‘True theology is practical (missional)…. speculative theology belongs to the devil in hell,’ – Luther.

The increasing decline and lack of sound doctrine points to the woeful contemporary biblical illiteracy and moral decline. The shifts in the early medieval period, among others, especially in the social location of Western Christian theology to newly emerging universities, continue to be a source of worry and challenge to the contemporary church’s health and growth.  There is a need to recover the New Testament vision of the Church and Christianity, hence a theology of the people, for the people and by the people in relationship with God. Theology is not just a clerical or academic discipline. Theology is our lifestyle in and with God. Such a missional, biblical, historical, systematic, and strategic theology runs on emptiness.

A good example is the theology and lesson a destitute woman learned from the prophet Elisha. One day, Elisah meets a woman with nothing – no husband, no income, no food, no prospects. The prophet tells her to gather what she has, and she returns with a jar of oil and several empty jars from neighbours. She begins to pour her oil into the empty jars and continues pouring until all the jars are full. Only then does the oil in the first jar run out. She gets as much oil as she has empty jars. True theology shaped by emptiness is a gift from the Lord and tells us we have a need.

The church and its leadership are declining because we are not empty enough; we are too proud, too full of ourselves live Naaman. True theology leads us to empty places where we can lean on nothing – not degree, title, wealth or position, but God’s provision. Recovery of theology focuses on God’s attributes – His power, love, holiness, and mercy. Recovery of theology is about salvation through Jesus Christ, redemption of humanity and offering forgiveness. Recovery of theology is built on the importance of the Bible as the undiluted source of faith and revelation, guiding believers as followers of Jesus Christ. Recovery of theology is in the expression of hope in God’s promises, particularly concerning eternity and the resurrection.

Theology is the basis of faith-filled action and life that helps to gain the truth of God, know God, and relate rightly to the world rather than academic theology abstracted from life (John 7:17). In Hebrew, to ‘know’ God is to have intercourse with God. True theology that is practical is the divine truth that involves love with and of God and neighbour. True theology is essentially an engagement with God. It is a love relationship, disposition of soul, lived truth in and with God.

True theology does not separate practice from theory or theory from practice. It is not just a letter that kills but inspires visible and scriptural holiness. Rigorous analysis of the truth without passionate practice of the truth informed Luther’s statement that ‘true theology is practical …. speculative theology belongs to the devil in hell.’ According to Luther, ‘it is through the torment of the cross, death and hell that true theology and knowledge of God come about… The cross alone is our theology.’

The world may reduce theology to God-talk, how-to courses, especially in our seminaries and universities. To understand theology, please answer these questions:

Who am I?

Where am I?

What is the purpose of my life?

To whom do I belong?

Does my daily work have any meaning?

What happens when I die?  

Does the planet have a future?

Beloved, you are a theologian trying to make sense of your life so that you may live for the praise of God’s glory now and in eternity.

Job’s three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—spoke according to the theology of the day, but they received God’s judgement at the end (Job 42:7). God recognised only Job as the authentic theologian because while the friends talked and delivered good lectures about God, Job talked to God and spoke well of God.

Please pray for the healing of theology in our seminaries and academic institutions.

Pray against the danger of mere intellectual, hierarchical, and social theologies against missional theology in the church and the world.