Theologian Next: Beyond the Comfort Zone

THEOLOGIAN NEXT: BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE

A PERSONAL REFLECTION



It is simple but true to say that theology has
only one problem: God. We are theologians for
the sake of God. God is our dignity. God is our
agony. God is our hope.

--Jürgen Moltmann--

Those words of Moltmann were the opening sentence of his keynote address at the American Academy of Religion in Chicago (1994). Despite his complex yet beautiful presentations of Christian theology worked out for most of his life time, according to Moltmann, the core of all theological enterprises is God and God alone. Nothing else and nothing more. This reminds us of the astonishing answer of his predecessor–the giant theologian of the twentieth century Karl Barth. When asked to compress all of his thoughts, he simply said, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” As young theologians–well, could be said “fresh from the oven”–we are provided to people that they consume our taste. But the answer strikes us ahead to think deeply of what is theology all about. We work in the midst of the people of God. If it is true, therefore, that all theology is speaking of God, then how could we speak of this God to that people.

But living in today’s world surely makes us raise a question, “Is it true that the people of God still need to be informed by theology”? Why do I say so? For plenty of time the people feel that theology is boring, a dry bone. Fleshless.

First, people would rather have something “fresh”: preaching a bunch of illustrations and no doctrine, picking up one verse and shout aloud “Hey pastor, just keep your words short and funny!”, worship without strict liturgy nor hymns; whether it be "formal liturgical" or "hymn based" worship.

Second, the people keep no critical thinking. They wait something but not exegetically biblical preaching and teaching. They want more, that is what could be seen as though that is the genuine proof of the truth of Christianity. It is no wonder to see that so many churches are keen on preachers who get the extraordinary powers; though they speak without solid foundation even with no unity in their thinking system, they at least get something that theologians do not have. I recently confronted a lady during a great “miracle” festival in Semarang. The preacher came from Canada and was said to have miraculous gift of healing. She was amazed of what God “did” along the evenings, but she found that among our local congregation there are persons who are sceptical to the miracles done during those days. She said to me: “Nindyo, I’m extremely upset to know that some persons of our church come to the festival just to criticize God’s works. Look at the people, many of them come from different faiths, and many get healed. They need proof, Nindyo. And this is the proof of God!” Save me, she didn’t say that I’m one who do not believe in such a festival. For me, Jesus Christ is the Lord of the universe even though he does no miracles today. Please, do not ever think that I reject any miracle today!

Third, churches are in fear of losing their sheep. With the coming of neighbour churches with brighter and lighter ways of worship, the churches’ first priority is to keep their sheep comfortable with their home church. They build up new building with air conditioners, or buying new and sophisticated music instruments to support Sunday worship. They spend much money to accommodate the new era so that they won’t be old fashioned and left alone. They think this is the proper way to keep the sheep safe and comfortable. But the other price to be paid is forsaking the call of the church, lifting up priorities which can be put off and forgetting a lot of jobs to do.

Fourth, conflict of churches. There are a great number of reasons why churches are in conflict. It could be due to teaching, but–and very embarrassing–to conflict of interests that creeps undersurface as well. Yes, church separations could be in virtue of teachings, but people usually do not measure it in coherence with biblical doctrine. They believe it just because who tells so and so. Here, the power of speech has overcome the power of truth.

Do the present churches need theologians? In deep sorrow I reply they do not! Or better to say, they feel that they don’t. How are we then? Why should we spend four or five years in seminary, studying biblical languages, reading a great number of books, writing papers on systematic theology and doing exegeses if the people do not in need of these things? They await men and women who could pray for them, telling them interesting stories, comforting them in hard times, but no theologians, don’t they? It is enough for them if such persons open the Bible and tell them some verses to strengthen them, and say no theological jargon. This is the reason why so many seminarians, having graduated from seminary, get rid of “dry books”, packing it in a box and putting in the barn, or just making them sit proudly in shelves. No enough time to spend for study any longer! It is safe for us just to be low in heart. We are OK if we follow where the water flows. We can be at comfort with these all. And some people will say: “We are loved by God and God’s people. Isn’t it enough for us?” Yea, most of us enjoy staying in the comfort zone. The above question then should turn like this, “Do we need to regard ourselves theologians?”

Our task is not replying to question whether people and the church still need theology, nor explaining the necessity of theology for Christians. Besides, we are to explore further the fact that we are theologians, and we are to go beyond the comfort zone. We are unable to avoid of being Christian theologians. We have been graduated from seminary, thus we are theologians in the strict sense of words. We are professional theologians. The more we try to escape from this reality the more we hide our professionality. We are then to be professional theologians, or we are no theologians at all!

But, what does it mean to be a professional theologian? This is a great question to ask! My proposal is that being a professional theologian means being workable in the right time and place, that is in the church. “Theology is indispensable to the church,” the senior theologian John Macquarrie reminds us.1 Being theologian in the church is therefore indispensable too. There is no theologians who are not available in the context of the life of the people of God. It is true that there won’t be a final shape of theological enterprise, yet it is not reasonable to say that theologians may turn away from theological tasks, or underestimate its place in the life of the church. Moreover, Macquarrie says: “It is foolish, for instance, to suggest that we need devote ourselves only to the practical tasks of Christianity, or that theology can be replaced in the Church by such sciences as psychology and sociology.” This is true in our context. Many Christians tend to be practical, but actually not practical at all, but pragmatic. All theology must be practical, but it won’t ever be pragmatic. A pragmatic theology depends on subjective moods of the people, never asking the question “why” but jumping over to the “how.” Conversely, a practical theology seeks to make the solid thinking down to earth, so that the people of God may grasp the very heart of the Father, of what God wants them to be and do. It asks “why” first and then moves to “how”. Actions done by the church will be purposeless and thus meaningless unless it is illuminated by clear theological understanding. So, being a professional theologian means to articulate the bases of Christian practices and actions within the context of the people’s experience of joy and sorrow, of hilarity and agony.

A theologian is to be within the believing community, lives in the midst of God’s people, recognises their struggles and strivings. He also is to be representative of God and the church in front of the world. Here are calls of acting as priests and prophets. But before moving to the two, it is much better to recover the “being” itself. We start our quest at the critical point of the meaning of being authentic Christian theologians.

Being authentic is being real or true. So, what is the truth of being theologian? Take a look at Moltmann’s words, that “we are theologians for the sake of God.” Everything that we have is God’s. To be authentic then is to be men or women who bring into being the glory of God.

God be Praised!


1J. Macquarrie, Principles of Christian Theology (New York: Scribners, 1966), vii.