This past weekend I participated in a theology conference in Portland, Oregon. The presenters were Dr. David Trim, historian at Newbold College and soon to be director of archives at the General Conference in Maryland, Dr. Gregory Dodds, professor of history at Walla Walla University, and yours truly. The presentations are available through the Walla Walla University School of Theology.
The subjects were apologetics, the role of reason in faith, the need to think deeply in religion, and how to address the current challenges of agnosticism and disbelief in our culture.
Some personal takeaways.
1. Biblical logic is really more than simple A + B + C = D. The Scriptures are written for wrestling. We need to do it kindly, with compassion, with respect, and integrity. But the Bible invites us into a rich, complex, meaningful world of exploration about God, Jesus Christ, ourselves, and our world. We need more thinking, not less.
2. There are two dangers: one, not to think and two, to do lots of thinking that doesn't go anywhere. A necessary alternative is to think (and ask hard questions) in the pursuit of truth, of faith. I told the group my rule for every sermon, every class, every interaction has to be this: I must build the faith of the student, the church member, the congregation, the community.
3. I long for more theology to be written in my denominational context. A theology of worship. A theology of mission. A theology of meta-narrative. I think Ellen White's Great Controversy theme provides answers to the problem of pain (sin, Satan) and the grand tension of our world. We could do more reflection (and writing!) on the battle between good and evil. This is the BIG question and this is also behind the many questions we face day by day (cancer, car accidents, loss of meaning, death, future, etc.)
