What is Theology?—part 1—Dr. Fry

What is Theology?—part 1—Dr. Fry

Dr. David Fry holds a PhD in Systematic Theology and is the lead pastor of the Bible Holiness Church in Frankfort Indiana.  Portions of  one of his writings have been used here with his permission.

          Theology, etymologically, simply means the study of God. But Christian theology is so much more. In a nutshell, theology is something we do, being “less theoretical than it is theatrical.” Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014), 20.  While some people’s theology is more pie-in- the-sky, Christian theology is all about down-to-earth living. There are two aspects to Christian theology: doctrine and practice. Doctrine has to do with what we say about God; practice has to do with how that translates into living for God.  Both are essential elements of Christian theology. Doctrine and practice go hand-in- hand in Christian theology. So much so that we might say that one does not truly know his doctrine until he knows how to live it. Kevin Vanhoozer writes, “Church without doctrine to direct it is blind; yet doctrine without the church to embody it is empty.” Ibid. 147. Hypocrisy occurs when there is a disconnect between our doctrine and our practice. This disconnection is something less than God’s will for His followers.

          Thought for the day—G. Wolf

          Ministers of music many time are so caught up in music sequences that follow a theme that the last thing on their minds is a disconnect between doctrine and practice.  As a matter of fact theology is often low on their order of importance list and practice is not even on the list of things to think about when they are planning music for Sunday morning worship.