Hey everyone, welcome back to Jesus the Legend! As always, I’m so glad you’re here, and I’m really excited to have you with me for another little journey into the weird corners of my brain.
I’ve had a thought rattling around in my head lately that I want to share because the more I sit with it, the clearer it becomes. And I believe this is as much a word for me as it is for anyone else—so, in many ways, I’m probably preaching to myself here more than anything else. But maybe it’ll resonate with someone else too, so I figured it was worth turning it into an episode.
It has to do with the way we talk about theology, theological viewpoints, and how we think about or describe someone’s theological credentials.
I'll hear somebody say, "I have a degree in theology." Or, "I have a Master's in theology." Or maybe even, "I have a PhD in theology." And whether I realize it or not, there's often a certain weight attached to that statement. I hear the word "degree or masters" and may think, "Okay, this person has studied theology. They've probably figured this stuff out."
And obviously, education matters. Study matters. Scholarship matters. If someone has spent years studying Scripture, biblical languages, church history, philosophy, systematic theology, and all these other disciplines, I want to respect that. I don't want to diminish it at all. But here’s what I've been thinking: maybe we need to be a little more specific.
Intro/outro music licensed from Soundstripe (soundstripe.com)
