Theology may be good or bad, but never correct

Like it or not, we are all theologians. Every person who thinks about values to which they subscribe and honor is theologizing. Some theologies are good, and some are bad, but no one’s theology is entirely correct.

The theology of many people is well thought out, but more than likely the masses of our theologies are not well thought out. I was privileged to study under world-class theologians. We studied Lutheran theology, we studied the theology of John Calvin and, since I studied in a Methodist seminary, we studied the theology of John Wesley. We studied all three in the context of historic and classic Roman Catholic theology.

I enjoyed the passionate arguing of theology that took place every day on our campus. I came to seminary as a Calvinist. I left a Wesleyan. I have been tweaking my theological understanding ever since.

Allow me to review some theology 101. Roman Catholic theologians, of course, dominated the theological world from the fourth century C.E., until the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century C.E. There were certainly some significant non-Catholic theologians during the era of Roman Catholic dominance, but Catholic thinking was not seriously challenged — and for good reason. The Catholic Church produced a steady stream of brilliant thinkers.

Augustine of Hippo (late fourth and early fifth centuries) and Thomas Aquinas (13th century) are without question two giants of Christian history. Their influence on Western thought is a given. For example, Augustine gave Christian churches their just war theories and Aquinas was the greatest of all natural theologians. Their trail of influence crosses the path of every Christian. With longevity and great theologians, the Roman Catholic Church became, and is the keeper of, Christian church tradition. Even to this day, though Catholic theologians may make great use of the Bible materials and are certainly schooled in logic, when their theological formulations are made, the traditions of their church fathers trump all other perspectives. Tradition reigns supreme in Roman Catholic theology.

When Martin Luther in 16th-century Germany challenged the Catholic Church and its traditions, he did so by insisting the Bible, not the Roman Pope nor the long-held traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, was the final word in the theology of Christianity. The final word and authority for all matters of faith and practice was to be found in the Bible. Focusing on Paul’s letter to the Romans, Luther insisted that salvation was by faith, and by faith alone. Luther’s insistence on the Bible as ultimate authority dominated his thinking. He translated the entire Bible into the language of the people. He wrote voluminous commentary on the Bible and its meaning. He wrote hymns for the people that enabled them to sing their faith.

Luther, a Roman Catholic priest married and insisted that celibacy was contrary both to the Bible and nature. In America, Luther’s influence on Christianity reaches far, far beyond the churches that carry his name. In reality, every church in America that claims the Bible as authority in all matters of faith and practice owes a great debt to Martin Luther.

John Calvin was a French contemporary of Martin Luther. He came to believe God had called him to reform the Christian faith. Calvin had been trained as a lawyer. He left the Catholic Church. He made his way to Geneva, Switzerland, and found fertile soil for his thinking. Like Luther, he insisted that the Bible was central to the understanding of Christian faith; however, he brought a different perspective. Drawing from his legal background, Calvin brought reason and order to the theological task. He prized order and brought the Old Testament teachings about covenants to his writings. He wrote and rewrote his Institutes. For Luther, Bible authority trumped Catholic tradition. For Calvin, reason was to be used to check undo Bible authority and to put Catholic tradition in perspective.

Calvin dominated Geneva, and his teachings came to dominate the Netherlands and Scotland. Presbyterians and all Reformed churches continue to look to Calvin for their thinking, and Calvinism is a dominant theology for many Baptists.

John Wesley was an Episcopal priest who was bent on becoming a truly holy man. In 1738, he experienced a personal conversion while worshiping at Aldersgate Church. He became a traveling Evangelist, but still considered himself an Anglican. He brought yet another perspective to theologizing. He appreciated the traditions of the Roman Church, prized the Bible of Luther’s thinking and honored the reason and logic of Calvin. However, his personal experience with God overshadowed the influence of Roman, Lutheran and Reformed churches. His confession was simple: “I cannot believe that which is contrary to my experience.”

Wesley’s message found many converts in the British Isles, but they caught fire on the American frontier. Methodism is his heritage, and all American Pentecostals trace their roots to John Wesley.

There you have it. Four perspectives. Great theologies, all well intended. Has anyone gotten it entirely correct? I doubt it. Is anyone entirely wrong? I don’t think so. Are there good theologies? Yes, I believe so. Are there bad theologies? I am certain. It is the fool who thinks he or she is the one who has gotten it right.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His e-mail address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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