By Dean Lusk Jesus' theology was perfect. The rest of us, as smart or as Spirit-filled as some may be, have an imperfect, even muddled understanding of it. While there's no getting around the fact that if objective truth does exist (and I believe it does), some people are closer to it than others. However, I hope that no follower of Christ is convinced that he has such a stranglehold on "proper theology" that it rivals that of Jesus.
So why have we elevated theological understanding to a place of supreme importance in the Church, displacing priorities that Jesus obviously held to be critical? I would argue that we have done so in a bold, unashamed manner.
When was the last time you heard of a person or family leaving a church fellowship because that church body didn't serve the needy people in the community? I'm not sure I've ever heard of anything like that. How long has it been since you found out about a family leaving their church because the pastor seemed to be leaning toward Calvinism? Yesterday? Last month?
How often does a believer decide to seek out a new church home
because their current one doesn't give much money to the poor or to sister churches in need? How often do they begin that journey
because they feel like the deacons are trying to run the church? because the music is too "rock 'n roll"? because the pastor uses too many sermon illustrations and not enough Scripture?
In the Word we see by Jesus' actions and words that
He was far more concerned about a person's love for the Lord and love for other people than He was about their theology. It seems quite odd to me, then, that most who claim to follow Him today have positioned their spiritual concerns
in the exact opposite way.
Solid theology can and should coexist with love and justice (see my comments on
Biblical justice when you have time), but it does not trump them and
certainly doesn't replace them. Let's stop acting as though it does.
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NLT) Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)
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Comments (17)
Caution: Trolls ahead
The secular world view taken by this post to interpret the Gospel doesn't work. Here are the reasons why:
1. The Gospel is holistic so there is no trumping. Theology and love do much more than coexist, they work together seamlessly. Since there is no trumping, the question, "Does theology trump love?" presents us with a nonexistent question. In philosophy that is called an absurdity.
2. Theology is macro. Jesus' commandments are micro, ie. personal. So we use theology to guide or civic responsibilities and church activities. We use Jesus' commandment to guide our own personal conduct.
3. Orthodox Christian theology is pure wisdom so it is absolutely proper for people to judge the rightness or wrongness of preachers, church activities or written matter based on theology.
4. Jesus' commandments are pure wisdom which is necessary to develop our conscience.
So in melding the macro of theology to deal with the world and with the micro of Jesus' commandments to deal with ourselves, we become complete human beings.
"I am more interested in your fruit than I am your theology. If your knowledge doesn’t better equip you to love, it’s worthless.
-Mattie Montgomery"
^a quote I just happened to reblog on tumblr the other day
"In the Word we see by Jesus' actions and words that He was far more concerned about a person's love for the Lord and love for other people than He was about their theology. It seems quite odd to me, then, that most who claim to follow Him today have positioned their spiritual concerns in the exact opposite way."
It seems that you would agree that a loving person who is of another or no faith is acceptable to God?
I suppose we could say we should judge ourselves by what's in our own hearts. But leave a church because of rock and roll? You bet I did. Fundamental churches have all but killed choirs, and there seems to be an assumption that elderly people really enjoy loud rock music. No, they aren't going to tell you, but they've told me. And I feel like I have a right to question the spending habits of my church, something I never saw the first 15 years of being a Christian. Went to a pastor because I had a dear friend, member of the church, who was about 4 days short of being homeless, and wondered if we could possibly help. A stop gap if you will, until other resources could be made available. He said he didn't know about those monies, and sent me to someone else. He, by the way, was building a 4th car garage. The man I went to was extremely unhappy with me, and gave me $300.00, with the advice I not come back. Then, when that year became an election year, we stopped having Sunday School, and started having politics 101. They wanted to know who I'd vote for. I should have said nothing, but since I had good friends there, thought I could tell the truth, so I did. The pastor called me in the following week, and told me I'd be happier elsewhere. That was my first Christian experience, in a Baptist church. Looking back, after weeks of tears, it was a good experience, because it caused me to study hard and heavy, and commit myself to God in ways in didn't know were possible.
