The New Theologians

The Lord is raising a new generation of theologians who walk in the power of the Spirit and carry profound revelation of the written Word. Just as Jesus identified with both Moses (The Law) and Elijah (The Spirit) at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:3), these men and women will be known for their scholarship and passion for the Bible, but will also flow in the supernatural.

The theology and doctrine of the past five hundred years is heavily steeped in Western rationalism. The heart behind this empirical approach to God is, “If I don’t see it in my experience, it must not happen.” Our systematic theology tends to suppress or even deny the experiential and supernatural. Demons, angels, miracles, and the spiritual realm, although clearly discussed and mentioned in the Bible, have been relegated to the first-century or our imagination.

Solid theological truth and understanding is important, but it should never hold us back from a deeper experience of the living God. The explosion of charismatic Christianity in the 20th and 21st centuries has re-awakened the Body to a supernatural experience of God’s kingdom. With new realms of experience, however, come fear and misunderstanding. It is difficult for many believers Christians to reconcile new experiences of God - including miracles and manifestations - with our pre-existing, decidedly rational, understanding of the Bible.

We need to ask ourselves - what is the fruit of our theological understanding? Is it leading us into a deeper relationship with our Creator and advancing the kingdom of Jesus, or keeping us in legalistic bondage that stimulates sin (Romans 7:8-11)? Wisdom is proved right by her children (Luke 7:35). Theology should free us from darkness and bring us into abundant life, characterized by progressive glory and the fruits of God’s Spirit (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23).

An uncomfortable fact we must face is that life is messy. It changes, grows, evolves. It is the same for our understanding of the Word of God. Today, heaven is raining on the earth, bringing us into a greater revelation of what the Cross accomplished for humanity. The Lord is breaking us away from lifeless religion and leading us into a greater awareness of His presence in us and among us. His goal is to enjoy relationship with people who live in total victory and freedom from sin. These Spirit-people represent His likeness in every possible way.

Fear is the empowering force behind lifeless religion. Religion keeps many in bondage by making our relationship with God dependent on our Christian performance. This Christianity emphasizes rules and behaviors as a means to “progress” in or grow our relationship with God. If we do or believe the wrong thing (i.e. anything that doesn’t fit into our existing theological paradigm), God will be mad at us.

This is a Christianity oriented around fear and legalism, two enemies of the Cross of Christ. The Lord has given us the Bible to lead us into a deeper revelation of a Person. This is it’s primary purpose. Our individual and corporate study must serve to lead us into deeper and deeper depths of experiential relationship with Christ. Knowing a lot about the Bible does not mean I am intimately aware of its Author (Matthew 15:8-9).

God is the greatest mystery of all time, yet He is making Himself known through His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). The Bible reveals a Person: Christ in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Our intellectual understanding of the Bible must lead us into a transformative experience of God’s presence. Knowing facts and amassing knowledge about the Bible doesn’t transform me or the world, but God’s empowering presence does. God’s solution is a new generation of profound thinkers who have prioritized His presence above all else. The Lord will use them to bring unprecedented spiritual freedom to His Bride.

The New Theologians will not be zealous revolutionaries or divisive deconstructionists. They will be re-claimers, laying hold of what has already been made available to us through the broken body of Christ. They will speak gently about the past and boldly about the future. The Lord will confirm the wisdom He has given them with signs, wonders, and miracles. Like Jesus, Paul, and other first-century apostles, they will be brilliant teachers who do the things that Jesus did (John 14:12; 2 Corinthians 12:12). Their priority will be Jesus and the advancement of His kingdom - in word and deed.