Theology without faith

by Sarah S. Howell

My campus ministry group has an annual tradition: students write "affirmation letters" to the graduating seniors. When I graduated from college this spring, I received one that included an important observation: "There's always more to learn about God, but I still believe the best way to do that is through time with him on our knees, not in the classroom."

I'm starting divinity school in the fall, and I'm a little nervous about it. I'm going to the same school where I did my undergrad, and I spent way too much of the past four years in the religion department and divinity school. I know that I thrive on academic pressure. But I'm also aware of the danger that exists when thinking about faith becomes more absorbing than faith itself.

Theology is fundamentally different from other disciplines because it requires not only that you contemplate the logos but also that you know and engage with the theos. While nonbelievers can study the history or sociology of religion, theology outside relationship with God completely misses the point.

So I'm grateful to be attending a school where regular worship, spiritual formation groups, prayer in the classroom, and field education are significant, even mandatory components of my education. My goal is to avoid becoming so fascinated with the eschatological implications of the Eucharist that I forget to spend time in prayer.

Sarah S. Howell is a recent graduate of Duke University.