Ology???

Why is theology like every other ology? Hence Sociology or Physiology, Psychology and every other ology way over our natural heads. Is there really a logical explanation for everything? See wikiology for reference! šŸ˜›Ā http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ologies#List_of_-ologies

IS Theology the same as all the other ā€“ologies? You suggest it is, but is that right?
Then, if I read your subtext correctly, the problem you pick out is that it is ā€œway above our natural headsā€.
Then you ask a rather different question: ā€œCan we just explain everything logically?ā€

As a background, letā€™s use Wikipediaā€™s information on what Theology means: the word comes from ĪøĪµĻŒĻ‚, theos or God PLUS Ī»ĻŒĪ³ĪæĻ‚ or logos, “words”, “sayings,” or “discourse”

So, are you ready? ā€“ Letā€™s do it!
Iā€™m not sure if I agree, right at the beginning, that Theology IS the same as all the other ā€“ologies.

From Acarology (the study of ticks and mites -to save the rest of you looking it up) right through to Zymology (the study of Fermentation) virtually all of these subjects refer to manā€™s attempt to extend and codify his knowledge on a particular subject by scientific enquiry.

In its turn, scientific enquiry demands that observations are made, hypotheses follow on, and then some scientific test is devised and used to asses whether the hypothesis is correct. Then theories are produced and tested in a similar manner until everybody agrees on what is really ā€œthe Truthā€ about a subject.

Now you can, if you want, just treat theology the same way, head knowledge, go to Uni and get some tutorials, attend some lectures, read what other people say, write some essays, and pop out the other end with a nice qualification.

But actually, for a Christian, what I like to think of as Real Theology is a whole different ball game.

And what makes all the difference is God.

I had gone to church for 20 years before I sat in a meeting and found God ā€“ or I should really say, ā€œGod found meā€ because that is what happened. I had sat in Religious Education lessons all through a grammar school education with no observable effect. By the time I was at University I thought I had studied God, and had firmly decided he wasnā€™t there.

Then he broke right into my life and changed me in every fibre. He planted within me an experience of Him ā€“ only tiny at first, like a baby experiences its mother. Gradually the knowledge of Him increased, just like the baby gets to experience more of its mother, and we start to say it ā€œknowsā€ her.

I could talk to you about my wife, give you all sorts of information about her, but not much of it would have come from scientific study, most of it comes because I know her and we have been together for 35 years.

In Galatians 4 8, 9 (look it up!) Paul speaks about knowing God, then rephrases it as: ā€œor rather, are known by Godā€. This is the heart of the subject, It is GOD who is in control of the knowing process!

So you get Jesus telling parables to prevent just anybody from understanding; only those with hearts turned to God can see the truth (Matt 13 10). Paul says of his hearers in Acts 28 26, 27 (quoting Isaiah) that because their hearts are not turned to God, then as far as God is concerned, they are deaf and blind.

So just to try to study God, without a heart turned to him, is one of the few things in the world that God actually prevents!

Why is this?

Letā€™s look at Genesis 3 22-24. We learn that if only Adam had taken of the Tree of Life, he would have become immortal! But he decided he would rather rule himself than have God rule him, and took from the other tree, the forbidden one.

What was the worst thing that could have happened at that moment? Look at what God says: ā€œIā€™ve got to stop him getting to the Tree of Life, because if he does, We will have an immortal rebel on our hands!ā€

So he puts the angel at the entrance to the garden, to stop anybody from getting in to eat of the Tree of Life ā€¦

Unlessā€¦

Unless he or she has turned their heart back to God, rejected Adamā€™s disobedience, and accepted Godā€™s right to rule in their life. (Of course this only became legally possible with Jesus, but thatā€™s a whole other story, and youā€™ve done very well to get this far!)

So you can ologise as much as you want, and it cuts little ice with God till your heart is right.

AH – BUT THEN!!!

THEN, your brain can start to understand the God whom your heart is starting to know.

And now your heart is right, Godā€™s strategy goes into reverse; He actively helps you to understand, by putting His Holy Spirit inside of you to enlighten your mind. Check out Romans 12 2 and the whole chapter of 1 Cor 2 for detail on this ā€“ I can never exhaust the implications of the latter passage.

Notice itā€™s the mind which is getting the makeover; we tend to concentrate on the heart, and that is fine, but God wants our minds involved, our mental processes, our deductive and analytical powers, so we can look at scripture and say, ā€œWell if that is true, then it follows that that must be true as wellā€¦ā€ and so on.

Is that theology? Yes, but itā€™s not dry and dusty theology which ā€œgoes way over our headsā€, it springs from our experience of knowing our Father God. Itā€™s alive! And fun! And meaningful! And real! And relevant! And helpful!

I think Iā€™ve just used up all the exclamation marks in this computer. Oh no! there goes another one.

Anyway, thereā€™s just one more part to your question, ā€œIs there a logical explanation for everything?ā€

Yes.

And who will give that explanation?

Only one person is able to, and it will be a very long time before we understand even the tiniest fraction of what He will tell us.

But he delights in revealing mysteries (Rom 16 25, 26). He does that all the time.

Of course we can’t understand or explain it all.

But we can try!

Related Q & A