Dumbing Down

Welcome to the first post on my new blog. I felt that ‘Cuthbert in Edinburgh’ was no longer appropriate or accurate (although you can still access my previous posts on that blogpage.)

And so, picking up from my final post on the ‘Cuthbert’ page I have called this blog ‘Suitcase Sojourner’ (as that is what I feel I am at the moment!)

As for ‘dumbing down’... it has been a frustration of mine for some time that the vast majority of practising Christians and regular church goers are so remarkably poorly educated in matters theological.

I cannot understand it!

It was not always thus.

It would be tempting to blame it on the desire for control and power on the part of the medieval Roman Catholic hierarchy (always a favourite scapegoat for Protestants!). And there may be a part truth in that. Yet, the apparent awareness of the Christian ‘laity’ in Scotland around the time of the Reformation, Covenanters, Disruption (to name but three) may rather undermine that assertion.

But what really brought all this to the forefront of my mind goes back to much earlier turbulent times in the history of the Christian Church.

I was recently reading about some of the issues surrounding the great 4^th Century controversy over the nature of the Trinity; a controversy that led directly to the formulation of the Creed we now call the Nicene Creed.

What struck me as I read was that the controversy was not confined to bishops, clergy or theologians. The followers of Arius (whose views were to be rejected as heresy) were the ordinary Christian people of Alexandria who marched through the streets to the great church and the bishop’s house with placards chanting ‘There was when the Son was not’.

Such theological sophistication (even if it was judged heresy!) would be hard to find amongst ordinary Christians today. Why is that?

The book I have been reading quotes sources which speak of how the ancient Christians used to discuss matters of significant theological depth when they were shopping!

Hmm... things have changed.

Now most church goers talk about.. well... church going! Meanwhile, dutiful evangelicals look for opportunities to ‘witness’ to personal faith. And theological discourse? That is (at best) left to those suitably trained or (at worst) disparaged.

What has happened?

I am not sure I know, but this ‘dumbing down’ has not done us any good and it is well past time we all worked hard at the theological education of the people of God.

And by that I mean real theological education.

What a shame that the avenues for that which once existed seem to be no more.