Why Do Theologians Disagree? Margaret Lepke
How we see theology can make all the difference to our understanding of certain concepts. That brings me to my current question: Have you ever wondered why theologians disagree with one another? Many Christians admire educated peers and believe what they say, especially if these people are well known and have written prominent books. And this can be a good thing because we may be able to learn much from them. It is also a good thing to submit to the leadership and teaching of our elders. But having said that, we also need to understand that even learned men (and women) are fallible, and that theologians can and do disagree with one another. Usually this does not happens regarding important issues, such as who Jesus is or the Trinity; but there certainly are disagreements on many not so important issues. This is not an intellectual dissertation. My only intention is to provide a fundamental answer to an obvious question in order to encourage active participation in learning. In light of having a Bible that claims to be the inspired and infallible Word of God, I was puzzled by theological disagreements and began looking... After studying human behaviour and researching historical church movements, I began to realise that there are many factors that influence our current diversity of thought: cultural and philosophical trends, differing theological frameworks, personal preferences based on personality differences, personal and theological perceptions and the list goes on. Here I will only discuss two of the more fundamental reasons: the influences generated by theological frameworks and trends, and people’s resistance to change. (1) Influence of Theological Frameworks and Trends Apart from cultural and philosophical backgrounds, the founders of doctrinal distinctives were themselves influenced by theological models of their time, some of which had evolved into traditions of men, others remaining true to Scripture. Systematic theology per se is a helpful tool and gives comfort and security to Biblical enquirers. But it is not infallible, and this is where our theological colleges come into play. The first difficulty arises when students enter these colleges. They want to learn God’s truth in order to serve Him better, and their intentions are most sincere. However, theological colleges are subject to denominational preferences and
associated theological concepts. They reflect particular mind-sets that they pass on to others. The problem is that students are constrained by time and exam expectations. They need to cram a lot of information in a relatively short period of time for the passing of tests. This means that they simply don’t have the time to properly research for themselves what is being learnt, or even fully digest what they have taken on board. It is a fact that colleges tend to reproduce more of their own kind of academics with the same mind-set of ‘truth’. Students entering a chocolate-flavored college, for example, will eventually pass on chocolate-flavoured doctrine. Those who enter a strawberry-flavored college will pass on strawberry flavoured doctrine. If the doctrine is scriptural, all is well. But if it is not, then error flourishes. The end result is that individual flavours will be retained automatically within their cycle: a denominational college educates pastors and teachers… these move to congregations… congregations bring in new converts… some of these eventually become new students… they are educated once again by the same college… and eventually move back into congregations… (2) Resistance to Change The second difficulty regarding disagreements stems from the fact that most people don’t like change. They prefer to stay within 'safe' parameters rather than chart new waters. They feel threatened by change. The path of Christian growth requires many changes: changed habits, changed thinking and changed understanding due to more insights and learning. A growing Christian does not remain stagnant. However, most people are not free thinkers. They are part of the flock that follows their shepherd’s voice (a shepherd that has usually encountered a particular college flavour). Even among academics there are very few free thinkers, i.e. those who are able and willing to think outside of the square, and are willing to stand against the mainstream if their own research brings to light a different ‘truth’. Being eloquent and ‘studied’ does not necessarily mean that one has discernment and the agility to consider issues from new and different perspectives. This is also why commentaries make such interesting reading. When considering ‘difficult’ Bible passages, many commentators remain silent or else copy the thoughts of previous peers. Having said all of this, it is important to remember that those people who unwittingly pass on erroneous information on a particular topic, are usually sincere in their motives! And moreover, they can be excellent teachers of truth in other areas. Yet in some instances they can also be wrong, albeit sincerely so. You may have been wondering why I am writing about this issue. My point is this: Every Christian, as far as he or she is capable, should search Scripture diligently to discern whether what is taught is true according to God’s Word. This is not a contentious practice but was commended by Paul when he preached Christ to the Bereans during Christianity’s infancy (Acts 17:11). The Word of God is the sword of His Spirit and an essential component of our spiritual armour. We need to use it diligently to protect, defend and advance!
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