How To Think Theologically Chapter 2 Summary

So, what is theology? “The word "theology" comes from two Greek words, Theos meaning 'God' and logos meaning 'the word about (or the study of) God' as He is revealed in the Scriptures.” According to the authors of How to Think Theologically, anyone who claims to be a Christian there is a high likelihood that you are a theologian. “It is a simple fact of life for Christians; their faith makes them theologians. Deliberately or not, think—and act—out of a theological understanding of existence, and their faith calls them to become the best theologians they can be.” Looking at the first three chapters of How to Think Theologically, we will review what the authors have to say and look at some of their theories.
Chapter One: “Faith, Understanding, and Reflection” begins with an illustration of the complexity of theology. The authors use an art professor, post-it notes, and an anonymous visitor as an example. The anonymous visitor leaves two cryptic messages. One message says “…everything is really very simple” and the other message says “…nothing is ever simple.” This scenario or illustration is used to explain theology and its diversity. Stone and Duke also warn that if a task is
presented as simple to watch out. So, we need a definition of theology from the authors. They define theology as a “seeking after understanding – a process of thinking about life in the light of the faith that Christians engage in because of their calling.”
Therefore, theology is the subject matter that embraces God’s nature and will. It also embraces the Trinity, and everything connected with the Christian life.
Further, in chapter one, the authors introduce two significant terms: embedded theology and deliberative theology. Embedded theology “points to the theology that is deeply in place and at work as we live as Christians in our homes, churches, and the world. . . It is rooted in the preaching and practices of the church and its members. It is the implicit theology that Christians live out in their daily lives.” Embedded theology then speaks to the language and behaviors witnessed and experienced in our homes and churches. The authors also bring out an interesting point about embedded theology. They contend that this theology is what often scars Christians and causes church hurt.
Deliberative theology “is the understanding of faith that emerges from a process of carefully reflecting upon embedded theological convictions.” The authors add to their definition by saying, “…it has a vital role to play. It serves, among other things, to keep the church honest. Its task is to be faithful to the gospel in each new age…Deliberative theological reflection also carries us forward when our embedded theology proves inadequate. Sincere or not, our embedded theology may be ill-informed or even mistaken, sufficient only until a crisis, a conversation, a controversy, or our own spiritual growth leads us to reflect again.” When we engage in deliberative theological reflection, we are illustrating our growth in our Christian walk by demonstrating what we understand by our faith and expounding upon it. To be a Christian, it involves intentional thinking.
Chapter Two: “Fashioning Theology” begins with another illustration by the authors.
This time they use craft as a way to explain theology. They contend that theology is learned and developed or crafted through practice and growth. Theology is meant to interpret life when viewed through faith. It is our embedded theological reflections that interact with deliberative theological reflections. In other words, our life experiences interact with Christian theological categories and truth. “Theological reflection is in many respects comparable to a craft…The central operations they perform are three: (1) interpreting the meaning of Christian faith; (2) correlating those interpretations with other interpretations; and (3) assessing the adequacy of the interpretations and their
correlations.”
“Offering some evaluation of the rationale and trustworthiness of a theology is an integral part of the reflective theological enterprise…When our initial understandings seem no longer tenable, when we must decide among several conflicting understandings of faith, deliberative theologies develop as the result of self-consciously weighing alternative theological views.” Stone and Duke speak of four tests to help assess our theological perspectives: Christian appropriateness, Intelligibility, Moral Integrity, and Validity.
First, Christian appropriateness asks the questions is it Christian and does it conform to the Gospel? Second, Intelligibility is concerned with the theological reflection making sense to the Christian even if it does not make sense to anyone else and is it plausibly coherent? Third, Moral Integrity asks does the theology have integrity or ethical standards? Last, Validity is concerned with it being valid. Is it true to life and the scriptures? “Assessment . . . is carried out in very down-to-earth terms. “Is it Christian?” is a common concern of church members who question the appropriateness of a particular view. The matter of intelligibility arises whenever someone’s theological statements leave listeners or readers bewildered by what has just been said. Moral integrity often surfaces in gut-level responses to some Christian’s theological views. Issues of validity arise whenever theological views come into conflict with what has come to be accepted generally as truth.”
