Theology for Dummies -- What is Theology?

I know it seems simple to start here, but what the heck is theology anyway? Webster defines theology as: 'The study of God and His relationship to the world'. I suppose that is adequate, but then you have to consider how many types of theology their are: biblical, historical, systematic, philosophical, process, etc. That means this field is a broad one and has so many twists and turns that sometimes you can get very lost.

The fact is that GOD is a BIG subject and that means there is bound to be a whole lot of ways to approach the subject. Then you throw in that it is not just about God, but how He relates to the world and now you have added a whole new set of issues. I guess I can understand people who say: 'just give my that old time religion, it's simple'. But then ask them what they mean by that and you know what -- they are engaged in theology and suddenly 'the old time religion' isn't so simple.

Theology is ultimately important because coming to a personal understanding of God and how he relates to you is a theological question of no small significance. Eternal survival significance. It means using your mind to understand God. That means you have to engage more than just faith -- you have to engage your brain in relationship to your faith.

This series will continue by defining the major types of theology, so hang on.