I really like what is being said here. I think what the author is trying to say is that we need to start taking the Bible more personally and really start focusing on the own planks in our eyes before we start worrying about other things. In that, the author is saying that we need to master the small things, the things right in front of us, that we deal with everyday, before we start trying to jump the large hoops.
I can definitely agree with that on the basis that we understand that it is a relationship with God that we find ourselves in. See, as we grow in relationship with someone, we trust them with the small things, and then grow into the bigger things. I will trust someone with the things that are not so secret first, and then into the secrets of my heart.
As we grow into a relationship with God, we must preoccupy ourselves with figuring out what our relationship is, what it means, and how to live more like it. In that, we are learning to embody love. Love doesn't keep us from meeting needs just because someone said this, or so-and-so's a homosexual, or whatever. We are called to love like God loves. In that, we love even though we know that they're going to take advantage of us. We take advantage of God.
Theology does not trump love because love knows no boundaries and true love has no complications or limitations.
We tend to love too little, to care too little, and that's why we have religion... with its theology.
We are restless, and we have these things called minds. God knows us, and theology fills our need to use our brains to think things through.
Theology gives us a glimpse into the Mind of God, just like helping the poor shows us something about the Love of God. Theology is the study of God -- we try to learn more about people we care about in relationships. Theology is much better than indifference, just as love is better than indifference.
And then there is truth: theology and truth are generally seen as going together. A theology that only looked at truth, and distanced itself from love, would be a bad theology. Some of the arm-chair theologians of the past 400 years have perhaps lost sight of love.
The Swiss theologian, Hans Urs von Halthasar, said something like: truth must bend for love, because love can not bend for any other thing. I think Balthasar even said something like 'love trumps truth.'
A good revelife theme might be: does love trump truth?
"When was the last time you heard of a person or family leaving a church fellowshipbecause that church body didn't serve the needy people in the community? "
actually, that's precisely why my mom has stopped going to her former church. they're just a bunch of old people who care more about playing bridge than charity work (her words, not mine). she's decided to devote her time to secular charities, because she sees them as more effective.
@PrisonerxOfxLove@xanga - Given your opinion, I might expect your corrective words to be rich in both theology and love since they work together seamlessly, yet only one of those two comes across in your comments. Guess which one it is...?
That being said, I agree with you. I regret that the post was only attempting to address one incorrect notion rather than all the perspectives you note that it didn't address.
You said, "Since there is no trumping, the question, 'Does theology trump love?' presents us with a nonexistent question. In philosophy that is called an absurdity." I was presenting a very non-absurd situation. Many believers do think and live out the idea that theology trumps love. My point was to say that this is an incorrect view.
And to be quite clear, the answer to the question is "no." Your response answers the question that way, yet you call it absurd. Interesting, brother.
@Lovegrove@xanga - that's not what I was saying. "Love for the Lord" was a key component of the statement. I'm probably not going to go much further in addressing this, but I think the question is a great one.
@tbird_energizerbunny@xanga - Thanks much for the kind words. I figured this post would draw more argument than kudos (though I think we're about 50/50 so far), so your comment is refreshing.
@deanlusk - "that's not what I was saying. "Love for the
Lord" was a key component of the statement."
So it seems that you hold that one has to be a Christian to be acceptable to God. Sounds like the same ol' same ol' to me.
@PrisonerxOfxLove@xanga - I apologize; I posted a comment that was just being argumentative. Deleted it.
The personality of the Holy Spirit can help us do anything
John 14:15
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. A)'>
@deanlusk - I suppose anytime someone disagrees with us or shows us that our thinking is absurd, it would seem unloving.
But acquiring wisdom comes at a cost. And so does love.It is because most of us live according to our theology.
We mature hopefully and by that I mean that we actually see how Jesus loved and served others when reading the Gospel. Good post, has given me something to ponder.
peace
mark
many scriptures say that love trumps truth. I Cor 13, I John 4, john 3:16. its common sense. the truth is that we deserve death but God's love 4 us trumped that truth. truth supports love,not the other way around. God IS love. God values his name (Love) above his word (truth). being is more important than doing. Love is lifeblood. truth is lifeless & meaningless without love. a heart (love) keeps u alive, a brain can only help 2 regulatethe