I think theology gets a bad wrap. For some people, theology generates images of portly men in academic regalia debating questions fit only for ivory towers. If that’s all there is to theology, then theology is irrelevant.
For other people, theology conjures up thoughts of unbending traditions that, over time, become more important than the authority of Scripture. To the extent that this is true, theology is oppressive.
However, I believe theology takes place where the gospel meets culture. And I’ve found very few things in life more exhilarating!
Theology takes places where the gospel meets culture.
1. The Gospel met culture in the Bible.
H. D. Beeby wrote a wonderful little book called Canon and Mission. In this book, he argues that, throughout the long history of the Bible, the unchanging message of God encountered a multitude of different cultures. The context may have changed, but the message stayed the same.
Perhaps, that’s why we have four books in the New Testament called gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). God had one gospel message for four different contexts. The Bible is filled with good theology.
2. The Gospel met culture throughout history.
The gospel first encountered Jewish culture through the person of Jesus. It quickly encountered Greek culture, providing the original language of the New Testament. In time, the gospel encountered Roman culture and Latin became the dominant language of theology for more than a thousand years. There is even compelling evidence that the gospel made it to India before the close of the first century.
There’s more to theology than language. But language illustrates the point that when gospel meets culture, some things need to change so the message of the gospel can stay the same. History is filled with good theology.
“Nothing is more exhilarating than doing good theology anywhere the gospel meets culture.”
3. The Gospel met culture in the modern missionary movement.
Modern travel and technology exposed the Western world to a previously-unimaginable variety of peoples. These advances led to an explosion of Bible translations and missionary societies. It also led missionaries to wrestle with the best ways to communicate the unchanging message of the gospel to a host of different cultures. Modern missions is filled with good theology.
4. The Gospel still meets culture today.
In our cities, towns, neighborhoods, and schools, cultures cascade one over the other. Formerly, travel and technology carried us to distant shores; today, they bring those distant shores to our doorsteps.
As we encounter different cultures today, theology will wrestle with what needs to change so the message of the gospel can stay the same. We can learn a lot about good theology from the Bible, from history, and from missions. In all honesty, it behooves us to learn these valuable lessons from the past. But nothing is more exhilarating than doing good theology anywhere the gospel meets culture.
A version of this article originally posted on CrisAlley.com
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