Camp Calvin & "Theology Junkies"
I think most theologians that I have encountered would struggle with Jesus.
Jesus wasn’t real big on what folks knew. (So much for my Master degree)
Jesus wasn’t impressed with theologians.
They actually got in his way.
Think of about all the religious fundamentalist he encountered daily who had a wealth of knowledge about God. I can picture Jesus rolling his eyes and shoving two fingers to the back of his throat as he heard these folks pontificate and challenge him with questions they thought they knew the answer to.
The reality is that it is impossible to talk about the nature of God without having some form of theology. Theology is a very interesting subject;it is how we think and talk about the nature of God.
It seems that some folks love to argue and discuss theology. I call these folks “theology junkies”.
Jesus wasn’t a “theology junkie”.
There were a few times he argued with and debated some of the religious teachers but he mostly told stories and did his own thing. It seemed to work for everyone expect the theology junkies in 1st century Palestine.
Jesus spoke from experience.
The Gospel of Mark says that folks were attracted to Jesus by his personal “authority”. Those who listened to Jesus knew that he knew what he was talking about not because he quoted theologians and leadership books but because he spoke from experience and from his heart, not his head.
For Jesus it seemed to be less about what he knew and more about who he knew.
Jesus taught by forming relationships with people not through knowledge and mental masturbation like a group of adolescent boy scouts at Camp Calvin.
Jesus walked with people. Jesus became friends with people. He partied with people and celebrated life with people. He had a conversation and a cold cup of water with the lady at the well. He talked to women who were ignored by the theologians.
Jesus was about relationship, not theological debate.
Folks encountered God within the context of relationship. It seems that for Jesus God is “something” to be experienced not defined.
Jesus was an authority not by what he claimed he knew but by how he loved. Even Paul said that knowledge puffs up but love builds up.
His stories did not define God literally or strictly but invited people into discovering God. He did not use reason to attempt to get people to come to some rational belief or doctrine about God. Jesus knew that God is beyond our human reasoning.
People experienced God through their relationship with Jesus.
We'll expereince God through our relationship with each other and the light of Christ in us.
I am not saying theology isn’t important or a big deal for us.
I am saying it wasn’t for Jesus.
12 Comments:
I like to think that one of Jesus' favourite conversations was with the woman who entered into his metaphor about the table.. and she took it even deeper by asking for the crumbs for the dogs. Jesus enjoyed deep conversation with thinkers (e.g. Nicodemus...) but even when the wannabe theological trapartists cornered him he never answered with derision.
You are certainly prolifically thoughtful yourself, Rick!
or maybe, he just had a different structure to his theology?
pharisees, gag me with a spoon!!
oh this one made me laugh out loud rick! camp calvin - that is such a wonderful metaphor for the club.
you've been hitting on all 8 cylinders lately man!
That really helps me today....thanks for the visuals...ok maybe not the one with his fingers down his throat.....
This weekend, I returned to a church in my city that I've visited several times, and realized that even if it is a 20-mile drive, it's worth it. What a wonderful thing to hear a sermon (in person) that reflected this same character of Jesus that you describe.
Thanks for the reminder that I meant to email the church's pastor with appreciation for his message and a few questions!
guilty.
Ology - study of; Theo - God. Jesus being God had no need to study Himself. He knew "I AM". If our study of God is not grounded in His Word and not humbly submitted to the teaching of His Holy Spirit, then it is no wonder that even so called Christians arrive at such diverse,perverse and limited conclusions about God. I pray that our intense study of God will yield a transformation of our hearts by the Holy Spirit and give us the mind of Jesus Christ!
Thanks for the comments.
Good old Camp Calvin, we have been sending the kids there for years. You can spot a Camp Calvin graduate anywhere. They love to talk about "truth" but actually are terrible at following Jesus.
Sonchild, I pray that our willingness to put our faith on the line for the same things that Jesus put his faith on the line will transform our hearts, minds, and worlds.
There are too many theology Junkies out there studying the religious law and too few followers of Jesus. It takes no guts to read theology but it take massive guts to follow Jesus For when we follow Jesus we put our lives on the line. That's why we'd rather rad theology and think about God.
phew! this is so good
the line about mental masturbation was a powerful
as a female who used to work within the "old boys club" of a religous institution, it rang so true
when I discovered that most of them didn't have the guts to follow Jesus, that they preferred masturbation to the real thing . . . I realised I had to get out of there before I started to think that was 'normal'
kel, i like the line you draw between the mental act of self sex being a counterfeit likened to the theology junkie spending all the time in his head instead of getting out there like jesus and doing the real work.
great thoughts!
yup. you brought it all home with this one. bull's eye!
"Mental masturbation" Funny, I started using that phrase with a friend a few weeks ago! Or maybe i got it from an earlier post of yours!
Anyway, great post Rick. I admire your singlemindedness in sticking to what really matters
Post a Comment
<< Home