A Manifesto

What is good theology?
  • Theology that is organically linked and firmly rooted in the sources and traditions of Christian doctrine
  • Theology that opens those sources and traditions in a new way, or enables fresh insight from them
  • Theology that comes from and sends one back to prayer
  • Theology that is open to and engaged in life, with all its variety and mess
  • Theology that is humble, aware that there are other insights and that God is bigger than anything it can say
  • Theology that feeds and is fed by the life of the people of God
Conversely, bad theology is:
  • Theology that is divorced from, embarrassed by or seeking to remove its biblical or traditional roots
  • Theology that simply repeats or restates traditional or biblical formulae
  • Theology that is nothing more than an intellectual exercise
  • Theology that is only looks inward on a Christian sub-culture
  • Theology that insists on its own veracity, and will not engage with dissenting or differing voices
  • Theology that has no connection to the Christian community

Comments

Anonymous said…
What about the agenda behind the theology? I increasingly perceive that peoples' theology is related to their personality and outlook on life. In this respect, good theology is coming out of love - for God and people. Bad theology is motivated by fear, hate, insecurity or 'I'm right, you're wrong'.

PS We still have your 'Lost in Translation'!
7:32 pm
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