“I don’t need to know theology because I’m just a stay-at-home Mom.”

I used to think theology was just for pastors or wannabe pastors. Only “boring people” who take delight in ridiculously thick and heavy books study theology.

Me? Well sure, I read the Bible. But I’m not a seminarian or theologian, so I don’t need to concern myself with understanding difficult doctrines or nitty-gritty aspects of Christianity.

 

What is theology?

Before we conclude we don’t need to know theology, let’s make sure we have a correct understanding of the word.

Merriam-Webster defines theology as “the study of religious faith, practice, and experience. especially: the study of God and of God’s relation to the world.”

Simply put, theology is the study of God. And your theology is what you think about God. Why does it matter?

What you think about God matters because it influences your every thought, word, and action. Your theology determines the way you talk with your kids, respond to your husband, and spend your time.

In short, your theology determines the way you process and respond to everything in life.

“Whether you ‘think’ theologically or not, you are ‘doing’ theology every day
in the decisions you make, the words you speak, the feelings you have, and the attitudes you nurture in your heart. All of these responses are rooted in your perspective on the nature of God, yourself, your relationships, and the world around you. […]

The question is not whether you are a theologian, but what kind of theologian you are!”
—Relationships by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp

 

Why Should a Mom Study Theology?

As a Mom, you have the opportunity and responsibility to be an influence in your child’s life. Some of you are the primary influence in your child’s life. You teach him what to believe about God by your words, emotions, and actions. And his belief about God affects the way he views himself, thinks about the world, and interacts with others.

So, what do you believe about God? And how is your theology (whether right or wrong) influencing your children? If we don’t care about the doctrines that make Jesus Christ different from any other god, why should our children? If we dismiss theology and other Christian doctrines as irrelevant, why would we expect our children’s attitude to be any better?

As believing Moms, we are training up the next generation of Christians. Our children may never attend seminary, but by God’s grace, they can learn all about God and his Word when we take time to learn it ourselves and diligently, carefully teach them.

 

So How Can I Learn Theology?

If you’re anything like me, you may not gravitate towards the large tomes sitting in the library. My husband enjoys those, and I love him for it. But—as juvenile as it sounds—I like pictures in my books. Yes, I do read a hefty amount of books every year (Related: My 8 favorite books of 2018), but it’s not out of the sheer enjoyment of reading but because I know there are things I need to learn.

So how does someone like me learn theology? How does someone who has the desire (but maybe not a ton of time, brain space, or training) learn theology?

1. Read your Bible.

Does that sound small? It’s really not.

The purpose of learning more about the Christian faith is so we as believers can become more like Jesus. You can’t do that unless you have God’s Word dwelling richly in your heart and mind, permeating your thoughts until it overflows into your words and actions. So read God’s Word. Study it. Come with a curious mind and ask questions of the text instead of assuming you know what it means because maybe you’ve heard that passage since you were a child (#guilty). I regularly use this study Bible and the free Blue Letter Bible app (commentaries! definitions of Greek words! cross-references!) to enrich and deepen my study of the Word.

If you want more guidance in Bible study, check out this book and the Dwelling Richly series for practical encouragement!

 

2. Ask God for help.

If you want to know more about God, you can ask him to teach you! It’s a prayer that can be as simple as, “God, I want to know you better. Please give me a diligent spirit, an understanding mind, and a heart of faith as I try to learn more about you, your ways, and your Word.” God wants us to know him even more than we want it.

 

3. Fire up that mind and start studying.

You could enroll in a seminary class to learn theology, and if you do, I cheer you on! But don’t discount the immense benefit of small daily study that happens over the period of weeks and months. This sort of regular study has been extremely beneficial in my personal life and my role as a parent.

Here are three ways non-seminarians can study theology:

• Memorize Catechisms

I started working with my kids on memorizing catechisms when they entered kindergarten and I promise you, I needed to learn it as much as (or maybe more than) they did! We have used this book, but I’ve heard amazing things about this one (it even has a devotional book and songs to make learning easier!)

 

• Listen

Two weeks ago, I started listening to a series on systematic theology by Wayne Grudem. He teaches in a lecture setting, so you can sometimes hear back and forth between the students and the teacher. I enjoy hearing people interact with him because it makes the lessons even more practical for me. I encourage you to start with this one entitled “Introduction to Systematic Theology.” You can access all of the lessons here.

 

• Read

Here are two books I’ve been dabbling in lately:

Christian Beliefs is a fairly short book (160 pages) that is easy to read and understand. I even brought it out and read a chapter to my kids during a fairly heated discussion among them about what exactly heaven was like. I’m not going to say it was extremely riveting to them (keep in mind their ages: 2, 5, 7, & 9), but it was helpful and instructional. If this is your first foray into theological reading, this book is a good option for you.

 

Systematic Theology is like the big daddy version of Christian Beliefs. It clocks in at 1,264 pages and is so heavy it could double as an excellent doorstopper when you aren’t reading it. No disrespect meant there, as this is the book my husband and I have read out loud to each other during some of our date nights. It is more intense than the one above, but still understandable for a non-seminarian like myself. So if you finish Christian Beliefs and are looking for a more intense, detailed book, then check it out here.

I haven’t read Wendy Alsup’s book, Practical Theology for Women, but I loved her interview here and have heard fabulous reviews of her book, so I’m sure that would be an excellent resource too!

 

How is your theology evidencing itself in front of your children?
May God give us a desire to diligently study his Word so that we will be equipped as we train up the next generation for his glory.

 

This post is part of the Lies Moms Believe series.
To read all the posts in this series, click here!