Reflective Essay On Theology

1072 Words3 Pages

The past eight years of my life since first recognizing my call to ministry have been like drinking from the fire hose of theology. I had done very little theological reading prior and so I have found myself reading a little of a lot of different voices trying to get a broad understand of the many strains of theology out there. Some I very much have agreed with and some I have walked away from saying not so much but almost all of it has shaped me in one way or another. Even what disagree with has helped because it forces me to at least think through why I disagree which further solidifies my own beliefs and working theology. Of the historic theologians one that I have really appreciated learning from is St. Julian of Norwich and her writing Revelations of Divine. St. Julian taught that God is not angered by our sin but is rather saddened and has pity on us. Instead of wrath we receive forgiveness. Our sin then becomes the opportunity to learn and grow. For me this speaks to the understanding that God is not the angry divine waiting to strike us down when fall, but is there to pick us up again with forgiveness and grace. For myself, this amplifies my understanding that we are not made perfect by our own doing but through God’s grace. Another influence …show more content…

Depending on who you are speaking the reactions to the term can run the gamut from excitement to disgust and even for myself this can be true. Two text though that have to help reshape my thinking around evangelism and how to talk about are Elaine Heath’s The Mystic Way of Evangelism and Francis Adeney’s Graceful Evangelism. Both of these texts approach evangelism in a graceful, humble, and respectful manner and that evangelism is a way of life and not just something we do in hopes of new converts. This a necessity for any church which not only hopes grow but to bring about the transformation of their community and the

More about Reflective Essay On Theology

Open Document