As a Christian, my first obligation is to bear a faithful witness to Jesus Christ. As a pastor/theologian, my primary obligation is to instruct/guide/nurture others in seeking to understand and articulate their own theology which finds expression in their own personal witness. The Book of Discipline defines theology as “our effort to reflect upon God’s gracious action in our lives” (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2008, ¶104). Theology is our limited human attempt to search the limitless reaches of an infinite God – no small task. The Book of Discipline provides a framework for understanding our “theological task.” It states that our “theological task” is critical and constructive; individual and communal; contextual and incarnational; and essentially practical. This framework offers us an insightful way of delving into the difficult task of “doing theology.” It is important to remember that everyone is a theologian; even if they don’t see themselves as such. We all have beliefs about how the universe/cosmos operates, the rules that are in play, and the ultimate outcome of it all; and we bring those beliefs, as expressions of faith, to any discussion.
As a pastor, it is my job to critique those expressions faith based upon criteria formulated by the Wesleyan quadrilateral – scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. I don’t however see it as my job to tell people which of their beliefs are right or wrong, but to help them critique themselves. I have often found that the best way to engage in meaningful discussion is to ask good questions. This helps to get at the real discussion that is taking place without becoming antagonistic. Often, the discussion is about one thing, when the underlying theology is really what is in question. So, my role as pastor is often just to be an observant traveler, journeying with my parishioners, not necessarily leading or pushing, just helping along the way as necessary. This, I think, is the only way that criticism can be seen as constructive – when the one you’re critiquing recognizes your relationship as one of mutuality, not one of power-over.
The next piece of the framework is the tension between individual and community. I’ve heard it said that you can’t be an isolated Christian, that the Christian faith requires community. I would have to agree. While the question of faith is deeply personal, the expression of Christian faith is always expressed in community. Personal relationships with God must grow and yield to the ever-present reality of human existence, which manifests itself in our relationship with God as well as our relationships with each other. It is in our relationships within the broad context of human existence that we show ourselves to be witnesses to the resurrection of Christ. How we respond to each other is an expression of our response to God.
The contextual nature of our theological expression is directly related to our communal nature as humans. Each of us operates out of a context that shapes our being and shapes how we respond to the world around us. Our response to issues of justice, peace, and reconciliation, as Christians, should be direct expressions of how God’s grace has affected these issues in our individual lives. “Freely ye have received, freely give”, is a command to relate to the world as Christ relates to us. Through education and spiritual growth, our understanding of Christ’s relevance in our own lives should affect the way we relate to the world. As we live as the “body of Christ” we live into the promise of the incarnation, that Christ is present in the world.
Finally, what does it mean that our theological task is “practical?” I have often stated that I see myself as a practical theologian. I am much more interested in how a person lives their life than if their theology makes sense. That is not to say that theology/beliefs are not important, they are. But my experience is that a person’s true beliefs/theology finds expression in their living. You can say all day long that it is right to love your enemy, but if you don’t practice that in life, you must not really believe it.
Getting people to see that the way they live their lives is an expression of their true beliefs and helping them to orient their lives as a faithful witness to Jesus Christ is the primary task to which I am called.
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