Distracting Theology

Is theology a distraction for you? I have heard this from several people, usually non-Lutherans. They argue that articles of faith such as the Lord's Supper, Baptism, Dispensationalsim, and others might be important, but they can become a distraction from Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

 My response is this: "If your theology is a distraction from Jesus Christ, you need a new theology!" It is not good theology that is the problem, but bad. So trade up.

 The word "theology" literally means "God-Words". Speaking theology is speaking about God. And for a Christian speaking about God should always be done in reference to Jesus Christ, who reveals God to us.

So I would agree that the Lord's Supper and Baptism can be distracting from Jesus, that is, when we are talking about a Reformed, Armenian, Roman, or otherwise Evangelical theology of the Lord's Supper and Baptism. They divorce Christ from the sacrament and make it a mere rite or symbol. That would be distracting indeed.

Dispensationalism, or course, is just bad theology all together. It is a huge distraction from Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished upon the cross. Everyone goes around worried about the rapture and whether or not they will be "left behind". It is a theological distraction, so just drop it. Find abetter theology.

If the theology you learned is distracting you from Jesus Christ, then I humbly suggest you try Lutheranism, "Christ-centered and Cross-focused". All theology should point us to Jesus Christ, and if it does not, then the time has come to get a better theology, not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

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