Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome to my blog! My purpose for creating this blog is to reflect on theological matters. Some of these matters may be rather complex, while other matters may be simple and practical. So why did I start a blog? Are there not enough blogs out there that deal with theology? Unquestionably that is true and this will just be another addition to the world of theological blogging. Originally, my wife and I had considered doing a blog together where she would write on matters of the home and I would write on theological topics. However, after further discussion we decided that each of us should write our own with those ideas. Her blog can be found here. Another reason for this blog is a bit selfish. It gives me a better opportunity to improve my writing abilities which are currently less than scholarly to say the least. Grammar nazis are likely to have a conniption fit or three. Don't say I didn't warn you; corrections are certainly welcome.

A bit about myself: I am a recently ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) serving as the organizing pastor of Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I graduated from Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary last year. The OPC has been described by some as the little denomination with the big mouth and Greenville Seminary has been described by some as the little seminary with the big mouth. No doubt many who have known me a long time would say that I fit right in. I tend to be a bull in a china shop in discussions and thus many of my posts may sound rather blunt. Please know that I share my musings for the benefit of others and not their detriment. I hope to discuss ideas and do not wish to disparage people.

That being said it's time to go down the Reformed Path. My own interest in studying theology was sparked by a book by Dr. RC Sproul entitled Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Interestingly, it was not the main body of the book, but rather the introduction that convicted me. In it, Sproul provided ten causes he believed led many to spurn theology with the result of very little growth in spiritual maturity. Not all ten applied to me and no doubt the ones that did will not necessarily apply to the readers of this blog. Back then, I almost never read introductions to books, and I don't recall what piqued my curiosity to read it for this book. Which items convicted me? Well, let's leave that out for now since I'd rather you read that introduction yourself and see what may apply to your own life. Since reading Sproul's book, I have studied a lot of Reformed theology and am grateful to God for the opportunity to study formally at Greenville Seminary.

So why bother with the study theology? Why can't it just be me and Jesus? Theology just causes all kinds of controversies and schisms, so can't we all just sit around the campfire, hold hands, and sing "Kumbaya?" Theology is just not that important. Or is it?

Stop and think about this for a minute. What does the word "theology" mean? Simply put, theology means the study of God. Similarly, my trusty iMac's included Oxford American Dictionary defines theology this way: the study of the nature of God and religious belief. Now take either of these definitions and substitute it for the word "theology" in the underlined sentence just above. What is the result? "The study of God is just not that important" or "the study of the nature of God and religious belief is just not that important." Well now, that ought to give all of us pause. Do any of us really believe and want to say that the study of God is unimportant? If you are one who feels that theology (i.e., the study of God) is unimportant, are you prepared to tell Him that?

All of us who love God and His word ought to be students of theology in some way, shape, or form. Granted, not all of us are called to be professional theologians and ministers. All of us have different abilities, jobs, time constraints, etc., and many of these are clearly legitimate. Nevertheless, if you believe in our heart of hearts that man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, then you need to study God and His nature in order to know how best to glorify and enjoy Him. Thus the purpose of studying theology is that you may delight God and delight in God. Studying theology can be hard; it takes diligence, time, and energy. Think of it as an exercise program; it can be difficult at first, but in the long run the rewards will be worth it. May God grant all of us the grace and desire to study Him so that we might glorify Him and enjoy Him both now and forevermore.