from the wisdom of others when formulating an ethic, but also allowing that ethic to be centered in God’s word. As Dr. Fred Smith notes in the presentation on Christian ethics, “Christian ethics is Bible centered ethics, and the Bible must be interpreted honestly and carefully when formulating a Christian ethic.”[4] The ability for a Christian to hold a consistent ethic as the Bible presents it requires the Christian to engage the various disciplines of theology, philosophy, and history in order to properly engage the culture with the wisdom of God’s word.