For:The Institute of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
In the opening conference call, Dan made reference to a number of interesting points to do with our Theology and Worldview. It was said that in today’s culture, we are asking more questions than can be answered. I think that is also certainly true of many of the issues in this topic.
It is necessary as worship artisans that we communicate effectively, using the gifts and talents that we have under our stewardship, to the culture in whcih we live. We communicate our theology i.e. what we believe about God. But what shapes our theology? We are influenced by our embedded and our deliberate theology (Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology Wk1, p.4). At what point however, do these intersect? Necessarliy, our embedded theology comes first. Our life experiences and all the goings ons around us, even in our young lives, influence what we make of the world. This also may cause us to reflect on the Maker of what we experience. This may contain many false links between what a (young) person sees or experiences eg. a tsunami, and the God who created all under heaven and earth.
This is where deliberate theology comes to liberate the misguided mind. However, such misinformed views may lead a person to reject the study of such a seemingly uncaring God, in spite of all the wonders of creation that exist day to day. Attempts to persuade such a person of the entirely true and good nature of God overseeing a fallen world may be cut short at the first hurdle as the embedded theology closes the door in the first instance ( ‘A God who lets this sort of event happen cannot be entirely good in nature’ may be a process of reasoning here).
A person who does wish to study the true nature of God may yet fail to accept the existence of a God who, although described as good, nevertheless allows terrible events to happen in this world. Although hearing and understanding the true nature of God may not be able to square that with a hurting and dying world. Yet one more step of thinking is required here.
Is that not precisley why God came? This world is groaning under the weight of the fall. It needs a Saviour. Jesus came and redemption followed for all time for those who believe. Creation will also be renewed and restored to its original condition. In working out this plan, God is acknowledging a problem and will see it through to its ultimate conclusion.
I think this way of thinking may cause problems to many today, precisley due not to embedded theology alone, but also due to prevailing worldview. We live in an atmopshere of the here and now. If we can’t see it, touch it, consume it, when we want it, then we can move on to the next available pleasure that we can have some measure of control over. It is precisely this control of the timing of events in Gods plan that we surrender when dwelling on the redemption of creation (no one knows the hour or the day of His – Jesus – return).
The Christian does acknowledge the presence of a good God in bad times. God does not ignore these. God is aware of these, yet God has been, remains, and always will be good and perfect in nature. Ultimately, Christians trust that all will be made good, but in His time. Faith in the resurrection of Jesus for the redemption of creation and mankind is central. The cross and ressurection is critical, and it is to the place of the cross where we return yet again with faith, expectancy and, perhaps, some temporarily unanswered questions.
