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oh I do have thoughts on theology and its purpose, by the by, and get pumped, because it involves a CONSTRUCTION METAPHOR
The purpose of houses is for people to live in. It’s sort of their whole thing, right?
And there are some parts of construction that are very obvious and visible from a daily living perspective - the outermost layer of walls and floors, lightswitches, windows and doors, etc
There’s also a BUNCH of stuff that’s not really as visible in day to day life and frankly it would be bad if it were, or at least not helpful. Plumbing, wiring, framing, insulation, etc.
If those things went away, that would be, uh, bad. For the whole house, and for its livability. But for the most part, we don’t need to spend a lot of time even thinking about the fact that those things are there. It’s genuinely okay to not think about them
But it’s good that there are a handful of people who specialize in those various things! (I am not speaking about clergy here, I am speaking about theologians.) I am no electrician, I don’t specialize in insulation, etc, but I’m glad some people do!
Nevertheless, it would be weird and bad if we began obsessing about the minute details of insulation and wiring and plumbing to the detriment of things like... the walls and the roof. And the quality of life had by the people who live in the house
Every part of a house should ultimately contribute to the safety and wellness of the people in it. There’s no real room for showmanship or self-indulgence in the behind-the-scenes stuff. It should, ideally, be invisible
Academic theology is good and important, and for the post part it should be invisible in the day to day life of the Christian and of the Church
It’s okay for individuals to find it interesting, and to choose to learn more about it - just like it’s fine for me to bother my wife by telling her all about insulation all the time, because I am now a construction nerd
To say that something is bad or a waste of time because it would be bad if everybody did that thing... doesn’t follow. The important thing is to keep first things first - the people for whom Christ died.
ALSO, if a house is having plumbing problems, it’s okay to address the problem without trying to make everybody in the house an expert plumber
The idea that the house is primarily for or belongs to whoever has the most detailed understanding of the various trade professions is bullshit
The idea that someone knows more or more important things about the house because they understand its wiring? Also bullshit! The ways of knowing a place truly and deeply that matter most have everything to do with how you *live* in them
I’m not saying the only valid way to do theology is in/for the church - but I am saying that theology should be for the benefit of *people*
OKAY done
I made up this metaphor completely on the fly so please feel free to point out to me places where it has problems bc I didn’t really think it through at all in advance
I made up this metaphor completely on the fly so please feel free to point out to me places where it has problems bc I didn’t really think it through at all in advance
