I am one that has thought that theologies can often get in the way of God. There are so many denominations and doctrines out there, even just within Christianity itself. How can these small differences in doctrine possibly make a difference in our faith? I don't really think they can honestly.
I do think, on the other hand, that understanding the different theologies and doctrines in our faith is important. Last night I was reading a chapter in C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity and he had a good point about theology.
Lewis was considering the fact that many people are put off by theology (theology being the "science of God"). Many people find it is more personal and beneficial to feel God, through whatever means they can. They feel they can learn more about God through their daily interaction with Him as opposed to studying theology.
It is true that personal interaction with God is going to be more "real" than any old theology. Lewis' illustration was that this is similar to standing on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean and seeing it's magnificence, then going and looking at it on a map. Obviously the map is going to be far less real than the actual Atlantic ocean itself. The map, however, is necessary in navigating the ocean, should you want to travel that ocean from England to the US (I am paraphrasing Lewis here). Lewis made the point that theologies are based on the interaction of hundreds and thousands of people with God over thousands of years. They have written down what they found to be truth about God. Others have then built on those theologies as the centuries have gone on.
Take science for example. Over thousands of years scientists have studied the world and its inner workings. Each one building on the next and correcting the falsehoods of the last. What if each time we wanted to learn something of the world we had to reconstruct the Periodic Table, or refigure the E=MC2 equation...we wouldn't get very far.
In a similar way, the theologies that have been passed down over the centuries can help us better understand the God we worship. We can learn great things from what others before us found as Truth about God and attempt to build on them. This seems a far greater way of coming to know God than relying solely on our own feelings and experience. As long as we study with a certain skepticism. We still need to constantly question and come to our own conclusions.
Don't get me wrong, experiences have a huge place in understanding and learning about God. What I am saying is that it is foolish to negate thousands of years of people, just like you and I, trying to know God, and passing on the truth that they had found. It is still important to discuss and debate these theologies, none are perfect. It is impossible for any of us to understand and explain God perfectly...if it were possible, He would be a pretty lame God.
So let's continue to discuss our theologies and doctrines, whether from Christian faith, or from any other source we believe we can find truth in, and see what we come up with, but let's not forget the great people that came before us that God revealed His truth to as well.
