Should We Add Anything To Our Theology Part 1

I love the Bible! I think everyone could sing that song with me. In fact, this is one area that distinguishes Vision for Youth from many other evangelical youth ministry organizations. Everything we do is built on a Biblical foundation. Our entire philosophy of ministry is to filter everything we do through the grid of Scripture. Our student ministry must have a strong theological base. We desire to be leaders in a student ministry that is honoring to God, culturally relevant to students, and theologically sound. Sometimes, however, it is difficult not to notice the hurt that is caused by what people consider “good theology”. This saddens me because it is not necessary. Jesus gave us two rules: “love God and love each other”. How can we be strong in theology and yet live up to what Christ has demanded for us? In the process, how will we impact hearts and minds through our theology with students? I believe we must make two essential additions to our theology to most effectively impact students for eternity. We must make the essential additions of KNOWLEDGE and LIFE to our theology.

Essential Addition One, Add KNOWLEDGE to Theology. I do not intend to be insulting when I say we should add knowledge; but, I do mean to say that maybe we are not as smart as we might think. We must know our theology. This seems simple, but it is not. Knowing theology means that we must know what we believe and why we believe it. We must become good friends with the Bible. Knowing theology means that I have a place to begin when teaching the kids in my student ministry. When we communicate to students, our theology needs to be the beginning and not the end. One recent study shows that kids are responding less to student ministry centered on games and activities and they are responding more to student ministry centered on Biblical truth. Much of what is passing in student ministry for theology might reside out on the edges of a theological spectrum. When we are not as knowledgeable as we should be about theology we end up either downplaying or watering it down on the one hand, or on the other hand we elevate preferences and personal opinions to the place of immovable theological standards.

One side would fear being irrelevant with old fashioned truth while the other side would fear being accused of compromise. We either subtract from our obligation to truth or we multiply our obligations to a place of equality with truth. Adding knowledge will help us to not land in either of these places. Another reason to add knowledge to our theology is to avoid what my father calls “hobby horse” theology. As an assignment, my Crossroads Bible College youth ministry class visited a church youth group for three weeks in a row.

Each week the youth pastor talked about the evils of sex, rap, and hip hop music. Those issues had become his “hobby horse.” Other issues might be musical style, dress code, recreation, or even what we perceive as proper ways to worship. So that we do not become “hobby horse” communicators, we need to add knowledge to our theology. Adding knowledge to theology will cause us to use theology not as the end of things but as the foundation on which to build our ministry. Adding knowledge is learning that the entire story of the Bible is good theology. Once in a while, we spend much energy and time striving to convince students to believe our particular system of theology. So that this does not become our main thing, we must concentrate on the main thing seen through all the pages of Scripture, which is the story of God, His interaction with men and women throughout history, and His provision for forgiveness of sin through His Son –Jesus Christ! That is the Bible story from cover to cover. Our theological energy should not necessarily be used to convince students to follow our particular approach to theology but to use our particular approach to theology to convince our students to follow Christ!

This article is reprinted with permission of the publisher. Article originally published in Vision for Youth Magazine, spring 2007. Tim Ahlgrim is the National Director of Vision For Youth, Inc. and has been actively involved in student ministry for over 30 years! You can reach him at: tim@visionforyouth.com.

Should We Add Anything To Our Theology Part 2

We add life to our theology in at least two ways. The first is to properly interpret the Bible; and the second is to creatively apply the truth of the Scriptures. Too often students have decided that the life of faith is not for them because their youth workers have not properly reflected the exciting life of theology.

Their conclusion is that theology is boring, and therefore the Christian life is boring. Jesus said that He came to give us life which includes both eternal life and life lived to the fullest on the earth (John 10:10)! This is exciting – and we should communicate the excitement – the life of theology. Throughout Scripture God has used descriptive words, creative concepts, and incredible stories to express His truth. We must read, search, discover, and convey the life of the Scriptures. This takes work. I recently researched Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” I found that the Hebrew meaning of being still is for me to put everything down, drop everything out of my hands. That makes sense when looking at the previous verses. In them God says He will break the bow, burn the shield, and shatter the spear. He takes the weapons from our hands and destroys them. The conclusion is when things are dropped from our hands; we must trust God because we have nothing left to trust in ourselves. This has exciting applications to students. What is in their hands that needs to be dropped so they can be still and know that God is God? Is it popularity, computers, phones, schoolwork, or fear?

The concepts of salt and light, from the Sermon on the Mount, are two more biblical concepts that are exciting to students when we effectively communicate them. They include ideas about making a difference, having an impact on their world, and becoming significant in the work of Christ. Add life to theology by doing the work of interpreting what the Bible is saying. Do your students know that Daniel stood up for God as a teenager, (Daniel 1) but by the time he is thrown into the den of lions he was in his late 90’s (Daniel 6), that he read a letter from Jeremiah and thought that God was going to deliver him (Jeremiah 11 and Daniel 9), or that the king was in terrible torment during the night while Daniel was with the lions? This is just one story with such a strong fragrance of life that your students should be caught in the aroma as you tell it!

