Kwast's model
Yesterday, I began a discussion of the value of theology. The insights in the comments section was excellent. One thing Adam Gonnerman pointed out is that the term “theology” is imprecise. If we were to limit ourselves to the true meaning of the word, we would only study God when doing theology. For the purposes of this discussion, we’ll stick with the general usage of the word.
When talking about culture and worldview, I often use a model that was developed by Lloyd Kwast. It views culture as having four layers. The outer layer is “Behavior,” looking at what the culture does. Below that layer lies “Values,” what the culture views to be good. Under values, we find “Beliefs,” what the culture sees as true. And underlying it all is “Worldview,” what the culture understands to be real.
When we read the Bible and merely look at what is done, I think it’s like looking at a culture and merely observing behavior. We’re not really going to understand what is going on. I won’t try and find parallels for each of the four layers, though you’re welcome to do so in the comment section. I will say that I think theology is the functional equivalent of worldview in this model. In other words, theology is to our faith what worldview is to our culture.
Theology underlies the behavior, beliefs and values of the church. If we merely look at the surface, we won’t really understand what is going on. To merely read 1 Corinthians 16 as a model for church funding is to miss the significance Paul placed on that offering. To imitate Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet without exploring all of the richness of meaning that was present in that act leaves us with an empty ritual instead of the powerful example of God serving man.
Do you think the comparison is valid between worldview and theology? What dangers do you see in a surface-level reading of Scripture? What problems arise if we dig too deep in our studies?
And dare we ask… how does our worldview influence our theology?
Maybe this is off-topic, maybe not, but it wasn’t until the past couple of years when I became part of the Central Jersey Church of Christ that I realized how many “one another” verses are in the New Testament. All that talk in college about “following the pattern” and there’s a very clear command to love, bear with and forgive one another on page after page. Perhaps if those verses had been taken more seriously, the Restoration Movement wouldn’t be as embarrassingly fractured as it is today. Then again, people would still be sinful.
We shouldn’t be surprised when in close Christian relationships there is friction. The apostles warned us about it and told us what attitude to have because they knew it would happen. Misunderstandings, offense and conflicts are inevitable.
Bringing it back to our worldview, in my Midwestern upbringing we rarely addressed conflicts directly, whether within the family or between friends/neighbors. Shutting people who offend us out was the “pattern” I learned. Unlearning that behavior and taking the Christlike path has been one of the greatest ongoing challenges of my time as a disciple.
I ran across this quote from J.I. Packer’s “‘Fundamentalism’ and the Word of God” a few days ago and thought it might apply to your discussion of theology and worldview.
“Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms.
Our business is to interpret and criticize modern thought by the gospel, not vice versa.
Confusion here is fatal.”
Behavior is an external; values, beliefs, and world view are internals. In his Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things Alexander Campbell focused on the externals of religious observance. To be fair to him, in other writings he did address the internals. Yet, his followers “grabbed”on to the externals, which have become the “markers” of the movement – at least in its more conservative manifestations.
Hence, the disdain for “theology.” What do you need all of that other stuff for when here is what we are to do. As has often been preached,
For that, the externals are virtually all that matter.
I hope the question is rhetorical……”What must I do to be saved?” Answer….Nothing!!!!
You already are………rhetorical answer………