Theology as Self-Expression

I was visiting with a student today about my religious beliefs. Specifically, he was asking me about my faith journey and the specific issues that have caused crises in my faith.

As I reflected on my spiritual history I noted that many of us have particular theological hang-ups or tripping points. And these vary from person to person. Specifically, people will vary on if they take Issue X seriously. If they are dismissive of Issue X they don't trip up on X. But if they take X seriously they trip.

So, I began thinking about all the things I've taken seriously in the world of ideas and how each, because I take it seriously, has affected my theological system. My preliminary list is as follows:

My faith has tripped up on the following...

Evolution (particularly hominid evolution)

Existentialism (specifically that religious faith might be a form of wishful thinking)

The Historical Background of the Bible (did you know Moses did not write the first five books of the bible?)

The Doctrine of Hell (I find it morally heinous)

The Problem of Pain/Evil (which, I hope, needs no explanation)


By taking each of these seriously my faith has been altered in radical ways. But what strikes me about this list, or others, is that not everyone trips up on these exact issues. Which always puzzles me. Each seems obvious to me. What this seems to suggest is that the peculiarities of our theological beliefs will tend to vary willy-nilly, for no real rhyme or reason. Some things you take seriously and other things not so much. And these positions seem to come to us like preferences. We don't "choose" to take the problem of pain seriously. It just imposes itself upon you, it forces you to take it seriously. You feel these tripping points in your bones. You either "get it" or not.

Which means that your theology is kind of like your sense of humor or taste in music. It expresses something about you and how you take in the world.

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