Declutter Your Theology

“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died."

~ 1 Corinthians 15:3-6

Jamie and I are in the middle of packing for our big move to Tofino at the end of August. We've packed and move many times before, but this one is especially tricky.

Not only are we moving from a home of of two bedrooms and loft (with storage) to a home of one bedroom (with very little storage), we are also moving our fully furnished home to a partially furnished home. We have to combine the two furnishing options, decide what we want to keep, and give away, sell, or toss the rest.

In other words, there is lots of decluttering to do.

It's amazing how much stuff we've collected over the years (and this coming from someone who already loves to declutter and get rid of stuff!). We're pulling out boxes that we've not looked in for six years (the length of time we've lived in our current home) and asking do we really need it?

Of course there are essentials we will take with us - things that we need and things that are very important to us - but some items we deemed essential at the beginning of this process we now realize are non-essential. 

It's actually a very freeing process. With every bag that goes to the thrift store, or photo album we give to our children, I feel a bit lighter inside. In fact, I'm think the moving truck I reserved will now be too big.

Do we collect too much theology?

Theology is the study of God. It was never meant to be an intellectual pursuit alone. I heard Gordon Fee once say that theology (study of God) must always results in doxology (worship of God). In other words, theology is a spiritual practice first and foremost.

Obviously there is no end to the study of God. He is Love and Mystery, and the depths of God will never be fully plumbed. Yet when it comes to our understanding of God (in the limited capacity we have), there are essentials and non-essentials. 

The cluttering issue arises if we gather more and more non-essential theological minutiae and mistakenly either lose sight of the essential or elevate the non-essentials to the same level our essentials.

Two quick examples from the beginning and end of the Story of God. The essentials of Genesis 1-2 answer the questions "Who" and "What". God created the heavens and the earth, and it was very good. Those chapters are not intended to answer "How," "When," or even "Why." Can we build a theology on those latter three questions? Absolutely, but they are secondary to the primary of "God" and a "very good" creation.

At the end of the Story, the essentials are Jesus will physically return, the dead will be bodily raised, and all things will be reconciled to God. Topics like the order of events and what the symbolism of Revelation means are so very secondary to the primary truths of Jesus' return. Can we build a theology on those latter issues? Absolutely, but they cannot be elevated to the same level of essentialism.

This essential and non-essential motif continues into all areas of theology. 

This is where what I am learning with this move is helping me with my theology. We need to hold on to the essential and be open-handed with the non-essential. This doesn't mean we cannot study these secondary theological questions and come away with thoughts, opinions, and deeper understandings, but it does mean we need to not hold them as tightly as the essentials and also have some theological humility to allow for difference of opinions.

If a follower of Jesus tells me Jesus did not rise from the dead, I might take umbrage with that statement and, if I have the relationship to do so, say something. If they tell me they think baby baptism is more in line with the New Testament than believer baptism, I'm likely going to say, "Cool. So where do you want to go for lunch?" Unless, of course, the person is another theology nerd like me and we can have a good faith discussion about it. Then we can throw down (in love and respect).

I have theological thoughts and opinions based on 30 years of reading and studying Scripture, but I have found growing freedom in being able to differentiate between essential and non-essential theology and holding the primary things firmly and the secondary things loosely.

Don't get me wrong, there are still essential theological understandings of God (e.g. much of the Apostle's Creed contains essential theology, though not all), but that list may be smaller than we think.

PAUSE and REFLECT

How cluttered is your theology?

In asking this I do not mean how much theology are you holding (like I said, we can have thoughts and opinions about all sorts of theological perspectives), but how much theology are you holding as essential? Because what we deem as essential will hold a more primary place in our heart and mind.

If we get as riled up when someone says "I don't think there will be a rapture of believers before a time of tribulation" as we do when someone says "I don't think Jesus will return", then something is very wrong. The former is secondary, the latter is primary.

To declutter our theology means we are able to hold secondary issues lightly and humbly while growing more confident and assured on the primary issues.

In the end, I'm going to take some non-essential items with me to Tofino. I don't need that cool CBC mug I got for Christmas (there are lots of mugs already waiting for us). But I really like it. However, I understand it's non-essential place in my life which gives me a level of open-handedness with it I wouldn't have if I considered it essential.

Where might God be inviting you to grow more theologically humble in the secondary issues? Where might he want you to grow more assured in the primary ones?