Basil the Great ~ “Everyone is a theologian, even those who have stains on their souls.”

When in college, I pursued a double track. I pursued ministry and I pursued exercise science. I remember being enrolled in one of my ministry courses and reading through a book titled, “A Little Book for New Theologians,” by Kelly Kapic. I read it and was constantly told that every body is a Theologian. I was told because everyone had an understanding of God, that everyone was a theologian.

R.C. Sproul once wrote a book titled, “Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology.” It discussed how everyone is a theologian and how the lens of the world must be filtered through how we understand God. It got preached to me, that everything you do, you do by theology.

But still yet. No body that preached this message, actually believed it.

I remember having a conversation one time with a teacher and hearing that I would make an excellent theologian if I continued through school to get my doctorate. I was insulted.

This comment told me that the only way I would be a theologian and have anybody respect my work in the Scriptures, was if I went through seminary and was indoctrinated by religion. Reading Scripture wasn’t enough. Understanding the Scriptures wasn’t enough.

I needed a title.

I wrote an essay at one point and quoted particular pastors who had incredible insight into the Scriptures and the topic I was studying. They were considered unscholarly and not real theologians.

An inspiration to me has always been C.S. Lewis. In conversation with a teacher at one particular time, they said he was a good writer, but not a theologian and if he was, he was just a “lay theologian.”

On top of this, everyone that ever preached to me that “everyone” is a theologian, would always deny being a theologian.

Theology literally means, “God’s” (Theos ) “Word” (Logos). A theologian is someone who studies the nature of God, but everyone does this whether they realize or not.

It is not, or should not, be a term hijacked by the religion, spiritual aristocrats, and fabricated doctorates. Here I am, affirming you now. You are theologian. No if, ands, or buts.

My question is, don’t you want to be “good” theologian? That requires the best tactics to know and understand God deeper. To grow in knowledge. The theologians main tactic is to rightly divide.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” ~ 2 Timothy 2:15

This esteems the study of God’s word as our highest action and making sound decisions regarding Scriptures by knowing where we are in Scripture, who is speaking, and to whom that person is speaking.

People forget these basic principles’ of Scriptural reading and esteem religion higher than Scripture. Religion hurts. God’s Word brings reconciliation and healing.

Everybody does theology.

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