Undone Doctrine

Limitless sounds ring in one ear as somehow silence floats through the other.

We live in a moment that has constant chatter, but never conversation. A moment in which we are all connected, but in which we rarely dialogue. We inhabit a world where the screams and shouts of others fill one ear, yet what is most striking in this world is the presence of silence in the other - the silence that comes from the absence of meaningful conversation and edifying dialogue.

It seems evident that we are not polarized in this digital age. We are isolated - from our neighbors, from our communities, from the world around us. Perhaps this is the beginning of a theological moment.

“Theological:” that word may frighten you, startle you, cause you to close the browser tab. And that is understandable.

For some, that word, “theological,” sounds academic, abstract, and aloof. For others, that same word sounds liberal, conservative, political, or just hypocritical. For many, that words conjures myriad thoughts on the institutional church: its power, its promise, or perhaps its deep and myriad failings. All of those responses are plausible, practical, pragmatic. To conceive of theology is to conceive of religion, and therefore, to conceive of its baggage. 

Theology is not in and of itself religion (though frequently it thinks about religion). It is not inherently institutional (though its practitioners are seemingly all at institutions). And it is not necessarily hypocritical or contradictory (though one cannot be blamed for believing this). 

Theology is simply a willingness to explore what it would mean if there was something more. Something beyond human construction - beyond the boundaries of shouting and screaming, of hashtags, of advertising, of the omnipotent powers of money and greed, even beyond the reach of Google and beyond the response of Siri. 

Theology is a question, not an answer. It is an unending question that is based on merely one assumption: that there is something higher, something more powerful, something more knowing than the fabricated systems around us. And from this one and only one assumption, the fun begins. If there is something that exists “apart from and not subject to the limitations of the material universe”, could that something be acting in this polarized, hyperpartisan, excessively broken world? And what if that something is acting? What would that mean? How might we conceive of this action? How might we respond? And might we, in turn, find hope? Could we find justice, perhaps liberation, maybe even some peace? Or might such a pursuit prove to be futile, a dull instrument set against ceaseless abrasion?

These are just a few of the questions that we have the privilege to ask when we begin to think theologically. 

Undone Doctrine (a name selected to emphasize the deconstructive emphasis of this blog, and to parody the name "Done Doctorin'," a name my grandfather once chose for his cottage) is dedicated to these questions. It is not a sermon, nor is propaganda: religious, liberal, or otherwise. It is not doctrine nor is it particularly self-assured. Its pursuit of the questions of theology intends to originate from humility and from a spirit of exploration - that just as our culture has not answered these questions, neither has the writer of these articles! 

So let us move forward on the humble search concerning the nature of something transcendent, something that surpasses human manipulation and even human understanding, something that works in this world and perhaps on this world,something that might even invite us to be collaborators in that work. 

And I know that here is where I will lose some of you, dear readers. Because here is the point, for the sake of brevity, and for the sake of engaging a timeless conversation, that we need to give that transcendent something a name. It is here that we will give that something the name of God.  

All photographs in this article come from the Glendalough Monastic Site, County Wicklow, Ireland.

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Ryan Panzer is a theological thinker, coffee drinker, corporate trainer, and Badger football fan. Comments, questions, criticisms, and vinyl record suggestions can be sent via Twitter to @ryanpanzer.