Two Ways to Gauge Contemporary Issues in Theology
I was pleased to hear the familiar voice of a former student as I walked out of the Dallas heat into the very cool vibe of a hipster chicken restaurant. I was in town for the Southern Baptist Convention, which I wasn’t overly excited about. What I was quite enthusiastic about was hosting Dr. Valentin Siniy, a friend who leads a seminary in Ukraine who came over to meet with ministry leaders. My former student serendipitously joined us for our poultry meal.
Our conversation quickly moved to denominational controversies. Anyone familiar with denominational life in general, or Southern fried Baptist life in particular, will know there is never a shortage of pressing issues packaged as the most urgent matters to ever confront Christendom. It can be a lot.
She asked me to share my thoughts. Instead of freely giving her my two cents, I offered two questions she should ask of any topic being paraded as the main thing Christians should be concerned about today.
First, look to church history.
G.K. Chesterton described tradition as the “democracy of the dead.” Looking to church history gives the faithful of previous generations a vote. We should ask, “is the issue before us something the church has given attention to in the last two thousand years?” If not specifically, have related principles been addressed? So, for example, while the Patristics didn’t discuss the ethical quandaries related to artificial intelligence, they had a lot to say about what it means to be made in God’s image, a category that can help differentiate between humanity and non-humanity (ie. a.i.).
Second, look to the global church, especially outside of the West.
Do our sisters and brothers share the same concerns about the issues we are giving our attention to today? Is there any consensus among believers worldwide? Or, does the problem seem uniquely important only among churches in a particular geographical and denominational context? If the answer is yes, seek to understand why that is the case.
Both our chicken and our conversation were delightful. I wrapped up my thoughts by encouraging my friend and former student that if a topic has never really been an issue for the historical church, and it isn’t a major concern for the global church, then she should be both cautious and skeptical. In short, she should be judicious.
These two questions shine the spotlight on controversies that are uniquely American, inescapably denominational, and contemporary in every meaning of the word. Could there be something that is indeed urgent and significant that never registered with the historic church and is being ignored by the global church today? Sure. But it’s not likely.
In other words, if something was not a big deal for the historic church, and if it is not a big deal for the global church, then maybe [deep breath] we shouldn’t act like it — whatever it is — is the make or break standard for orthodoxy today.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t debate the things, all the things, and make motions and have votes, eat some fried chicken, and do all the other denominational duties. But let’s keep it real. Sometimes “the thing” we are debating is little more than a doctrinal hobby horse. But sometimes it’s a Trojan horse. And the saints of old, and our sisters and brothers around the world, can help us navigate the way as we follow Jesus.