What Is The Point of Studying Theology? Michael Bird Gives 2 Reasons

A few Sundays ago I launched a 30 week teaching series in my church journeying through the basics of Christian theology. All of a sudden we've got 80% of our church from an unchurched/dechurched background, and so I sensed the need to go back to the basics.

In a few weeks I can imagine I will begin getting the same question that Dr. Michael Bird (author of the new book, Evangelical Theology) often gets from his undergraduate students: "What's the point of studying theology?"

As Bird puts it, inevitably a smart-alecky student wonders how studying "this stuff" will make him or her a super duper worship leader at a megachurch someday. I can imagine inevitably a (I won't say smart-alecky, here!) congregant will wonder how studying "this stuff" will make him or her a super duper plumber or housewife or cashier.

Because we've got to justify teaching "this stuff," how should we plead? Well, Bird gives a brilliant answer in the video below that hinges on 2 justifications:

Reason 1: Some of the stupid things students say.

Reason 2: Christians need to be able to articulate a coherent worldview.

"Without studying theology we are liable to become theological schizophrenics," says Bird, which is no good for anybody! Watch Bird's explanation below and add to Bird's justifications in the comment section with the reasons you give to people for why we should study theology.

-Jeremy Bouma, ThM (@bouma) 

Can't see the video? Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj90GyEVdIM