3 things i learned from a 3 year degree in theology..

So, it's June 24th. And it's been AGES since I've written a post. A lot has happened in the past few months! I had to make a decision about which direction I should go in the next few years, and it was the toughest decision I've ever had to make. I wish sometimes that God would speak in a big booming voice rather than a still whisper...but don't we all! Aside from that, my degree is over. I received my results a few days ago and I'm very happy with them! Got a nice wee 2:1, with a very surprising result in my dissertation. It was a nice surprise, rather than a nasty one :D I was curious to see what my tutors thought was so good about it, so tonight I sat down to read it the whole way through for the very first time. I know, I know, very irresponsible of me to not read it thoroughly before it was handed in...I wouldn't advise that method either - I found about 5 mistakes which made me facepalm at my own stupidity! The word 'following' is definitely not spelt 'followinf'... Anyway, I finished the read through and immediately wondered how on earth I managed to write it all. I also wondered how on earth I managed to know so much about the stuff I was writing about (the title of the dissertation was "Theodicy in Contemporary Fiction: the novel, 'The Shack', as a case study"). This thought got me thinking another thought: what have I actually learned from my very expensive 3 year theology degree?  I'm obviously not going to bore you by listing off every wee tiny theological point (there are FAR too many!), but I thought it would be a neat way of rounding off my degree and reflecting on how much I've grown (or maybe shrunk?) over the last 3 years. 

I think the first thing I've learned is that I'm definitely a Methodist. Anyone who knows me well enough will know that I don't particularly like labels when it comes to Christianity - mainly because they sort of create division. Division shouldn't be happening though - the Church is the Bride of Christ, all working together for the same purpose. Labels such as Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists etc should not be thought of as dividing. They should be thought of as distinguishing. I know people will probably be thinking "but...distinguishing leads to division emma...DUH!" but I view 'distinguishing' as a positive thing. I like the way that we have the freedom to take theology from scripture, reason, tradition and experience and interpret it in our own way. I like the fact that Christianity is such a rich and diverse faith. I like the fact that I can sit down opposite a friend and debate with them about some theological matter and realise at the end that, in the long run, it doesn't really matter. One of the key things I've taken from my degree is that Methodism was completely radical - it turned conventional thinking upside-down and worked hard to rectify the injustices that society faced. I've also taken quite a liking to the Arminian nature of Methodism. I really think though that the vast majority of Methodists don't have a clue about the incredible history and theology that lies behind the label...which is really kind of sad :(

The second thing I've learned is that we should learn from those who went before us, rather than thinking we've got all the answers! I used to take the mickey out of special John Wesley services in church, and roll my eyes when a 3,957,012 verse hymn from the 1700s was being sung with this ye olde language that I didn't really fully understand and didn't feel I could relate to. To some extent, I still cringe a little at the John Wesley services, but I think that it's actually a really good thing to get challenged and inspired by the incredible men and women who have gone before us. I've also majorly warmed up to old hymns. In one single line, they can hold such profound theological truths and challenges. We need more worship songs like that today!

The third thing I've learned is that if you're gonna read the scriptures, you need to do so in the power of the Holy Spirit. Honestly? Exegetical essay after exegetical essay have really taken their toll on my ability to just sit down and read the Bible. I find myself constantly thinking "oooohhhh I wonder what that word is in Greek" "what's the historical context?" "what's the cultural context?" "oh, this writer uses X narrative form, so they obviously want to portray Y" "oh my goodness - DISASTER! this manuscript was most likely edited centuries later, so is it really true?!" yada, yada, yada.. It goes on and on. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed exegesis! It really opens up whole new realms of meaning whenever the little things are explored. However, I think exegesis made me look at the Bible in a slightly (very) different (and not so good) light - that it is a source of theology. That may sound crazy - of course the Bible is a source of theology! But it should primarily be about challenging, encouraging and growing us in our faith...not about analysing all the tiny minuscule details that have no impact on the things of eternity! The Bible is the Word of the Living God, and it's so easy to forget that when you're just treating it like another historical/theological source.

These may not seem like huge things to have learned over 3 years, but they are huge to me, and have totally transformed the way I look at my faith. I'm sure that over time, I'll discover other things that I have learned. When I do, I'll make sure to post about them.


On a completely different note, I'd just like to publicly thank everyone who has helped me along the long and winding road of studying theology - don't think I need to mention names here - you all know who you are. Thank you so much for your patience and guidance - it really kept me sane when I felt like I was losing the plot! Big thank you and even bigger love to you all.x