Theological Formation
Embedded Theology vs. Deliberative Theology
The process of theological formation of the early church consisted of a manifold of circumstances, causes, and people that were intertwined by what we know as the Christian faith. Whether those circumstances, causes, and people were either positive or negative, the history of the early church’s theological development would not be what it is today without these elements. From the early church’s apostolic fathers and apologists to the individuals they identified as heretics, they all were instrumental, irrespective of their position on the theological spectrum. Furthermore, the ultimate components that played a pivotal role in the early church’s theological expansions are the sacred texts, deriving from its parent religion known as Judaism the Hebrew Bible, and the 1st-century apostolic writings that were eventually compiled as the New Testament.
The beginning process of the theological process involved the early church’s musing and reflection of the New Testament scriptures, which in turn led to an articulation of what came to be understood as their theology. This was made possible in large part due to the collection and subsequent copying of the gospels and epistles, which afforded access to the apostolic fathers during their formative years of theological development. The need for a written record and the interpretation of the teachings of Jesus was critical to the early church.[1] Polycarp, the martyred bishop of Smyrna, was believed to have in possession the Pauline letters of Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1 and 2 Timothy.[2] One can conclude that his decision to hold fast unto his testimony in Jesus up until the moment of death was based on a theological framework cultivated from what he came to understand about Christ as revealed in the scriptures. Being a disciple of apostle John and based upon what we know from the Christian tradition, it would be assumed that Polycarp learned the words of Jesus, either by the written gospel or by oral tradition, concerning the inevitable persecution that his disciples would encounter upon his departure (See John 15). Consequently, the scriptures had a similar effect on the early church at large as they endeavored to demonstrate the Christian faith in their Greco-Roman context.
Revisiting the earlier statement concerning the positive and negative elements that played an instrumental role in the development of the early church’s theological formation are orthodoxy and heresy. Orthodoxy from the standpoint of the early church became the rallying point for which the church would attempt to unify themselves as one new family in God through Christ. The apostolic fathers agreed that orthodoxy was a definite need for the early church, especially in light of the heretical opposition they faced during the developmental years. Orthodoxy, which is generally understood as the accepted doctrine of theological correctness, grew through the challenges of heresy.[3] The wave of attacks from the main heretical opposition was Gnosticism, although Montanus and his followers were just as severe in their hostility toward the early church. With the popularity of Gnosticism, the leaders of the church were forced to develop their theology relatively quickly and articulate it well to provide a formidable defense against Gnostics. In part, this included the decision by the apostolic fathers to begin the process to formalize and institutionalize the early church’s faith and life.[4] One of the main components of this process is the creation of the Rule of Faith doctrine, which was a summary of the main storyline of the Christian faith beginning with creation and consummation. The bishops and leaders of the early church endeavored to instruct the early church to not only memorize the Rule of Faith doctrine but to understand and articulate it. The benefits are twofold, with the early Christians having their faith in Christ growing and strengthen their defense against heresy.
The individual’s process of theological formation begins at the inception of their conversion to the Christian faith. It is at this time one begins their journey in theological development which at some point will ultimately lead to theological reflection. Theological reflection can take on many forms such as corporate bible studies within local churches with teaching pastors, individual devotion consisting of prayer and scripture meditation, and even within the public square in daily interactions with people from various backgrounds. It is important to note that theological reflection is not only personal but also an interactive, dialogical, and community-related process.[5] These activities and works eventually lead to the creation of embedded theology within the believer. This theology is implicit which Christians live out in their daily lives.[6] This is a critical stage for the individual’s theological formation process because during this time norms are formulated. The Christian worldview, the grid through which they see the world and the people within it, is impacted as well. However, significant events occur that prompt individuals to reconsider what they have come to believe about their theology. Such an event could be in the form of a personal tragedy or even tumultuous socio-political incidents that lead to civil unrest. It is during these times that an individual may delve into the process of deliberative theology. This process is primarily understood as reexamining a person’s own embedded theology and is marked by a certain critical distance toward each testimony of faith.[7] Those testimonies include but are not limited to the church’s mission statement, the oral traditions passed down by parents, or even the individual’s pastor’s teaching that he or she has always come to believe without question.
Beginning with a theological template, the Christian utilizes this as a baseline to perform their deliberative theological process. In its basic form, a theological template allows an individual to sort and organize all data concerning life.[8] This is an important tool for theological formation because it affords the individual the opportunity to assess their own embedded theology and newly acquired data against the devices that are entrenched within their theological template. As the template is utilized at the discretion of the individual, the process of elimination begins to occur. The dethroning of certain norms that were once considered bedrock truths occurs. It is a transformative process and it alters the individual’s existing worldview that was based on previous learned behaviors resulting from theological norms of the past. In addition, the theological template provides the individual with a set of factors which are used in engaging competing philosophies and theological structures of the world’s system.
As a result of theological deliberation, a new faith is realized to a certain degree. It is still orthodox in essence, such as the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the second Person of the Trinity. The Bible is still believed to be a work of divine inspiration by God. Fellowship with the community of believers is still believed to be a major core of the Christian praxis. However, the person now articulates a new faith that addresses his or her current context from a framework that was previously undiscovered. This is the fruit of deliberative theology. It is in this context that he or she revisits strategies and methodologies learned in the past with the hope of leading to a theological method of involvement and actual participation.[9]
From a personal standpoint, I recall the time when I first employed deliberative theology back in 2008 when I made the difficult decision of resigning from a church that I had been a member of for about 6 years. It was during this time that I entered somewhat of a period of deconstruction of my faith. The church was considered Pentecostal with a high view of emotion and the exercising of spiritual gifts, and a lower view of the scriptures from an authoritative and exposition standpoint. It was a tough experience because the bonds of friendships were predominantly lost in the process of deliberation. However, I would like to believe that it worked out in the end due to my spiritual recovery and formation during the past decade-plus. I have been fortunate to be able to glean from my past understanding hold tightly to the good experiences and heal from the unsavory ones.
[1]Olson, Roger E. The Story of Christian Theology. InterVarsity Press Academic, 1999. 26
[2] Kruger, Michael J. Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of The Church. InterVarsity Press Academic, 2018. 210
[3] Olson, Roger E. The Story of Christian Theology. InterVarsity Press Academic, 1999. 21
[4]Ibid., 39
[5] Howard W. Stone, and James O. Duke. How to Think Theologically. Third. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013. 4
[6] Ibid., 15
[7] Ibid., 18
[8] Ibid., 45
[9] Thistlethwaite, Susan Brooks, and Mary Potter Engel. Lift Every Voice: Constructing Christian Theologies from the Underside. Revised and Expanded. New York: Orbis Books, 1998.