Assignment | Lesson 2 | Theology Is a Verb (That's What's Happening!)

Theology, to me, is the study of God and faith as lived and interpreted in daily life. It is  something that is constantly evolving, expressed in countless forms beyond the classroom. Growing up Catholic, I was taught doctrine and sacrament in ways that felt restrictive and forced. Moving into the Disciples of Christ opened me to a more forgiving and inclusive theology. As my autobiography reflects, I am something of a seeker who learns by observing how others walk their faith, and that shapes the theology I continue to build for myself.

The podcast resonated deeply with me. I wrote "Seek to discern, not to define" on a post-it note that now lives on my wall. The idea of theology as "elastic" and "bendable" aligns directly with Dr. Rosario Rodríguez's critique of theological totalitarianism, a rigid, controlling model that contradicts the simple truth that all are welcome at the table. I'd love to ask him whether he sees religion moving away from that model, or whether the church is digging its heels in.

My own autobiography shows a clear gravitational pull toward openness. I've never felt it was my place to tell anyone their way of believing is right or wrong. There are behaviors I won't tolerate, but the core of how someone finds their way to God isn't mine to dictate. We add to our own theologies by learning from one another. Faith comes in so many shapes and textures, and it is all beautiful. Dr. Rodríguez called Christianity a mosaic. I love that! 

My embedded theology began in Catholicism, deepened into a second foundation through becoming a Disciple, and is now in a deliberate, evolving state, which is exactly what led me to this Certificate Program. The act of how we receive Communion is a simple but powerful example: I moved from believing I needed confession to receive it, to embracing a table where everyone is welcome.

Task 1

In short, theology, for me, is how we understand God and how God works in the world. It’s embracing the mysteries of our faith and trying to put words to it. Theology is based on our own experience of the divine and also how God has acted in the past.

I’ve read lots of theology in college and seminary classes. My favorites are Process Theology and Liberation Theology, particularly Womanist theology. I appreciate the way that process theology is so optimistic for the future. It also incorporates science and philosophy in a way that I appreciate. At the same time, the way that Womanist theology is so grounded in lived experience and emphasizes intersectionalism in a struggle for freedom and justice is very important to me.

I see what I wrote last week as a small window into a whole theology, but I feel it’s a good representation. I understand myself as a combination between scholar/philosophy and pilgrim/missionary. I shared about groundedness in certain places and communities. What was missing was deep compassion and commitment to justice. These images begin to paint a picture of a present, embedded God with a desire for abundance in all living beings.

Task 2

I appreciated the metaphors of theology as an elastic, flexible network of ideas or  performing a story with an ancient past. A living experience of God is important to me - ‘how God works in the world.’ I depart from the natural theologians that consider only logical, rational or philosophical frameworks for understanding God without any room for divine encounter.

Stackhouse's explanation that approaching apologetics as an argument to be won is antithetical to Christian humility and grace was revelatory. I wonder how apologetics as ‘offense’ gained prominence and why so many people engage in it? I, like Rodriquez am curious how Gen Z and Gen Alpha after them will either embrace or reject Christian faith and ideology - and how best to engage them in the conversation.

My piece of the Christian mosaic seems  in alignment with the value and blessing of Rodriguez’ ‘Pentecost’ type of plurality within Christianity. I also share Barber and Bonhoeffer's suspicions of the ways that Christianity has aligned with dominant culture, distorting the Gospel.

Be Thou My Vision speaks to me about grounding my actions and centering my heart within the heart of God. The line ‘riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise’ reject dominant cultural values that distract from loving God and neighbor. God is personally present in this song in the line ‘waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.’

Task 3

An embedded theology in my stories was God’s presence in nature and community. A deliberative theology example is how my compassion and understanding of justice became more urgent and nuanced in the face of terrorism and war. Gathering with family and community for worship and holy celebration is rooted in tradition and also scripture.

These threads share the value of community and God’s presence among us. I don’t see them as contradictory, but there is a challenge in sharing the Christian mosaic with those who advocate for war or violence.

I’d like to bring in more Queer or Womanist theology as it speaks to justice and human dignity and consider more deeply what constructive theology has to teach me. 

The song I chose reflects more of an embedded theology and comes from scripture and experience.

First, classmates, please forgive my tardy post this week. I’ve been in the midst of busy work and travel that has kept me more busy than I would have liked this week. 

