21 Tips By Experts on How To Become a Good Theologian

I asked 21 academic theologians, pastors, Christian authors and bloggers: How can a layperson become a better theologian? I believe we're all called to be theologians. After all, we're all theologians. The main question is what type of theologian are you?

Are you a theologian who pushes away or encourages people to become effective and fruitful in their knowledge of Jesus Christ? This presentation will help you become a good theologian. A theologian that gives glory to God.

Transcript

1. How To Become a Better Theologian Simple Tips from 21 Bible Scholars, Pastors & Christian Authors
2. Which word comes to your mind when you hear the word theology? Think of one word…
3. Which word comes to your mind when you hear the word theology? • Legalism • Suspicious • Volumes • Abstract • Impractical • Useless
4. It’s not just reading a book It’s a conversation with the author Theology is better than that:
5. Theology is reasoning about God about God, for God & with God
6. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3
7. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3
8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Philippians 3:8
9. Is everything really dung that you may know God?
10. How can a layperson be a better theologian? I asked 21 academic theologians, pastors and Christian authors.
11. 7 reasons from experts on how to be a better theologian Pray, Read and Live
12. I refuse to believe it’s reserved for brilliant scholars or theology- mongers. It’s for all Jesus- followers. It’s for you! How desperately the church needs good theologians filling its pews today. Whitney Woollard
13. You need to study the gospel, know it, consider it, and devote your own life to living by it. A true theologian doesn’t just know doctrine, he or she lives it. Jonathan Leeman, Editor at 9Marks
14. Suffering, temptation, and trials are where the head knowledge of theology become the heart knowledge of godly wisdom–if we’ll let the Spirit guide us through those dark valleys. Chris Pappalardo Summit Church
15. I think the most important thing for being a theologian is to read the best theology books of the past, as well as the best contemporary theology books. Gerald Hiestand Calvary Memorial Church
16. I would say get to know the main themes of every Bible book, and use [other] resources… to see how the whole story fits together. Nick MacDonald M.Div. student
17. The greatest help every believer need is the Holy Spirit. You might read all the best books on theology but without the Holy Spirit, you’re wasting your time. The word is God-breathed and only the Holy Spirit can reveal the spiritual truths to you. Qaphelani Ngulube Bible Teacher
18. Our culture is hyper- individualized. Christian growth, by contrast, is not. It is a team effort, a community project. In infinite wisdom, God designed your discipleship to Christ to be anchored in a church— submitted to the oversight of elders and the care and accountability of fellow members. Matt Smethurst The Gospel Coalition
19. 7 simple ways to become a better theologian Pray, Read and Live
20. Once you realize that culture too is in the full- time business of spiritual formation and theology – that culture is trying to shape our spirits to worship something, whether it be money, power, or sex – then it’s easier to see how being a lay theologian means being a prophet who names the idols and points people instead to the only possible source of true fulfillment: the truth, goodness, and beauty of Jesus Christ. Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
21. The Christian who is serious about becoming a better theologian will have to move beyond pop inspirational religion and begin to explore some serious theology. Brian Zahnd, pastor & author
22. The primary way is always to attend a good church and to sit under the week-by-week preaching of a skilled expositor. This exposure to the preaching of the Word will model engagement with the Word–he will learn to think biblically and learn to properly interpret and apply God’s Word. Tim Challies, author & blogger
23. Read the Bible with, as one author put it, a “Jesus lens”. This means that our goal in reading the Bible is not simply to find life lessons or personal application, but to learn how the Scriptures either point forward to him or reveal our need for him. Aaron Armstrong, author & blogger
24. There is SO much we miss by reading the Bible through a modern-day lens. The more you understand the culture of the time, the more you can fully understand the Bible in its proper context and what it REALLY means, not just what you think it means. Brittany Ann, author & blogger
25. While I certainly believe that a good theological education can enhance one’s knowledge of the Bible, the best theological education only takes one deeper into an understanding of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for a knowledge of the Bible, with or without a seminary education. Donald S. Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality
26. God wants us to know Him insofar as we are able, and theology is the art and science of knowing what we can know and understand about God in an organized and understandable manner. Therefore, every Christian must be a theologian, and this protects the church from error. Francis Kaunda, Kabwata Baptist Church
27. 7 Quick tips from experts on how to be a better theologian Pray, Read and Live
28. Having a good understanding of theology begins with prayer. Drew Koehler, former marine & blogger
29. Good theology begins with a soul satisfaction in the Lord. David Schrock, Pastor, Professor & Writer.
30. The most important advice is to obey what we learn. Greg R Sharf, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
31. Being a better theologian is about learning to listen. Patrick Oden, Fuller Theological Seminary
32. Theology is best done in the community of the Church with the Spirit at work through the Word. Derek Rishmawy, PhD candidate Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
33. Lay people can become Theologians because the Holy Spirit is the one who reveals all truth. Chad McIntire, Theology Matters
34. Study the bible, submit to it’s teachings, and adopt a Biblical, logical, and consistent methodology for interpreting the scriptures. Armchair Theologian, anonymous
35. Everyone agreed: The Bible is the primary companion of a sound theologian; not a theological degree. Yes, Bible scholars with multiple theological degrees also said that. Shocking, isn’t it? Conclusion
36. Read More: • How To Become a Better Theologian • Theology Matters: A Case Study of Africa Follow me: • Facebook • Feedly Let’s be friends DOWNLOAD