There was a time where I studied theology. Not at university. But I read. I subscribed to an academic journal. I thought.
But it was all dead. Just arguments over various ideas. (Maybe I’m mad that Theology Today didn’t publish one of my poems, but I doubt that. I seldom get mad.) I would get a feel for where the academic thinking was and then drop it for a while. A curiosity thing.
Philosophy, on the other had, was more life giving. Not the academic philosophy from the university. But glancing on my bookshelf and seeing Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Bacon, Pascal, Montaigne. They explored ideas, but they also explored how to live a fulfilled life.
We can read the Jewish and Christian scriptures that way, too. Oh, we can read these to find a list of rules that separate us from the heathen. Or, we can read what Jesus said and did and learn about living. We can read where James warns us about how our tongue can get us into trouble. How Paul describes reciprocal relationships and how living in the Spirit gives us freedom.
Three times I read references to Thomas Aquinas. St. Thomas if you’re Catholic. Taking a hint, I pulled Summa Theologica from my shelves and began to read. It took a while to get used to that particular Latin literary style. But I wasn’t getting into it. Then came the realization, this is a book on defining terms. I could see its importance for the job he was asked to do by the Pope. But, it isn’t speaking to me. I’m not studying for a degree. Or even to impress anyone (too late for that, now). My interest lies in living a better life. (Man, am I glad again that I dropped out of that Ph.D. track I began after university. That could have been my life.)
Take a hint. Read things that fill your mind with advice for life. You’ll find every day a better place for existence.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 