Thinking about all the material from Week 2, I realize that my personal theology is both something that started at a young age, and laid a foundation, but that is also ever-changing. I previously shared that I grew up in conservative evangelical church, and that I was taught a lot of apologetics, like we read about in “The Myth of Theological Totalitarianism”. Over time I felt like much of this was circular reasoning that didn’t really allow for more debate and questioning. I especially resonated with the Theology and Me podcast description of theology like a spiders web, where we are all in various positions on the web, and can see some of the connections with others, while only really being able to fully understand our position on the web. It is a beautiful way to think about how we can all be connected to some “deeper truth” while not always understanding or agreeing with other believers in total and complete understanding. For me personally, the embedded theology in me is that even over my adult life, questioning, testing, reading, seeking, I never really questioned the core of God and God’s desire to be in relationship with me. Maybe because this was ingrained in me at a very young age, it’s almost like a fundamental block in my development. But the deliberative theology comes from all my time during and after college, where I started to realize that I don’t actually “know it all” with regards to Christianity, and asking the question “who am I to judge someone else’s deeply held and critically developed beliefs?” I believe this came from widening my perspective and listening to more diverse voices that broadened my viewpoint and understanding. So thank you all for being a part of this journey for me, and I look forward to getting back on track with the schedule this week.

Task 1:

My understanding of theology is the study of God through the Biblical text of scripture with context to what was happening then and how that currently ties to the present. I would say that theology is a lens that refines the way we interpret God and life itself. It is a complex word to define, but I really resonate with the phrase, “Faith seeking understanding.” As humans that are still of the flesh our perception of life and the way we interact with the world around us is through our five senses. Which means that all of our life experiences compiled up to this very moment in time with the combination of our five senses shape and mold our “theology.” My initial reaction to the prompt, “What is “theology” for you?” was a very fixed and rigid understanding, but the more I think about it, the more complex it is. When I reflect on my readings of “theology” the first thing that comes to mind is the Bible. Some other literary works that come to mind are the hymn books I read growing up in Tongan called Himi’s (he-mees), and the Tohi Fakaneifua. The Tohi Fakaneifua (doh-he fa-ka-nay-foo-ah) is a book with guided scripture readings and lessons for everyday of the year and there is one that is released every year and written by Tongan theologians in the United Methodist Church and in the Siasi Tonga Houeiki Church. These different literary works of “theology” played a major role in shaping my current “theology.” Taking this course has broadened my perception of theology because as Dr. Schwartz had illuminated in her video that it is a person, place, and thing. My autobiography is a work of theology because it is my story and introduction to who I am. All the different elements that molded the way I am growing up are similar to how Dr. Schwartz made the analogy that there are many parts that make up the final product of the movie. If my theology were a movie the main protagonist would be a wanderer/seeker and a scholar/philosopher.

Task 2:

The descriptions of theology in the podcast and video from Dr. Rodriguez is different from the descriptions I wrote because it highlights the different theologies of each theologian and is unique to each individual. The similarity is that we are all looking at the same thing from different angles. During the podcast they described theology as an elastic and flexible network of ideas which I resonate with because the word of God is alive. A question that arose while listening to this podcast is how much different is today’s theology from the theology during Biblical times? Does the elasticity of theology make it susceptible to bending the truth?

When I reflect on theological autobiography I see it intersecting and challenging my story of God because of my part as a layleader in the way I serve. Theology as suggested in the title as a verb. I find this to be very true because of my preconceived notions of the role traditionally and my own interpretation of it and making it authentic to who I am. Not just putting on a “hat” when serving with a rigid mindset, but personalizing the role to be a reflection of my individuality while being spiritually led.

A song that challenges the story of God in my part of the world is “Holy Spirit Move Me Now” and it is the holy spirit that connects us and gives us discernment on all these different theologies. 

Task 3:

An example of embedded theology that I grew up with had more to do with the nuances of church and not God. From the way I dressed (still a thing today) to the way that certain events are celebrated and mourned. I just grew up with a very traditional and old school way of worshipping God. And the more I grow in perspective, knowledge of His word, and life in general the broader my view is of theology. What’s different for me now is my ability to see how God is moving in my life in a real life sense. I used to think that I could only experience God in radical encounters, but now it is found in the little moments too. I would like to explore the theology of leadership. But like Dr. Schwartz has mentioned that to be a theologically informed pastoral leader I first need to recognize my theology which is the wander/seeker and scholar/philosophical, but also to explore theology in a modern society and systems and how to develop that to serve more effectively.  The song I chose is definitely an embedded theology. It’s a Tongan hymn that we all learn from a very young age and is still sung to this day.