What I am going to say is not meant to criticize theologians. I only
want us to be a little more careful with our words.
In the past few weeks I read several times, that it is necessary to have
a Theology for the Environment; a Theology of Sexuality; a Theology of Vocations
etc. It strikes me, that we want to load too much on theologians. The results
can only be disastrous. Believers will look to the theologians they know to
interpret for them, what the Bible would tell them in their particular
circumstances. As it is the situation is bad enough. I have heard in the past
theologians (and others) holding forth about subjects about which they hardly
knew anything. Please, let us all do our own thinking, and let us not tell each
other too soon, that we all should interpret the Bible in our way.
All Christians should take the time to study God's Word in connection
with their daily life. We belong as whole persons to Christ, always. In our
daily work too. Thus we are never (or should never) be too busy to study God's
will for and in our work, writings, discussions. We must take out our own time
for that and not leave it to professional theologians. Christians in Science
should indeed discuss together what God's Word means in partivular studies.
They should, however, avoid talking authoritatively about sciences, they did not
study. They should (try to) be knowing the literature, even the literature of
unbelievers before making statements.
Every Christiam must study the bible. That is necessary to know God, but
it is not necessarily Theology.
Jan de Koning.