The Future Trend of Theology

It is obvious today that the current trend of theology and its study has led to a division among the Christian community. However, much worst, the post-modern form has led to a total distortion of the Biblical truths which laid the foundations for the development of Christian beliefs and the doctrines that are presented to the church today. This has not occurred overnight. It has been an incremental ignorance to the twisting of Biblical principles and the lost obligation of demanding an accountable form of interpretation of Scripture. The constant adjustments made to the truth of Scripture in order to accommodate a non-abrasive and non-confrontational  form of theological beliefs in a self-serviced type of Christianity, has brought about distorted views and religion that serves the individual more than God.

In relation of the events that we have been a witnessing, Colossians  2:8 warns us, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ”. Also we see in 2 Peter 2:1 the following, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction”. Look at how Peter speaks about future teachers, “there shall be among you”. Peter is not warning about outsiders who will attack sound beliefs and teachings, but false teachers among the Christian community. The responsibility to avoid falling into false teachings is placed on every Christian, who is required to grow as Ephesians 4:14 also warns us, “That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, {and} cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”. In these three verses we see the (1) the warning to be aware, (2) the false teachers that will be among us that will bring damnable heresies, and (3) our responsibility to no longer be children (in our knowledge and understanding) so that we be not carried about with every wind of doctrine.

Here lies the future trend of theology. The theology known by most church goers is established by that which is taught from the pulpits. The foundation of that theology in most cases is unknown by the hearer, primarily due to a complacent form of following which does not demand a personal responsibility for the personal study. A false teaching can become foundational to the belief of the hearer due to ignorance.

How dependent are we upon the words of man more than the Word of God itself? This is demonstrated in the amount of time that the layperson is spending in the Word of God, searching out truths for themselves. Ignorance continues to be our worst enemy.

An example of where the trend of theology has led is the Latin American theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, born in 1928 in Lima, Peru. Gutierrez is the author of the book, A Theology of Liberation, which is highly regarded in liberation studies. Gutierrez view of “anonymous Christian” is based on belief that “persons are saved if they open themselves to God and to others, even if they are not clearly aware that they are doing so.” His definition of saving faith is “an act of trust, a going out of one’s self, a commitment to God and neighbor, a relationship with others.” This form of theology places a view of a salvation that relies upon our service to others through forms of social emphasis. As necessary as it may be for us as Christians to help others, salvation is an act of grace that must not be confused or distorted as something earned through acts of kindness, but received only through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. If the substance of our salvation revolves around our acts in relation to others, then it would open doors for a more expanded form of Christianity based on the goodness of people.

I bring this example mainly due to the amount of influence that this form of theology has on our society today. If you were to ask a person that has not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, if they feel that they would be saved from judgment, a very large percentage would identify themselves a good people who help when they see a need, and even believe in God. However, there is no better answer to this question than that given by Paul to the jailer in Acts 16:30-31, “And brought them out, and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” This is a far cry from the answer given by Gutierrez of the “anonymous Christian” who is saved “even if he/she does not know that they are doing so [in opening themselves to God and others].

We will visit this subject again in the future. However, this example of how theology will trend in the future is one that is connected to our times. It is a theology that depends on human beings to achieve their redemptive goals. The transformation of the individual through faith in Jesus Christ and the atonement is replaced with acts of goodness for a change in society.

Let me emphasize that the Christian who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and now walks in light of that which he/she has received through Grace, does have a concern for the plight and pain felt by the community. As such, our hearts will move us to work and assist in helping others. However, our salvation depends upon one act, as Paul so clearly states in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”