Theology Outworked
Im back from a great training day in Dunedin, and a very funny night judging a talent quest at my brothers uni hostel - bizarre mix of activities but loads of fun.
The last couple of days I've being slowly working through an absolutely stunning lecture by N.T. Wright on worship (you need about a week of processing per one hour of teaching by this ninja) as well as having long yarns with people who are speaking during our series on "discernment" at the moment, amongst other reading and dialogue. This alongside the letter found at the bottom of this page... (and to hear Chris Marshall in action, cruise along to our next "Square Meal Exegetical" series at blueprint on the 19th and 26th of June) and this video of Tim Keller speaking at google (Check out the Q and A time at the end - HT Andrew Jones) has really got the noggin working overtime.
Something has clicked the last couple of days in the midst of all this thinking and intellectual stimulation. And though it is just such a simple revelation and something of a generalisation, my thoughts are this. I would contend that the best theologians are those who are involved in the nitty gritty outworking of their theology - where theory and practice are colliding. Sadly some ardent practitioners are weak on theological understanding and see little point in engaging with this stuff. And many theologians are lost in academia and are little use to beast nor man.
My prayer for myself and the community at blueprint is that we would be passionate about pursuing truth, and that it would fuel our love for serving Jesus, and for Jesus himself.
And anyway, damm its good getting stuck in to some meaty teaching... NT Wrights page is a treasure chest of bible nerdy goodness...
The last couple of days I've being slowly working through an absolutely stunning lecture by N.T. Wright on worship (you need about a week of processing per one hour of teaching by this ninja) as well as having long yarns with people who are speaking during our series on "discernment" at the moment, amongst other reading and dialogue. This alongside the letter found at the bottom of this page... (and to hear Chris Marshall in action, cruise along to our next "Square Meal Exegetical" series at blueprint on the 19th and 26th of June) and this video of Tim Keller speaking at google (Check out the Q and A time at the end - HT Andrew Jones) has really got the noggin working overtime.
Something has clicked the last couple of days in the midst of all this thinking and intellectual stimulation. And though it is just such a simple revelation and something of a generalisation, my thoughts are this. I would contend that the best theologians are those who are involved in the nitty gritty outworking of their theology - where theory and practice are colliding. Sadly some ardent practitioners are weak on theological understanding and see little point in engaging with this stuff. And many theologians are lost in academia and are little use to beast nor man.
My prayer for myself and the community at blueprint is that we would be passionate about pursuing truth, and that it would fuel our love for serving Jesus, and for Jesus himself.
And anyway, damm its good getting stuck in to some meaty teaching... NT Wrights page is a treasure chest of bible nerdy goodness...
This entry was posted by Sam, on
Thursday, May 08, 2008.
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17 June 2008 at 12:13:00 pm NZST
Hi Sam, thought I would start looking at Blogs again... and yours is there faithful as always, although it may have taken a back-seat to your my space of late??? Anyway, how's it going?
All that aside... Your last thought about practitioners who have no theology and theologians who have no worldly use... well... I can think of heaps of the former but I can't name even one of the latter? At least not a living one anyway. I know people always talk about ivory towers and all that but I don't think we have that problem in N.Z., but then, true, I may be just too in the thick of it to notice. Do you think we have ivory tower theologians in N.Z.? I limit the question to N.Z. because I doubt either of us actually knows the context of any theologians or academics outside of N.Z., and could therefore not comment on their 'ivory tower-ness'.
Just a thought.