Theological Progressions: Introduction

In an attempt to communicate my intentions for this series, let me chop up the mind of Paul, maybe the greatest human theologian, from various points in time in his life.

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

But by the grace of God I am what I am.

I don’t mean to say that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

This roughly captures a three-fold process for how I’ve often done my theology:

1. I don’t get it… I have questions.
2. I get it….I think I’ve arrived
3. I’m humbled… I’m an idiot, I can’t tame the Bible or life in general with whatever system I’ve adopted, and I need to keep my eyes on Jesus.

…and repeat, for the past 9 years.

If this was my own personal journey, which never affected anyone else, everything would be fine. We’re all on a journey, right? Yes, but beliefs affect behavior. These steps correlate to the ones above:

1. I have questions about what to believe, so you should probably have these questions too. So let me impose them upon you.
2. Hallelujah, I’ve found the reason/doctrine/theology behind it all! If only we all knew about this. So let me impose this upon you.
3. I’m an idiot. I don’t know anything. When will I stop looking for formulaic answers? Come to think of it, most people do that. So let me… no… Jesus help me.

I’ve been around the theological block in a relatively short amount of time. I’ve been informed by people, churches, books, blogs, and experience. I call this a “progression,” because even though there have been some highs and lows already, I’m better off for the journey.

I’ll highlight maybe 7-8 points in the journey so far and reflect why I came to the conclusions I did, how they affected me, how they affected those around me, and the good I’ve taken with me.

If you’re interested in follow along, please know that if you’re looking to see if I’ve ended up with a “correct” or “biblical” position on certain matters, you will be disappointed. These reflections will have more pastoral and sociological implications (i.e., how I have [or haven't] learned to listen to, learn from, and love on people) rather than attempting to prove the theological ground I’m currently standing on. There likely will be a “where I am now” post, but that’s not the emphasis.

Buckle up :)

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