By Daniel McCoy
It was my first semester enrolled in seminary. Seminary was a distance-learning, part-time thing for me; most days, I was busy teaching Bible, language arts, and speech at a Christian school. At one point during that first semester, I was transporting kids back from a speech competition when one of the students saw the book I had brought along sitting beside me in the car. It was called Systematic Theology. Hard cover. Between 2 and 3 inches thick.
Personally, I felt like it was admirable, if not downright cool, to be seen traveling with such a book, as it gave the impression of intelligence. It was the ultimate humble brag: “Yes, my pleasure reading happens to be an enormous theology book. I know, I know.”
The impression I had meant to convey apparently wasn’t working on this particular student because he saw the book and started . . . laughing. Not the laughter of, “Haha, it makes my heart merry that we are taught by such a wonderful teacher.” No, it was the laughter of ridicule. He followed it up by saying, “Who would read a book called Systematic Theology?!” More laughter.
He wasn’t intimidated at all by the idea of theology. I was, mainly because I had a clue as to what it was. Most of us who are familiar with the term probably feel at least some intimidation when it comes to theology. After all, lots of “ologies” involve smart people, thick books, and lots of learning. And I would argue that theology—the study of God—is the biggest “ology” of all. That’s intimidating.
Yet I want to suggest that theology is intimidating for the exact opposite reason we usually think.
Here’s the reason many Christians find themselves intimidated by theology: it’s because they don’t feel like theologians. To be a theologian, they think, is to be able to answer all the theological questions in profound ways that impress other intellectuals. To be a theologian involves mastery of foreign languages and cultures, as well as proficiency in dozens of theological topics, along with having studied what other theologians throughout history have said on these topics. Not to mention the pressure many theologians feel to have to come up with something new that other theologians haven’t discovered yet. The theological endeavor sounds intimidating.
Comparing yourself with this fearsome, towering concept of the theologian doesn’t end very encouragingly. When you have a memory lapse and find yourself googling questions like, “Was it Elijah or Elisha who raised the boy from the dead?,” you can feel intimidated by trying for something as ambitious-sounding as “doing theology.”
The main reason people typically feel intimidated by theology could be summarized as this: “I’m no theologian.”
Yet a better reason to be intimidated by theology is the exact opposite. Here’s the reason we should be intimidated: We are all already doing theology.
The people in your church are already doing theology.
At some level, everyone does theology. After all, theology is thinking about God, reasoning about God, talking about God. From the kid who wonders whether their deceased dog will be in heaven to the atheist who reasons that, from all the suffering in the world, there can’t be a God in the first place, we are all reasoning about God. We’re all doing theology.
It may sound like an inspirational saying that “everyone’s a theologian,” but it’s downright intimidating. Over eight billion people doing theology? That’s a lot of people, many of whom can’t be doing it very well. Every parent passes theology along to their kids—for better or worse. Every pastor feeds theology to their congregation—whether faithful to the Bible or not. Every comforter at a funeral. Every songwriter. Every Facebook commenter. You’re doing theology.
The question is whether you’re teaching your people to do it well or poorly.
That’s intimidating. But it’s also motivating. It’s no use to put your palms out and say, “No, no. Theology’s for smart people.” You and they are already doing theology. It’s an inescapable part of your life’s journey, your conscious thoughts, and your generational influence.
So, if your people are already involved in doing theology—your staff, small group leaders, elders, parents, etc.—the question you need to wrestle with is how do you want them to do it?
We want to help you train your future leaders in theology.
We at RENEW.org are immensely grateful to many Bible colleges and universities within the Christian Church/Churches of Christ, and we will always point interested people to academic programs at these colleges. One type of partnership we are excited about is offering a Certificate in Theology (CIT) program through RENEW.org which, if the student wants to go on to get a full degree, can offer transfer credits to these colleges and universities.
What is our Certificate in Theology? Allow us to introduce Renew University, a robust and comprehensive online resource for churches which will offer dozens of free short course presentations, small group lessons, and great sermons. In addition, Renew University in 2025 will begin its CIT, a certificate which allows your church to raise up theologically trained leaders from within.
Imagine connecting future leaders for your church with an online program that lasts 18 months, offers great Christian teaching, and allows them to learn on their time, in their home or car, while working with a cohort and a mentor. Imagine raising up future staff, elders, and key volunteers from within who are theologically trained and aligned with your church’s theology.
RenewU’s CIT will charge a very modest tuition, which will give them access to all 12 courses, a mentor, a cohort, and a certificate upon completion.
The main courses include:
- Christian Evidences
- The Bible: Inspiration, Canon, and Hermeneutics
- An Overview of the Old Testament
- Jesus and the Gospels
- Acts and the Apostle Paul
- The Book of Romans
- Biblical Theology
- The Restoration Movement and Church History
- An Introduction to Spiritual Formation
- Christian Leadership and Ministry
- Helping People in Crisis
- Disciple Making: The Core Mission of the Church
To lead Renew University, RENEW.org has recruited two seasoned leaders.
Rowlie Hutton serves as program coordinator for Renew University. Rowlie spent over 35 years preaching in The Dakotas, Montana, and Nebraska. He is a graduate of Dakota Bible College and Montana State University-Northern. Rowlie and his wife, Suzette, have five children and eight grandchildren.
David Young serves as academic dean of Renew University. For nearly 40 years, David served as the lead minister for several churches, with 26 of those years at the 3,000-member North Boulevard Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. David retired from his role as senior leader at the North Boulevard Church in order to fill the role of scholar-in-residence at RENEW.org. He holds a Ph.D. in New Testament from Vanderbilt University.
We are aiming to launch the RenewU Certificate in Theology program in May 2025!
To find out how you or someone in your church can sign up for the forthcoming Certificate in Theology, contact [email protected].
Daniel McCoy is editorial director for RENEW.org and professor-at-large of philosophy, Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri.
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