Why "Curious Theology"?

When you hear the word, "Theology" what comes to mind? Old men? Dusty books? Imposing facial hair?

When you hear the word "theology" what comes to mind?

Old dudes? Dusty books? Imposing facial hair?

Anything else?

What about big words and complicated ideas about God?

What about details that don’t seem very significant but that—you’re assured by people “holier than thou”—are, actually, extremely important?

What about all of those things you think you should understand by now, but that you still find so confusing?

People study theology for lots of different reasons. Sometimes we study theology because it presents itself to us as a field of study to be mastered—and some of us just like to master things. Sometimes we study theology because we think it will be useful to us in some way—and we’re all trying to make our lives work better. Sometimes we study theology because it’s a serious topic, and we desperately want to make sure that God (and everyone else) knows that we’re serious people.

There’s no denying it at this point: I’m what you’d call a professional theologian. For the past four years, I’ve been on staff at a local church. Recently, I’ve returned to school as a full-time student of Systematic Theology. And, while I hope this next course of study won’t take me the rest of my career, I do hope to never stop being a student of theology.

So I’m a professional theologian, and I wish that I could tell you that—apart from the dusty books and imposing facial hair—I’m not driven by any of the above motivators. But, sadly, I can’t say that. The truth is that, at many points along my journey I’ve been driven to study theology by all of those things and many others that I’d rather not dredge up.

We study theology for lots of different reasons, but as far as I can tell, there is really only one proper motivator: communion with God. See, theology is the study of God, but God isn’t a topic of study for us to master, like biology or math (or maths, if you’re from somewhere where math comes in plurals). And by studying God we do learn about God’s world and how things work, but there’s usually not the kind of direct correlation that you’d hope for between growth in theological insight and success in life. And, as serious as the study of God is, most of us ned to take ourselves a little less seriously.

So, what is this space and why am I calling it “Curious Theology”?

I’m starting this little newsletter here, right at the very beginning of my return to full-time theological studies, so that I can have a way to share the things that I’m learning with friends, family, and other people who I might meet along the way. And I know things are going to be worth sharing because God is endlessly fascinating. He’s not like other topics of study, and he’s not a tool to make your life work right, and he’s not someone waiting for you to impress him with your rigor. God is the one who made us. He is the one who loves. He is the one who longs to show us mercy in Jesus and to raise us up with him in the last day. God is the one who meets us and disrupts us and calls us to life.

And I find all of that so curious. So, as I spend the next [who knows, really] years studying God and his ways of kindness and justice and mercy and love, I wanted to start this little thing so that I can share what I’m learning with all of you. I hope that some of you will read along with me. And I hope that, as you do, the Spirit of Jesus will stir you to a deeper, more robust sense of joy and gratitude and curiosity in the God to whom you belong. I hope that for whatever time you spend reading the words I write, that you’ll find yourself growing in the love of God, and the grace of Jesus, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for reading along and for being curious with me.