Theology and the Life of Faith

Last updated on: May 28, 2016 at 9:06 am by Andrew Esqueda

Theology and the Life of Faith 2016-05-28T09:06:10-04:00 Andrew Esqueda

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I’ve been sitting here for the last hour debating about what I am going to write for my next blog post. There are currently many pressing issues in our world, and many of those issues affect the students and families we work with. There are sociocultural issues, ecclesial issues, gender identity issues, suicide, belief and unbelief, issues of violence and self harm, binge drinking, substance abuse, and a whole host of other issues that I could name. These are all important issues, and are certainly important issues for me, or any youth minister for that matter. These are things I constantly think about. They are issues I try to address on a personal and large group level with my students, and many are issues that I myself struggle with.

Although this may seem trivial to some in light of the slew of issues listed above, there is one issue that I constantly struggle with, and one question that I constantly ask myself: that is, “why don’t we, students and adults alike, know what we believe?” And, more specifically, who we believe in? Some reading this might be asking, “what do you mean? We believe in the God of the bible, and we believe Jesus is our savior.” Yeah, that’s all true, fine, and well. But, what does that actually mean? What does it mean to believe in God, or that Jesus is our savior? And, more importantly, what is the content of those beliefs? Put more plainly, who is God, on the level of existence?

Is God simply an energy? Is God one, or three, or both? Is God a male, or a female, or neither? Is God Jesus? What does it mean to say God is eternal? What are the implications of a God who suffers? If God is eternal how can God be present in time? And, what are the implications for these question on the Christian life?

The implications of these questions are quite grave! Particularly because as a Christian, and a progressive one at that, the journey of faith is only as good as its content. And if we can’t understand the content of faith, even on a miniscule level, then is our journey really one of faith?

In progressive circles the words, mission, justice, social gospel, liberation, etc., get thrown around a ton. But, what is it exactly that is driving our emphasis upon justice and the social gospel, mission, and liberation? Have we forgotten that the liberation of Israel from captivity sets the theological landscape for how we should understand God’s liberative justice? Or, that the incarnation is the breaking in of God’s love, forgiveness, and justice in its totality as seen through the cross and resurrection? These aren’t just events, these aren’t just nice things to talk about, these are truths the Church has historically affirmed, and they have an incredible impact on how we live the “Christian life”. In many cases, the practical has usurped the theological all while missing the fact that the theological is practical.

The gospel is much more meaningful to a person who has endured suffering when the God of the gospel actually suffered. Mission makes a lot more sense when done in light of the fact that God became incarnate and lived among us. Social justice finds a firm grounding when we realize that God’s actions define God’s being, and God’s actions show, without question, a love for the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. It is so important that we know what we believe, and it is so important that we engage in theological reflection because it is then that we will realize God doesn’t just want us to love others because it is pragmatic, rather, it is because God is love, because God is justice, because God is forgiveness, because God is liberation. God isn’t just the purveyor of good gifts, God is those gifts.

These questions and explorations need to start with our youth. We need not wait until students are “adult” in their faith, for many of our current adults have yet to understand the theological grounding of their life and actions. If we want to teach our students about mission, justice, liberation, and the like, let us first teach about the God who embodies them.

Theology

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