I love reading theology in my free time, especially the German theologians who are wonderfully gifted in being so abstract. I love playing with ideas. But as a Christian, and as a Christian who happens to be a minister, theology is never for me an academic affair, never a flight of fancy but is always the most practical of reflections. For me it is not just an academic discipline, it is a way of life. All theology is practical theology and it is practical because when an individual is thinking theologically, and a church and its members are well equipped in theological reflection, the gospel takes on for them a depth and authenticity and clarity they could never have on their own.
Good theology is like an anchor that keeps a ship from running aground in a storm.
Good theology keeps us in place and offers stability. But good theology is also like a rudder that helps steer a ship through the seas. Theology is a reasoned reflection on the meaning and depth of the gospel in such a way that brings it to life. Christian theology is the language we use to talk about God and God's actions in the world, the God we come to know in Jesus Christ. Because theology is always dealing with the knowledge of God, and because only God can reveal God's self, every time we dabble in theological conversation, every time we think about God, every time we attempt to listen and understand a sermon, and every time a sermon is proclaimed that seeks to make real the presence of God in Christ, it is always a precious gift .