I’m beginning to prepare myself for another semester, so I find myself thinking of how I want to begin my courses. Here’s a bit I plan to use for my opening Systematics lecture:
You might expect me to begin a theology class with a few comments about why it is important that you take this class seriously. I often do that, and I’ve heard that that is pedagogically proper. I’ve opened other theology courses with some version of this question: Why do theology? What good can come from it? I’ve opened with this question because I’ve always felt, both as a student and as an instructor, that theology needs justifying. I no longer think that.
Asking “Why do theology?” is like asking “Why should I keep my eyes open when I’m driving?” or “Why should I not eat poisonous food?” These are questions decidedly not worth asking – or answering, in most cases. And I can see now they reveal more about the asker than he or she can imagine.
So I’m not going to try to justify theology; it is absolutely indispensable to think seriously about God, and to act otherwise would be misleading and a disservice to you. As Yoder says, “the process of theologizing cannot be avoided by saying you do not believe in it, unless you cease to communicate responsibly at all.”
