An Extract from

by Phil Baker

THEOLOGICAL THEO

Many of us at some time or another have encountered a Theological Theo. They are reasonably simple to spot within the Christian church and will nearly always give themselves away when they open their mouths. They often mutter to themselves in Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic, and words like 'synoptic' and 'kenosis' flow from their lips. They are more serious than the average Christian.

Their Bibles are larger and heavier, cross-referenced and colour coded, with what appears to be unreadable scribbles jotted in the columns. Many of today's Theos, however, have traded these unwieldy forms of identification for the latest model laptop, which they open with relish at the local Bible study group, much to the intimidation of the other participants. But what can we learn then from Theo's life?

Theo, on the right track

Primarily, what Theo does we can and must learn from... he studies God's Word constantly and thoroughly. He treats the Bible with the reverence it deserves. He wants to get at the truth and understand the plain meaning of the text. He refuses to treat the Bible as a collection of quotes: 'The Wit and Wisdom of God'. Or even worse, as some kind of subjective document where each person's interpretation is as valid as the next. No, Theo is keen on rightly dividing God's Word.

One of his pet hates is the tendency many Christians have of playing fast and loose with the Bible, picking verses or even parts of verses out of context. He is quick to point out that many men and women have laboured hard and long in the area of paleography, (the art of analysing and reading handwriting), studying the earliest manuscripts in Greek Coptic, Syriac and Phoenician, so that today's Greek text, upon which modern translations are based, draws its accuracy from well over 20,000 different papyrus fragments, manuscripts and codexes. Many scholars have devoted their lives that we might have confidence in the accuracy of God's Word. Even the punctuation marks are subject of much technical debate and should not be unthinkingly swept aside just so we can make the Bible say what we want it to say. This esteem for God's Word is something we should all seek to adopt.

Such an approach to scripture has many benefits. Chief amongst them is that Theo will very rarely be deceived, as he carefully checks things out comparing scripture with scripture. He does not just believe whatever he hears or reads. The greatest preacher in the church world today or the author of best selling books doesn't impress Theo. He simply cross-references, checks things out, and examines the context before he accepts what is being said.

Theo knows not only what he believes but why he believes it. He is able to give an answer and a defence for the hope that lies within him (1 Peter 3 v 15).

Off the tracks

Whilst there is a lot we can learn from Theo, there is also much to be wary of as well. Theo can often be afflicted with a sort of religious, intellectual pride that was exemplified by the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day. This can often cause him, as it did them, to miss the truth when they are faced with it, easily dismissing other Christians' opinions, especially if they don't have degrees.

We have already seen that devotion to study is admirable, yet study is merely stage one in a two-stage process. We are to study in order to do. Learning is a prerequisite to action. Unfortunately, many Theos get stuck in the 'accumulation of knowledge' phase, never moving on to the application of the knowledge, which is, of course, what Christianity is all about.  

The passage of scripture in James 1 v 22- 27, brings this clearly to the fore: 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says...'

One of the values of our church in Perth, and a truth we continually try to champion, is that 'church is about helping people live the Christian life in an authentic and practical way'. Truth must be translated into action. The Christian life is not just what we believe, but how we live. Church services, therefore, should be education not entertainment; education with take-home, real life value.

Theo finds it easier to believe that the Red Sea didn't really part: 'The water was just very shallow.' The resurrection is reduced to metaphor: 'It is the spirit of the teachings of Christ that continue to live on. Such statements make a lot of sense to Theo and yet the difficulties of drowning Pharaoh's army in knee deep water or explaining how Christianity became the fastest growing religious movement in the ancient world, without an empty tomb, are questions that are not deeply considered.

In summary, I believe Theo's main problem is not his emphasis on study but the fact that he emphasises it too much. Other elements to the Christian life such as faith and prayer rarely get a look in.

I well remember the early days of our church here in Perth. A local Theological Theo came to one of our services. He had been in Christian ministry for some ten years and held several doctorates in various areas of Christian theology and philosophy. Our church had been in existence for some five years and numbered about 600-700 people. My father, with one year of Bible training under his belt, was the Pastor.

The service was pretty standard, several people came to Christ, and a sense of God's presence, both in corporate worship and in the teaching and prayer, was clearly evident. Theo's reaction was one of intense anger. Theo was mad (which emotionally speaking was a very positive step forward for him). He was mad because he had devoted nearly a decade to study and preparation and now after ten years of active ministry had seen only a few people's lives touched in a real way. Yet here were others who had neither the knowledge nor the handling skill of the text, and yet it seemed that God was blessing them. He failed to understand that prayer and faith, as well as study, are prerequisites for successful ministry.

Theo sometimes fails to realise that lives will not change without the movement of the spirit of God upon His Word and His people. Let me be quick to add that when Theo realises this and begins to prioritise his life correctly, he will rapidly turn out to be one of the greatest assets to the local church and his teachings, one of the keys to sustained revival.

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