What is theology? I know that I keep throwing this word around and have not really offered a definition. If we break down the word itself, "Theos," meaning "God," and "logos," meaning "word," we come to a sort of definition. Theology is a word about God. Theology is a word from God. All theology is the result of our reflecting on something God chose to reveal about God's self. Thelogy is a word from God, like the Bible, the incarnation (the word from God, in John 1) of God in the person of Jesus, and preaching. Theology is our word back to God like in praise, prayer, and worship. Finally, theology is a word about God, like our confessing our faith or witnessing to our faith through our words and actions. This week we also use the word "dogma." Dogma, not the irreverent, poignant, and funny movie by Kevin Smith (go Jay & Silent Bob), but those things we consider to be the "core" of our Christian faith. Dogma is connected to doctrine, the official teachings of the church. Theology then is our individual or group reflection on our Christian faith...we use dogma and doctrine as a road map to discerning the "words" we will offer about God.
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