You're Already a Theologian (You Just Don't Know It Yet)
Theology: an intimidating noun that conjures images of Church mothers and fathers, complicated and often confusing vocabulary, social media debates, countless books and essays, and keyboard warriorism responding to every possible aspect of the Christian faith. It’s easy to feel like theology is something that is reserved for the deepest of thinkers within the Church, maybe clergy or those with seminary degrees, or those who make it their vocation to try to make sense of it all.
Theology: a word that comes from Greek theo (“god”) + -logos (“treating of”) and means “the study of God and his relationship to humanity.”
Theology: the way we make sense of our Creator.
Every human is already a theologian. We all have our ways of trying to understand our Triune God and our relationship with him. A responsible Christian will strive to base her or his understanding of God on Holy Scripture, aided first by the Holy Spirit to understand what’s written and then supported by the wealth of wisdom offered by Church tradition.
“Jesus died for my sins” is theology. So is “God is a loving Father whose heart breaks when human sin hurts his creation.” So is any number of statements one could make about God, or the Bible, or human nature, or...well, anything.
- Beliefs: The core tenets of Christianity. Or, to paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, “the Creeds and the historic conduct of those who held such a creed.” These are the non-negotiables of the faith, such as the dual nature of Christ, his virgin birth, etc. These are the necessary fenceposts passed down by the Apostles to define what Christianity actually is and why it differs from anything the world offers.
- Convictions: Secondary ideas or doctrines that differentiate denominations. They are doctrines that one may tightly hold, but something you could be persuaded to consider differently without stepping beyond the bounds of Christian orthodoxy. Examples include infant baptism vs. believer’s baptism, ordination customs, and sacramental vs. non sacramental views of the Lord’s Supper.
- Opinions: These are ideas that may vary widely inside an individual parish and don’t preclude fellowship in the local body, such as preferred music styles, favorite Bible translations, or one’s spiritual practices.
Where theology gets such a bad rap is when Christians, often well-meaning and rightly concerned by outright unbiblical teachings, elevate convictions and opinions to the same tier as beliefs. That’s when the keyboard warriors go wild. On the flipside, when people appreciate Anglicanism for its “generous orthodoxy,” they tend to mean that it typically stands firm on first tier issues/beliefs but allows plenty of space to explore and discuss convictions and opinions.
The key is to understand into which category a particular issue falls. That’s what makes the study of theology so valuable. As 21st century Western Christians, we have an embarrassment of riches in material to help us. From Scripture in seemingly infinite translations to hundreds of thousands of good, valuable books and essays, we have easy access to the treasure trove of Christian thought literally dating back to Christ himself. Instead of overwhelming us, this should excite us! Think of how much gold is in that trove, just waiting for you to claim. Your inheritance as a child of God includes access to the intellectual riches of your siblings.
Besides, you already have beliefs, convictions, and opinions. You already have a conception of God. You’re already a theologian. Adding theological reading to your 2026 book list will only refine, deepen, and strengthen your ability to not only articulate what you believe and why but also revel in the enjoyment of God and his mysteries, which is theology’s ultimate goal.