When Theology Mattered: A Lament

A Lesson From Ephesus and Nestorius

In a small and relatively peaceful village near the city of Ephesus around 431 A.D., crowds left their meager homes, led by their local priests, and took to the streets.  A nearby Christian teacher had been teaching that the Virgin Mary was the Mother of Christ: that she gave birth to Jesus when she was a virgin (as Scripture attests and as has always been part of orthodox Christian teaching), but Jesus “became the Christ” at His birth, or at least some time later.  In other words, this teacher, who was following the teachings of a key Christian leader named Nestorius, was saying that while Mary was the mother of Jesus, she should not be called “Mother of God”, since Jesus was not always God; rather, He became infused with divinity after His birth.  This nuance seemed too small for the increasingly popular Nestorius and his disciples to bother with.  After all, they were “close” in regard to their formulation of doctrine. 

This teaching was so offensive, even to the largely uneducated laity around Ephesus, they took to the streets in protest shouting, “Blessed Mary, Mother of God!  Blessed Mary, Mother of God!” This protest became widespread until the Christian teacher spouting Nestorianism (as it came to be known) left the village.  This protest was in affirmation of the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD, which decried Nestorianism as heresy – against official biblical and Church teachings.  The people of Ephesus, though largely lacking in formal education and literacy, would not compromise their faith and shouted loud enough to clearly proclaim what continues to be official Church teaching: Mary should be called “Mother of God,” not because she is divine, but because Jesus was from eternity fully God, as well as fully human.

Theology Once Mattered

As a historical theologian and a pastor, I guess one would suspect I would enjoy this story, which I read in a work of a Catholic historian several years ago. 

We still protest things these days, and often they are very important things.  But in our American church culture, including my own denomination, concerns about theological issues, including the radical nature of Jesus’ own teachings, sometimes take a backseat to other things.  In fact, theological foundations are often not even invited along for the ride! 

I do not think we should walk around as doctrine police, attacking those whose doctrine does not exactly match ours.  Too often Medieval Christianity did this, even to the point of fighting bloody battles, and Christianity has reaped the sad consequences of this kind of dogmatism.

However, I confess that I do miss the days when theology really mattered to Christians.  

Did you know that some of the best-selling books of previous centuries were books on theology?  The earliest days of the printing press saw mass production of sermons by great Christian leaders, including Martin Luther and John Calvin.  Christianity in eighteenth century exploded with even secular leaders providing preaching and writing opportunities for theologians and preachers, like Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield.  Newspapers printed theological debates between the likes of these ministers and theologians!

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries boasted books from the likes of Paul Tillich and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (theologians who opposed Nazism and set forth key works of theological discussion), as well as a plethora of Catholic and even Evangelical theologians whose works were taken seriously by religious scholars, religious people in the pews, and even secular media.  Writers like R.A. Torrey, Carl Henry, Jurgen Moltmann, Reinhold Niehbuhr, and Karl Barth, whose works often targeted academic and clergy audiences, often found their way into bookstores and mainstream conversations among non-clergy and non-academics of all backgrounds.  Even as recently as the 1960s and 1970s, religious works by the likes of Harvey Cox, Martin Luther King, C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, and Catholic writers like Hans Kung could be mentioned in sermons and in discussions in many Christian settings with at least some recognition. 

Sadly, those kinds of writings and discussions have been largely cast aside outside of ever-decreasing academic circles.  They have been replaced by (Christian) self-help gurus, popular TV preachers, and even business and money management writers from outside of the Christian faith.  These are the books we are largely discussing today, and so, when theological issues arise, our first questions are questions of popularity and politics and not of theology.

Fruitful Sadness

This is a lament: a sad reflection on a sad situation.  Therefore, at the moment, I can offer very few suggestions in regard to actual solutions.  My hope is that when enough people get sad or even angry at the situation as it is, more people and groups will take it upon themselves to intentionally seek change.

The problem, which I contend is indeed a problem, is not that we no longer take to the streets when someone within our own Christian fold misstates or misrepresents basic Christian doctrine.  Rather, the problem is that we usually do not even know when Christian doctrine has been misrepresented or misstated.  We only know what popular opinion or the most listened to political gurus have to say, and we follow blindly.

Our churches tend to be governed by marketing principles more than doctrinal boundaries.  Our universities, meaning Christian universities, tend to be governed by the loudest donor voices (which take their cues from the same political gurus or pop culture preachers), instead of the doctrinal foundations upon which they were established.  Agree with the loudest voices, regardless of your doctrine, and you will have a strong hearing and following in today’s Christian circles.  And your “fruitfulness” (i.e., your ability to garner a following) will be rewarded.

Give the most money, and your way will often be heeded, regardless of the nuances of its doctrinal content.  It is no longer common for words such as “heresy” to even be in fashion, and when it is used, it is often misused or used for political gain, not for spiritual enlightenment.  Many popular movements within Christianity were once opposed, simply because they were doctrinally unsound.

Poor Nestorius: He was born much too early.