Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
Your Theology is Meaningless If . . .

Your Theology is Meaningless If . . .

Last updated on: July 20, 2021 at 8:04 am by Matthew Distefano

Your Theology is Meaningless If . . . 2021-07-20T08:04:19-06:00 Matthew Distefano

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ve said it before but it probably bears repeating: Theology can be vitally important. However, I’ve come to a place in my life where I don’t believe it is primarily important. How we see ourselves and others is. Our theology, then, plays second fiddle.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve sort of grown tired of the theological debates. It seems wherever you look, two “ivory tower” theologians are debating ideas without even talking about how said ideas impact real-world people. They’ll debate the eternality of hell, for instance, and not stop to think that they are talking about actual people with actual lives and actual loved ones. Or they’ll debate the question “Is homosexuality a sin?” and not even consider how their discussion hurts those of us in the LGBTQ community who have spent decades questioning our own sanity.

But I’ll admit: these debates are all fine and well so long as people come first. Too often though, the impact of our theologies aren’t even considered. The Calvinist, for example, with his monstrous doctrine of limited atonement, never stops to consider how detrimental being on the outside of salvation is. They are always included; others are not. And the Bible, like their God (read: theology) is always on their side.

What I’d rather see are discussions and debates on how to LIVE as a Christian. How does one “love their neighbor?” How do we take seriously the Sermon on the Mount? How do we treat our enemies? Who are the “least of these” and how do we lift them up? Who are the most oppressed and vulnerable among us and how do we honor them and help them out of poverty without exerting power over them? But questions like these are too often peripheral. What is so often on the tongues of Christians are questions like “What is sound biblical doctrine?” and “What is orthodoxy?”

Well, who the hell cares?

Seriously.

What harm is there in diverting from so-called “sound biblical doctrine?” What are the so-called orthodox doing for the good of humanity that the unorthodox aren’t also doing? Again, it’s just so tiring, having to defend doctrines from people who seem to care less for other humans than they do their own theologies and ideologies.

At the end of the day though, their theologies are meaningless. The real question is, “How do we care for others?” That’s all that really matters. What do you do for your fellow human? What do you do for the earth you live on? What do you do to alleviate suffering?

This is why I’m so attracted to Buddhism. And look, Buddhism has its issues, too. There are violent Buddhists. There are Buddhists who put so-called doctrine before actual humans. But at the core of what is taught in Buddhism is how to treat yourself, your planet, and your fellow person. Show compassion to everything that exists and take the path that leads to the end of suffering. That’s it in a nutshell. It’s so simple yet such a difficult path, but one worth walking along.

Now, this probably sounds like humanism to some, and to a large degree, it is. I still believe in God, but because everything I say about God is fan fiction (read: theology), the concept of God is secondary. Humanity is primary.

At the end of the day, though, this posture has led me to be a better human. Life is still a struggle, but instead of fixating on this doctrine or that doctrine, I’m more oriented toward alleviating suffering, which is the main point of my existence. If we take seriously the Buddhist concept of the bodhisattva, that is the main point of everyone’s existence – elevating others out of Dukkha.

If this is not your posture, that’s on you. To me, though, your theology is then meaningless. If it doesn’t bring life to people . . . meaningless. If it doesn’t help, in any practical sense, in alleviating suffering . . . meaningless.

That’s my view, anyway. To quote my good friend Derrick Day, “your mileage may vary.”

If you wanna get to know me better, please follow me on social media. I’m pretty active on all platforms:

Also, if you’ve been digging my work on here, and want to see me be able to continue writing as close to full-time as humanly possible, please take a look at my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mjdistefano. Even $1 a month helps bigly!!!

About Matthew Distefano

Matthew is a best-selling author, blogger, podcaster, long-time social worker, and hip-hop artist. He is an outspoken advocate for nonviolence, happily married, with one daughter. Outside of writing, his interests include gardening, hiking, and European football. He lives in Northern California You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

July 15, 2021

Cussing Is Neither Good or Bad

Next Post

July 21, 2021 10 Things I Wish I Knew Growing Up

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Book Review Early Church Eschatology eternal torment Hell Hermeneutics LGBTQ+ Mimetic Theory Mysticism News Old Testament Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Religion Sacrifice Satire Soteriology Theology Uncategorized Violence

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 June 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Moses do after breaking the tablets?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Left the camp Fasted for 30 days Returned to Sinai for new tablets Destroyed the calf

Books by This Author Books by All Set Free

See All Titles »