Lastly, in Chapter Three: Resources for Theological Reflection, Stone and Duke begin with a story about the durability of one of the author’s car. The car was nicknamed ‘Luther’ after the theologian Martin Luther because of one his quotes, “Here I stand.” Martin Luther’s refusal to recant his theology may seem brave to some, obstinate to others. In any case, it alerts us to an important point about theology. He could not back down because, among other things, he could not stand anywhere else than where his lifelong journey of faith had led him.”
Since the authors allege that all Christians are theologians, the authors also contend that they operate with a theological template. When Christians operate without a template, they run the risk of ignoring the single message wrought by God. According to James H. Cone in A Black Theology of Liberation, “Sources are the “formative factors” that determine the character of a given theology.”
However, Stone and Duke refer to the Methodist Quadrilateral (Wesleyan Quadrilateral): Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience as the resources instead of ‘sources’ required or necessary for theological reflection. John Wesley used four sources: scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. They have come to be known collectively as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. In geometry, a quadrilateral is comprised of four sides. When considering those four sides, think of our faith as having four sides or four sources. Moreover, an important dynamic when considering the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, the sources are not to be thought of as equilateral. Rather scripture is to be the focal point and the basis from which all authority is derived.
As with Stone and Duke, the primary source of authority is scripture. The other three sources are secondary. Scripture refers to the 66 canonical books of the Bible. It is the divinely inspired word of God. It is the basis from which church traditions are formed and either accepted or rejected. When using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral scripture is the highest authority and must be placed above all. If scripture is precise and distinct in a certain matter, then no other element is needed. There is no need for reason, tradition, or experience.
By traditions, we are referring to the doctrines intrinsic to Christianity and a certain denomination. Consider the Nicene or Apostle’s Creeds for examples of tradition. They are intrinsic to Christianity and form the basis of most of our church doctrine. It is what the church fathers have determined to be true. Tradition refers to the views of the early church leaders and theologians. They are crucial for understanding the fundamentals of a topic. Our understanding is based on the teachings, views, and interpretations of earlier Christians. They are fundamental to what the church believes today. Then reason is how we can understand the basic truth of scripture.
Reason in this instance does not refer to being logical and sane. It refers to a human’s ability to think and use our minds to know who God is. Reason is how we build, develop, and expound upon our theology. It allows for scripture to be read and interpreted.
Experience helps us clarify the information or theology we learn from the other sources. It is through experience that we come into communion with the Holy Spirit. “Wesley believed that we must have experienced something to have reasonable assurance. He could be reasonably assured of justification and sanctification because he had experienced them both.” Our lives and personal experience(s) can make clear the truths God reveals through the four sources.
While Scripture is primary, Stone and Duke believe reason is the most active. They also believe reason is at work in our interpretation of Scripture, in the exploration and evaluation of tradition and experience, and in building connections between theology and the other disciplines of academic inquiry. “The usefulness of reason as a theological resource has to do with taking care in how we think about things…Reasoning is part of theological reflection. It is involved in interpreting Scripture, Tradition, and Experience. It also plays a role in every effort to assess alternative accounts of the Christian faith in search of the most adequate one…Theologians who ignore this one rule of thumb are at risk: theology needs to be as clear, coherent, and well informed as possible.”
According to Stone and Duke, all Christians are theologians. They continue to support their theses with the first three chapters. Chapter One: “Faith, Understanding, and Reflection”; Chapter Two: “Fashioning Theology”; and Chapter Three: “Resources for Theological Reflection” deliberate how and why Christians should do theology. How to Think Theologically is written for all Christians, but seminarians will probably benefit the most. Everyone should think theologically, and it is an essential activity of the Christian faith. This book provided an informative way to bring understanding to this way of thinking.