Contemporising Theology

When approaching theology, there is a distinct difference between contemporising your message and contextualising it. The concern of a theologian is how to maintain balance in presenting the message of Christianity from scripture amidst (and often against) the constant flux of culture and technology whilst avoiding obsolescence (i.e. contemporising) and compromise.

The abiding essence of Christian theology regardless of culture and context is the doctrine or teaching of scripture. i.e. the core biblical principles which are applicable regardless of time, location and background. Within this essence theology is not dependent upon the experience of the communicant or the extent of their sociological impact. Not everyone will have the contextual framework in which to receive those abiding timeless elements. (See Piper’s treatment of this) To attempt “contextualisation” in that event is impossible without changing the actual content of the teaching. The task of the theologian is to use contemporary language, the role of the Holy Spirit is to provide the context or framework. That’s (one reason) why preaching is considered “folly” to those that do not believe the gospel. You may be using all the current, trendy phrases you can conjure, but without the context set by the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of the hearer, your words will be as a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. The theologian needs to be contemporary in their language. However, they must avoid changing the content of the message in order to adapt it to (or sometimes force it into) the context or framework of a hearer that “has ears but does not hear”. The point of making theology contemporary is to guide discernment on the part of the audience and elicit their commitment, but ONLY as illuminated by The Holy Spirit.

One concern I have with striving excessively to contextualise theological content is that undue attention is given to the communicator instead of the WORD. Christians have become, in my opinion, a little too ‘celebrity-oriented’ towards gifted speakers and communicators. This endangers the average person from being willing to attempt communicating the gospel due to personal fear that they won’t do as good a job as “Person X”. Those speakers are great to listen to and can inspire and motivate, but at the end of the day they are merely ‘tending the garden’. Only Godcan change someones heart or understanding where spiritual comprehension is concerned.