since you asked

a few theses regarding theology's task

1. Theology need not be practical, but it should be concrete.

   1. I am often asked whether a book will be “practical”. The desire to cash out theology in terms of everyday practice is an understandable one, because the Christian life is at times startling, surprising, and unclear. I do think theology gives us the instincts we need to discern these occasions, but I don’t think the job of theology is to tell you how to live. It is instead to tell you who God is. There are implications- giant ones, sometimes- that arise from such a telling. But I increasingly feel the need to bracket off what theology is for, and what ethics or spiritual formation is for.

   2. But just as theology need not be “practical”- meaning immediately relevant- it must strive to be concrete. Theological problems should be narrow and coherent, and our treatment of them should aim to identify the issue and then explain it as simply as possible. I’d like to see us borrow from some streams of philosophy here, asking first “what it is” and second “is it true”. Too much theory makes me think you’ve missed the point.

2. God’s not a bigger hammer.

   1. A second tendency related to the first is to backfill our human programs with God in order to secure them. I see this a lot- regarding gender and politics especially. But God does not exist to secure your political program or your current interest. God is not about attachment theory or nationalism (or anti-nationalism) or sexuality. Using God to secure your positions on such matters makes God a tool. We fashion God to enforce our politics and then abandon him when he stands in judge of them. This makes me nuts. It’s idolatry in its truest form, but no one seems to call this out.

3. Theology is a minimalist discipline.

   1. You’ve seen me make these analogies before- underwater diver or furnace repairmen- because I find it exceedingly helpful. As a theologian I have a certain set of tools that are useful to address a certain set of problems- among them theological language, making distinctions between immanent and transcendent goods, and defining what a human person is as she relates to God and not as she’s been conceived of by the modern world. Theology can do these things quite well. What it can’t do is make suggestions about the best economic systems or advise about foreign policy. Theologians are at fault here, because they are constantly trying to advise about things they should not claim knowledge of. We should speak about God and then excuse ourselves to let the actual experts do the rest.

4. Stop taking yourself so seriously.

   1. Critique isn’t personal. Asking for clarification isn’t insulting. And for goodness sakes, all of this ought to have a bit more levity, because the discipline itself seeks to speak after God who is the source of all joy. Lighten up a little. Being a theologian isn’t permission to weigh in on every matter of human life with authority. It’s just having a set of unique tools that most people don’t have. Make an adjustment and speak of God with joy.

5. It’s ok to believe something.

   1. Because it has adopted the conventions of the university that entail “scientific” detachment from the object of study, theologians rarely talk about whether they actually believe any of this, or about what motivates their study. I actually welcome theologians who don’t believe in God to join the discipline, but it’s clear to me that they are doing a different sort of thing. I think theology should have a beating heart, and I want to know what motivates a set of problems or questions. I’d love us to talk more openly about this without self-consciousness. Loving God used to be what motivated the study of God. We need to reclaim this.

Can you think of any more?