Inherited Theology Can Be Dangerous

In last week’s blog (Studying the Bible Can Be Dangerous), I used the term “recycling” to describe how many church members study the Bible. In this approach to Bible study, old beliefs, old understandings, and old ways of thinking are repeated and restated as though they were the right and only way to understand the Bible. Beliefs we learned and inherited from previous generations—which those who taught us had learned and inherited from previous generations—are recycled in the present. We hold to these old ways of thinking, assuming they reflect spiritual truth when, in reality, they only reflect the understanding of previous generations. These old ways of thinking could better be described as traditions rather than as authentic Biblical or spiritual truth.

What I am saying is, inherited theology can be dangerous. Consequently, we need to carefully examine what we have been taught.

Unfortunately, most of us seldom examine or reevaluate the theology we have inherited. Rather, we use what we already think and believe—our inherited theology—as the standard we use to judge everything we hear. If what we hear aligns with what we already believe, we accept it as true. If it does not align with what we believe, we reject it as false. This process is so automatic that we are generally unaware of it. It is so common that social scientists have named it. They call it confirmation bias.

This way of studying the Bible—using confirmation bias—has dangerous implications. It allows us to avoid the hard work of thinking and discerning. It closes us off to the Spirit’s work of teaching us the things of God that Jesus taught, John 14:25-26. It keeps us stuck in old ways of thinking. As a result, we fail to grow spiritually. We do not experience the transformation of our hearts and minds that comes through the “renewing of the mind,” Romans 12:2. Instead, we become rigid in our thinking—close-minded and hard-hearted. I’ll say it again: inherited theology can be dangerous!

I grieve as I listen to and observe friends who have not progressed beyond their thinking of fifty years ago. I think I can understand their lack of progress. Their religious circles (churches) practice recycling. Recycling reinforces inherited, passed down and passed around thinking. Not knowing how to evaluate what they hear or even that they need to evaluate what they hear, they allow the repetition of traditional thinking to reinforce their sense that what they think and believe is right. Which completes the circle—using what they think and believe to judge what is right and true (confirmation bias).

It seems to me that the inherited theology of many church members neglects the interior realm of life—the heart, Mark 7:20-23. Instead, like most religions, it emphasizes the external realm of behavior—acceptable behavior as prescribed in the law, religious rules, moral standards, and social norms. It focuses on believing the right things, on doing the right things (morals), and on being involved in church activities (especially Bible study!). These things define what it means to be “a good Christian.” This focus on externals feeds the ego-centric self. It fosters appearances rather than authenticity. It creates a lack of self-awareness—awareness of what lies in the heart, i.e., spiritual blindness. Because it primarily focuses on the external realm of behavior (to the neglect of the interior realm of the heart), the inherited theology which most of us have been taught does not produce a transformed life—the new creation of which Paul spoke, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18a. The ego-centric identity it fosters blocks the servant spirit that is the mark of authentic spirituality and discipleship, Mark 9:33-37; 10:41-45. Most telling, this inherited theology does not lead us to love as Jesus loved or to love those Jesus loved.

Of course, this warning about inherited theology raises the question, “how do I evaluate what I have been taught? How do I know if the theology I have inherited is healthy?” Perhaps a few questions can guide our self-evaluation.

Has what I have been taught to believe led me to love as Jesus loved and to love those Jesus loved? Does it allow me to exclude some from my circle of love?

Has what I have been taught to believe led to me to think differently—from how I once thought, from how the culture around me thinks?

Has what I have been taught to believe caused me to grow emotionally-relationally-spiritually, i.e., to a transformed life? Am I significantly different today than I was ten, twenty, thirty years ago?

Does what I have been taught to believe reflect grace-based thinking or merit-oriented thinking, unconditional love and forgiveness or people getting what they deserve? Do I commonly use the word “deserve”?

Does what I have been taught lead me to view and value, accept and embrace every person—without exception—as a beloved child of God or does it provide a reason for me to judge, condemn, reject, and exclude some?  

Does what I have been taught focus on the interior realm, that is, the attitudes and spirit of the heart, or on behavior—right belief, behavior, and church involvement?

Does what I have been taught foster my ego-centric identity or call me to die to it? Does it allow me to judge and criticize others—the telling mark of the ego-centric self—or does it call me to respond to them with understanding and compassion?

Does what I have been taught to believe nurture a humble, teachable spirit within me—a mark of authentic discipleship—or a sense of “I’m right” —another mark of the ego-centric self?

Does what I have been taught to believe train me to walk in the Spirit, in glad dependency upon the Spirit’s guidance and power to do what I cannot do in my own strength, or does it call for self-effort that tries harder to do better—the self-reliance that is a defining characteristic of American culture?

What emotional reaction do these questions stir inside you?

(These questions reflect the thinking found in my book God’s Plumb Line: Aligning Our Hearts with the Heart of God. A revision of the book, entitled God’s Plumb Line: A Tool for Discerning the Will of God – revised edition, is at the publisher.)

It is important that we examine what we have been taught because inherited theology can be dangerous to our spiritual wellbeing.