I am not a fan of systematic theology. Yes, I know, we all systematize our theology to some degree or another and if we were not to do so, the result would be less than optimal. But, I think it is a mistake to embrace an overly systematic understanding of the Christian faith. God has revealed himself to us in a story. But it's easy to dismiss certain parts of that story or to relativize the theology emerging out of a challenging narrative when it does not comport to our "system", whatever that system may be (Thomism, Calvinism, Restorationism). A better approach is to embrace the narrative of scripture - to live, move, breathe, eat, and sleep that narrative in its historical, cultural, literary, and yes, theological context. Then, we can live with and embrace the good, the bad, the ugly, the confusing, the contradicting, and the paradoxical of the story of scripture. If you can't live with unanswered questions and ambiguity, your only option is to not live at all.
One of the worst things to happen to the church was the wholesale and less than critical embrace of Greek philosophy. This happened through time in various contexts, but I believe this obscured much of the Hebraic and Jewish theology that was critical to the early church. I believe that in many ways, it replaced the God of Israel with the god of the philosophers. I recently wrote some verse with this in mind.
The God of the Philosophers
Time was pregnant with possibility.
One came and condescended, though not condescendingly.
The philosophers preached divine impassibility,
But they underestimated the emotions of One not threatened by relationality.
The church fathers - the patristics - bounded by their own immediate context and ignorance -
In seeking to keep their faith orthodox, introduced great heterodoxy.
The scholastics were even worse.
Thomas Aquinas and his ilk offered not much more than a curse.
Even the reformers were retarded by the Medieval and the Greek philosophical.
So, here's a middle finger to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle!
Okay, so maybe I'm being overly harsh. Some might say that I am the ignorant one. That's certainly a possibility. But the more I read the Biblical story, the more I am convinced that much of the systematic theology would have been improved by embracing a narrative theology. There is an unfolding and messy picture of God found in the Biblical narratives. It's a story of reality and even God himself, not simply being, but also becoming. I find this God much more gritty and much more attractive! This is the kind of God with whom I can have a dynamic relationship. What say you? - Shay
