Last Friday I
stood in front of a classroom leading a discussion section for an undergraduate
intro to theology class. I was well aware that many of them had signed up for
the course because it is a university requirement, not because they have any
interest in theology whatsoever. As such, my goal for the first section was to
persuade them that theology is actually worth studying, certainly for those who
believe it but also for those who don’t. So, why should one study theology?
First, theology
helps us know God. It teaches us both what God is like and what God has done
throughout history. But these ideas are more than abstract ideas or historical
facts. I didn’t say only that theology helps us know about God.
Information can be the gateway into a relationship. To develop a real
friendship with another person, you must know things about them: where they’re
from, who their family is, what they like and dislike. The same goes for God.
Knowing about God is a necessary step on the way to knowing God, and those who
already have faith can deepen their knowledge of God through academic study.
Second, theology
helps us know ourselves. It addresses all the big questions everyone must face.
What does it mean to be human? What is the purpose of life? Why is there
suffering? What happens after death? While many of these central questions are
also addressed by philosophy, sometimes we simply can’t reason our way to
answers. It is then that we must turn to revelation, a resource that can only
be accessed through theology, to guide us as we reason toward answers.
So theology is
deeply important for those who believe it. But what about those who don’t? Can my
non-Christian students gain anything from a required theology course? I would
love my students to believe Christianity’s answers to the deep questions of
life because I think those answers are true. But even if they don’t, they can
still profit from studying another’s viewpoint in depth.
In our culture,
it’s easy to think of religion as merely culturally engrained habits at best or
superstition at worst. But when we think this way, we often fail to grasp the
ways that religious beliefs affect other people’s actions and thoughts. How can
an atheist and a Christian have a productive discussion without understanding
what the other person actually believes? Studying theology can help even
unbelieving students understand the depth and intellectual rigor that comes
from religious beliefs, the content of some of those beliefs and the way that
affects believers’ thoughts and behavior. This will be very valuable as
students go out into the world and meet people from different backgrounds.
On a related note,
much of Western art, literature and film draws on the Bible, directly or
indirectly. Developing a familiarity with the basics of Christian theology can
help my students understand European and American culture more deeply.
Last, studying
theology helps us develop skills we use in understanding other areas. It helps
us think carefully about large questions, listen to and assess various
viewpoints, discuss ideas clearly and respectfully and write about these
issues. Each of these takes practice, and the course I’m teaching will help my
students develop skills that they will use throughout college and for the rest
of their lives.
Did I convince my
students that this course isn’t a waste of time? I have no idea. I suppose the
more important questions are: Did I convince you that learning about and
discussing theology is important? And did I convince myself not to shy away
from talking about it?
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