Theology = Love

Theologians.  What pops into your head when you hear that word? 

Bible-thumpers? Intellectuals? Professors? Crazy people?

The truth of the matter is, we are all theologians.  Everyone has their own set of theological beliefs. Even athiests do!  Athiests believe there is no god, and that, in and of itself is a theology.  Catholics have their own theology; Mormons have their own theology; Jehovah's Witnesses have their own theology, and the list goes on and on...

Our theological beliefs determine how we view, worship, and serve God.  The problem is, while everyone believes some kind of theology, that theology may or may not be biblically correct.  And in order to fully love God, we must believe the truth about him. 

John Piper says this about "right thinking about God," or, a biblically correct Theology:

"Thinking is for the sake of something greater.  And that greater thing is loving God.  So the act of loving God will always need right thinking about God.  If our means of loving is restricted, then our love for God weakens.   Our head and heart must be united for Christ to produce God honoring action and long lasting satisfaction."

Piper states that right thinking about God (a biblically correct theology) must precede love for God.  If we don't KNOW God, how can we LOVE Him?  Worship Him?  Serve Him?  Live for Him?

The thought then follows that we must be teaching theology in our churches.  If theology produces love, and love inevitably produces worship, service, and outbursts of that love towards others (evangelism), then right thinking about God is what we must first be teaching before jumping right towards the "How-To" of the Christian life.  If we know God, we will love Him, and if we love God, the rest will fall in line.  Our worship, service and evangelism is simply an outworking of love...they come naturally!  

I'm at a Bible College with students just like me, who have grown up in church all their lives and have never heard of "systematic theology" - Theology, Christology, Bibliology etc...  Even the "church kids" don't know biblically correct theology!  Our churches are dropping the ball.  If my generation knows little to nothing about theology, what makes you think everybody else does?  Yes, we do need to be teaching theology in our youth groups, but we also need to be teaching theology in our adult ministries as well.  A whole generation has gone by with little training in theology, and now we are trying to treat the symptoms instead of the problem.  We must start teaching Theology BEFORE we teach the "How-To's" of the Christian life.

"So the act of loving God will always need right thinking about God."