If you want to do theology, you must first read the Bible much

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025421058

 

(Written on 7. 3, 2005)

 

I remember that I was really angry to read a book, '베짜는 하나님(God who weaves)', whose author is Hong Jeong-soo, a former professor of '감신대(Methodist Theological University)'. I felt almost the same anger as I felt yesterday reading the book Kim Jin, a senior researcher at the Bible Academy, wrote. Mr. Hong was a Methodist pastor and a professor of the Methodist Theological University, and was dismissed. In my opinion, this man Kim Jin also is not entitled to be called a pastor at all.

 

The characteristic of these two is that they themselves try to talk some profound theology, but their arguments, seen in larger contexts, are full of sophistries. They are doing theology popular these days with all their strength, but with a shallow understanding on Christianity. They seemed like people who hadn't read the Bible thoroughly. If they had read the Bible attentively just 10 times, they would not have made such arguments full of shallow sophistries. It seems to me that they were even doing theology without understanding orthodox doctrines.

 

I'm very ignorant of theology, but I know it a little. I've read Korean Bible 6 times, English Bible 3 times, and I'm reading German Bible for the 3rd time now. I'm not saying this to brag. I mean that I could understand the Bible a little better when I read it in Korean, English, and German, which gave me opportunity to read it calmly and carefully. My conclusion drawn from reading the Bible so and reading theological books is that all the orthodox doctrines that have been handed down to us are truly precious teachings. The orthodox Christian doctrines are in perfect harmony with the entire Bible, and the doctrines are like a beacon that helps Christians know God better and understand the Bible better.

 

While reading the theology books of the two men, Hong Jeong-soo and Kim Jin, I deeply felt that they were shallow believers indeed. Of course, Byun Sun-hwan is no less shallow Christian than they are. These three, in my view, even have less faith than Sunday school childhood teachers do.

 

I wonder if some of netizens reading this post are pastors ministering to God at church or if there are some who want to be theologians for their job. You must read the Bible at least 10 times before you study theology. And I think that it will be beneficial to you and the church for you to do God's work when you have seen what the real church is, after you pray to God a lot of time, serve God in the church, and meet various types of Christians. You can't be more than a shallow Christian intellectual if you become a theologian after somehow passing the entrance exam with a little good English knowledge but without real faith in God and church, and tasting theology superficially.