6 Definitions of Theology from "the Pros"

What is Christian theology? Theology is a combination of the Greek words "theos" (God) and "logos" (word). Most simply and straightforwardly, then, theology is "words about God" or "the study of God." 

But theology isn't JUST the study of God in some compartmentalized, isolated fashion. Because once we start to study and think about God as Christians, we discover that who God is and what God has done has implications for us and the way we live our lives. Whether directly or indirectly, theology influences the way we think, value, and feel about a myriad of other things.

Knowing this, many theologians have worked to "tease out" a fuller definition of theology that (1) captures this comprehensive scope of theology and (2) keeps us focused on what theology is for.

​Here are 6 such "professional" definitions of theology from evangelical scholars (listed in no particular order):

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"…theology is the study of God….Naturally it is not concerned merely with God in himself, but with the activity of God and with every area of human thought and experience which is affected by belief in God" (I. Howard Marshall, Pocket Guide to New Testament Theology, p. 5 - available online here).

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“Systematic theology is the cognitive and passionate enterprise that seeks to know and love the God of the gospel and to demonstrate its understanding in forms of obedient speech and practice” (Kevin Vanhoozer, Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible, p. 773).

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"Systematic theology is any study that answers the question, 'What does the whole Bible teach us today?' about any given topic" (Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p. 21).

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“Theology might be…defined as the discipline that (1) presents a unified formulation of truth concerning God and his relationship to humanity as set forth primarily in divine revelation and secondarily in classical church teaching and the field of human knowledge and that (2) applies such truths to the entire range of human life and thought” (Bruce Demarest, “Systematic Theology” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed, p. 1162).

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“Evangelical systematic theology is this: it is the science by which evangelical believes learn of God. It is rooted in the Bible and focused on Christ. Through this knowledge, the Spirit transforms us into followers of Christ and forms us into Christian communities, awakening in us the wisdom of God that leads to genuine worship and cultural transformation. Through theology we know and love God” (David K. Clark, To Know and Love God: Method for Theology, p. xxxii). 

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“Theology…encompasses a framework for thinking about the world and a vision for living in it. It seeks to capture the minds and hearts of believers so that they might think Christianly and act Christianly. Theology is the most noble and impassioned of disciplines, and if confined to the classroom, it will shrivel and die” (Richard Lints, The Fabric of Theology: A Prolegomenon to Evangelical Theology, p. 81).