A Layman's Theology

Abstract

HE layman who proposes to discuss theology is at best presumptuous, if not foolhardy. Theology is the especial province of the clergy and of the faculties of divinity schools. These men are specialists who have devoted years of study and research to the field of religion. They have accumulated knowledge of the nature of God, the meaning of life, and the essentials of faith. They have become well-versed in the Scriptures as truth; they have discovered what they believe to be the will of God in the affairs of men. They have developed supernatural and superhuman sanctions for otherworldly virtues which should be exemplified in human behavior. They have prepared to interpret the human experiences, especially those which perplex the layman. Now the layman is usually untutored in such matters. He has made no systematic study of religion and its implications. He has given little thought to other-worldliness except on Christmas and Easter. Funerals also occasionally place him in situations which call for introspection and contemplation. And if his interest or his conscience bring him to church on Sunday he is induced for an hour or more to give consideration to fundamental values, higher standards and loftier objectives. But for the most part the layman's mind is filled with thoughts of war, taxes, wages, strikes, stocks and bonds, politics, clients, patients, students; love, lust, golf and baseball. Obviously such thinking does not qualify him to speak on matters of theology. Should a layman concern himself with such matters, however, he quickly discovers that there are almost as many theologies as there are theologians. If he turns directly to the Scriptures themselves he is further confused because he cannot square his own interpretation with those of the specialists. Now it is difficult objectively to demonstrate the validity of truth. The layman hence is not readily convinced by an interpreter who claims to speak with the authority of thus saith the Lord. Should the layman respond to the urge to align himself with other laymen who are concerned with religious matters he is confronted with a choice of more than two hundred denominations and many more sects. Each of these is convinced that it is the church; each believes it has the true interpretation of the inscrutable forces that surround men everywhere. Under such conditions it is clear that any layman who undertakes to discuss theological matters speaks only for, and perhaps to, himself. His conception of God, of the meaning of life, and of the nature of religion will probably satisfy no other. Especially is this likely when his conceptions rest upon intuition, inspiration or even logic. Such bases completely remove his interpretations from objective demonstration. The layman's theology is hence probably as unsubstantial as that of the clergyman. What is here presented, therefore, represents only one layman's interpretation of religion as he sees it. What is here developed is no revealed or final truth but merely a working hypothesis that has had meaning for him.