Systematic
theology divides Christian thought into a catalogue of topics and then takes
various things the Bible about a particular topic and finally
draws some summarizing thoughts about that topic. It attempts to organize these various topics
into a coherent, logical, orderly system that is not self-contradictory. I believe there are some real limitations to
how successful this enterprise can be.
If theology
is primarily about God and derivatively about God’s initiatives with us, how
systematic could it be? God is a living,
creating, engaging, challenging, loving, and guiding
presence in creation. We, too, are
living, responsive, and choosing creatures. The ongoing story of God’s loving work in
creation is always interpenetrating the story of our ongoing lives. How could
this iterative dynamic between two living beings be systematized?
Douglas John
Hall wrote: “Theology lies between
the stories—God’s story of the world, and humanity’s ever-changing account of itself
and all things. Theology is what happens when the two stories meet [Thinking the Faith—Christian Theology in a
North American Context, p. 91].” You
can record this sort of thing. You can interrogate it for meaning and a way
forward. You can draw lessons from
it—ones that comfort and ones that correct, but you cannot systematize it with
much accuracy.
I think this
is why I prefer biblical studies to systematic theology. The Bible is full of great stories, both
happy and tragic. It is an account of
how, in particular places and times, God’ story became intertwined with our
stories.
You might
ask, “What about the Jewish law recorded in the Bible? That is pretty
systematic.” The law guides us to a
place where our story can join the rhythm of God’s story, but it was never
intended to replace the stories themselves.
When we mistake the rules and regulations for the redemptive
intermingling of our stories, our lives grow flat.
In Jesus,
God’s story and our stories have come in closest proximity to one another. Theology is about making sense of that
experience. Perhaps the most authentic
theology we speak is when we tell how God’s story and our story have embraced a
common plot in Jesus Christ.
Jim
Kelsey--American
Baptist Churches of New York State
