Summary Of A Little Exercise For Young Theologians

Jack McCormick April 30, 2024 Who am I as a Theologian? Theology is the study of the divine and beliefs, faith, and an intellectual academic course of study. Lived Theology is how religious beliefs and the academic study of theology are embodied in everyday life. It focuses on integrating beliefs and practices into everyday life, how theological concepts are lived out in different cultural, social, and historical contexts, and reflecting on actions based on one’s beliefs. In Helmut Thielicke’s A Little Exercise for Young Theologians, he offers advice and guidance to young theologians in his class as they begin to embark on the journey of becoming theologians (7). Furthermore, his advice seeks to illustrate to students of theology how to practically

This reflection about my theological capabilities and inability to be disciplined raises a significant part of my identity as a theologian: a lack of confidence in my theological capabilities. I remember being in a seminar during my junior year of college and stating that the Trinity was like a three-in-one body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. My remark was met with utter disdain from my professor and scoffs and chuckles from some of the more pretentious students in class. Prior to this experience, I had no shame in my theological capabilities, but from thereon I often composed myself with precarity and precision in class, and would only speak out if what I thought was worthy of being said, theologically accurate, and rid of ineptness. This is the type of attitude, one where people do not feel comfortable being wrong and where others scold peers for being incorrect, is one I loathe. As I prepare to become a Campus Minister and Theology teacher, I am seeking to foster an environment where students are allowed to grow into their full capabilities as students. On a similar note, Thielicke states that questions about the soundness of faith, even the ones that might not be intellectual, “bear a trace of.the spiritual instinct of the children of God” (19). As a young theologian in high school, I felt as though no questions were bad ones, was met with positive enthusiasm

More specifically, one experience that challenged my faith was attending my classmate Michael Smith’s Pentecostal service a few months ago. The service lasted two and half hours, full of joyous praise, singing and dancing, charismatic presence, and excitement for the Triune God. As a Catholic, the liturgical experiences I have encountered were radically different from the experience I had at Michael’s church. What he told me, that challenged my faith, was that they praised God as if their favorite sports team had won a game, and their responsibility as Christians was to act like they won the game. Never in my 23 years of being a Catholic have I ever praised God as if my favorite sports team won a big game. Bearing witness to this form of worship has threatened my faith and how I express my love for God. Though I am challenged by how free and lively this worship was, as Thielicke notes, I should not blindly accept the Pentecostal form of worship as my own. It is one of the most difficult experiences as a theologian to resist the temptation of believing whatever impresses you theologically. I believe the present task of my theological journey after my experience, is to see how I can integrate aspects of the Pentecostal way of free and lively expression of praise for God and act like I am watching the Loyola Maryland Men’s Basketball team win a