Theology and Life

Today was new student orientation here at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. There seemed to me to be two major points that I picked up from the whole day. (1) Theology is not separate from spirituality, (2) and Theology is not separate from marriage.

Over lunch today Russell Moore gave a warning to students about detaching our studies from our spiritual lives. He reminded us all that we are learning things here that are truths that should affect our hearts as much as our heads. He warned us about elitism and pride, and pointed us to the message of scripture that the pastor is a gift from God for the church. We are to be used, spent, and exhausted in the service of others- not in the demonstration of our "fine abilities". Theology that does not affect the heart, then, is not truly theology.

This evening, after dinner, Russell Moore spoke again to the married seminary famalies. His talk was on the "Ministry, Marriage, and the Mystery of Christ." In this message Moore explained that marriage is designed, by God, to reflect the love that Christ has for His church and our failures in marriage are often a failure to understand Christ's relationship with the church. He gave to both husbands and wives wise words and exhortations. Theology is not detached from marriage.

So what I am seeing from the very outset of my time at Southern is that this is not an "ivory tower" of academia! The things taught in the classroom are to play out in our lives and nothing is to be done merely for the sake of doing it, or for the sake of building up arrogance in ministers. God's word and the study of the things of God should promote humility and service, and nothing less. Theology is to be applied, then, to life.