AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

My dissertation has arisen out of an interest in the way in which theology, spiritual experience, and practice relate to pastoral ministry. That interest has been fuelled by what I sense to be a lack of integration in these three things in much current Christian living and church practice.

That theology, experience and practice are all components of Christianity is generally accepted. Christians recognize that their faith is based on what they believe about God, themselves, the world and salvation. That means there is a theological or doctrinal aspect to their lives.

But they also hold that God is more than an idea to be believed. He is a Person to be known and the centre of a spiritual realm with which we may engage. That introduces a component of experience or relationship into their faith. And beyond that, there is a dimension of response, expressed in terms of worship, obedience and service. That’s the practice element of Christianity. Every Christian recognizes these three things as part of their life in Christ.

It’s not the existence of these three things that is problematic, but their relationship to each other, and the priority given to each. Some Christians – and indeed, some movements in church history – have tended to emphasize one at the expense of the others. There are Christians, for example, who put make a priority of the doctrinal element of their faith at the expense of the experiential and the practical. They read a lot of books, and talk about Christian theology in depth, but know little of God in their lives and accomplish little for him in the way of ministry to others.

Then there are those who are enthralled with their experience of God but who care little for reading, thinking and study on the one hand, or serving on the other. Again, there are those who are immersed in “doing things for God” who have little time for thinking about him (doctrine) or meeting with him (experience). The history of the church is littered with examples of such people, and of movements that have arisen in connection with them.

To some degree different Christians are always going to show a preference for doctrine, experience or practice. This flows out of their particular temperament, gifts and background. Some people are naturally more studious than others, some more inclined to devotion and worship, and others to getting things done. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this; it reflects the rich diversity of both the creation and the body of Christ. It can become a problem, however, when a natural preference becomes the sole interest of a person. That invariably produces deformity. A healthy Christian (or church) will always demonstrate some appreciation of doctrine, experience and practice.

What makes this so important is that the three things interact with each other and need each other. A true understanding of God (doctrine or theology) is the basis of a rich experience of God and fruitful service to him. Where people are lacking in doctrine they will be limited in their experience, and in turn, in the effectiveness of their service. Similarly, if they are strong in theology but defective in experience, their service for Christ will suffer. The three things belong together and are seamlessly interconnected in healthy Christian spirituality.

That’s why I have preferred to speak of the need for an “integrated” rather than a “balanced” approach to Christian life and ministry. A “balanced” life suggests that if we have adequate amounts of the three components – theology, experience and practice – we will get along satisfactorily. An “integrated” approach recognizes that all three components are essential because they interact with each other and consequently need each other.

That is also why I have been concerned over the years when practical issues relating to the Christian life and the church have been discussed with little reference to theology and spirituality. The latter are often assumed to be “in place,” making it safe to proceed without any reference to them. Consequently, books on Christian leadership, guidance, worship and evangelism appear in which there is little connection between advocated practices and underlying theology and spiritual experience. And that dislocation weakens their trustworthiness and usefulness.

Recapturing the interdependence of theology, experience and practice in Christian living and ministry, then, will be the object of our Insights over coming months. I hope you will benefit from the exploration and will feel free to forward any constructive suggestions you have.