Check out Jonathan and his armor bearer, David and Goliath, Hezekiah and Sanacharib, any story about Jesus, or countless other Bible stories. Read them with new life and communicate them so that your students will enter into what God is saying! The Bible is not boring in any way; but we make it that way by not allowing the life to stay in our theology. Continued on next page… The second way we are able to add life in theology is to creatively apply the truth of Scripture. Tell stories! Remember the following guidelines. Always use an illustration to breathe life into the Scripture. Do not use a passage of Scripture to illustrate your interesting story. Tell an interesting story to illustrate the passage of Scripture. Add life by using stories of current events, referring to news that is happening in the student’s cultural areas of music, media, or celebrities. If it is within your personality, use humor. When using humor, it is important to stay within your personality. I can’t tell jokes so I don’t try. There is only one David Letterman. Be yourself. Be creative when we add life to Scripture by using the talent the Lord has blessed you with. If you are an artist, use art. If you are musician, use music. If you are a poet, use poetry. Creativity is surprising when giving an invitation. Nail notes to a cross, burn slips of paper with idols written on them; hand out nails, stones, as imaginative ways to add life to student response time.

How can I improve the chances students will remember theology? Add life. Some youth workers of my generation were taught to not use humor, not tell stories, and in so many words not show any personality when communicating the Gospel. The proper way to present theology was by being boring. When a particularly entertaining chapel speaker appeared, our instructor would spend the next class explaining why entertainment was wrong in presenting theology. If this is or is not your background, I have good news for you. Add life, it is ok to tell stories! We must Add LIFE to Theology!

These essential additions to our theology will cause us to reach the hearts as well as the minds of our students. We will also have a good balance between our theology and the words of Christ. The addition of KNOWLEDGE and LIFE are essential to our theology!

(This article is reprinted with permission of the publisher. Article originally published in Vision for Youth Magazine, Spring 2007.) [Tim Ahlgrim is the National Director of Vision For Youth, Inc. and has been actively involved in student ministry for over 30 years! You can reach him at: tim@visionforyouth.com.]

Should We Add Anything to our Theology?

I love the Bible! I think everyone could sing that song with me. In fact, this is one area that distinguishes Vision for Youth from many other evangelical youth ministry organizations. Everything we do is built on a Biblical foundation. Our entire philosophy of ministry is to filter everything we do through the grid of Scripture. Our student ministry must have a strong theological base. We desire to be leaders in a student ministry that is honoring to God, culturally relevant to students, and theologically sound. Sometimes, however, it is difficult not to notice the hurt that is caused by what people consider “good theology”. This saddens me because it is not necessary.

Jesus gave us two rules: “love God and love each other”. How can we be strong in theology and yet live up to what Christ has demanded for us? In the process, how will we impact hearts and minds through our theology with students? I believe we must make two essential additions to our theology to most effectively
impact students for eternity. We must make the essential additions of KNOWLEDGE and LIFE to our theology.
Essential Addition One, Add KNOWLEDGE to Theology. I do not intend to be insulting when I say we should add knowledge; but, I do mean to say that maybe we are not as smart as we might think. We must know

our theology. This seems simple, but it is not. Knowing theology means that we must know what we believe and why we believe it. We must become good friends with the Bible. Knowing theology means that I have a place to begin when teaching the kids in my student ministry. When we communicate to students, our theology needs to be the beginning and not the end.

One recent study shows that kids are responding less to student ministry centered on games and activities and they are responding more to student ministry centered on Biblical truth. Much of what is passing in student ministry for theology might reside out on the edges of a theological spectrum. When we are not as knowledgeable as we should be about theology we end up either downplaying or watering it down on the one hand, or on the other hand we elevate preferences and personal opinions to the place of immovable theological standards. One side would fear being irrelevant with old fashioned truth while the other side would fear being accused of compromise. We either subtract from our obligation to truth or we multiply our obligations to a place of equality with truth. Adding knowledge will help us to not land in either of these places. Another reason to add knowledge to our theology is to avoid what my father calls “hobby horse” theology. As an assignment, my Crossroads Bible Collegeyouth ministry class visited a church youth group for three weeks in a row.

Each week the youth pastor talked about the evils of sex, rap, and hip hop music. Those issues had become his “hobby horse.” Other issues might be musical style, dress code, recreation, or even what we perceive as proper ways to worship. So that we do not become “hobby horse” communicators, we need to add knowledge to our theology. Adding knowledge to theology will cause us to use theology not as the end of things but as
the foundation on which to build our ministry. Adding knowledge is learning that the entire story of the Bible is good theology. Once in a while, we spend much energy and time striving to convince students to believe our particular system of theology. So that this does not become our main thing, we must concentrate on the
main thing seen through all the pages of Scripture, which is the story of God, His interaction with men and women throughout history, and His provision for forgiveness of sin through His Son – Jesus Christ! That is the Bible story from cover to cover. Our theological energy should not necessarily be used to convince students to follow our particular approach to theology but to use our particular approach to theology to convince our students to follow Christ!

(This article is reprinted with permission of the publisher. Article originally published in Vision for Youth Magazine, spring 2007. Tim Ahlgrim is the National Director of Vision For Youth, Inc. and has been actively involved in student ministry for over 30 years! You can reach him at: tim@visionforyouth.com. )