New Book on Repairing Bad Theology

I’m currently writing a book on repairing bad theology.  The concept is one I have been thinking about for fifteen years.  I have studied on it, preached on sections of it, and thought about the content for a long time, but I have always pushed the project down the priority list.

While the book still has a long way to go, I wanted to share the concept for two reasons:

  1. I would appreciate prayer partners for this project, and
  2. Informing others will provide needed accountability to finish it.

Basic Information

  • TitleWiki God
  • Subtitle – The Danger of the Editable God
  • Approach – Teach attributes of God by addressing incorrect perceptions of God
  • Structure – Besides an opening and closing chapter, the book will contain approximately 20 shorter chapters each highlighting a specific attribute of God

A pivotal passage for my thinking was Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ.  When I preached that passage going through the Gospel of Mark, the follow-up conversations and responses immensely encouraged me to finish this project.  I used some of the book’s content as an introduction to the sermon, and the danger of editing God seemed to resonate with our church in a unique way.   In addition, teaching through the attributes of God this year at our church has shown me the great need to unpack these truths for believers at differing stages of maturity.

I will share some updates as I go along, but I really do appreciate any prayer partners along the way.  I wouldn’t spend time late at night or early in the morning working on this project if I didn’t believe it was needed.  Your prayers in this endeavor are treasured!

Short Description of the Book

“Wiki” is a type of website that allows collaborative editing of its written content.  You don’t have to be an expert in computer coding or even the specific topic at hand before you are given complete expressive license to create and to edit the matter of such a site.  The only expertise that is needed to contribute is the ability to think somewhat coherently and to express oneself through typed communication. 

I believe we are living in a time that has taken this type of editable approach to theology.    

In this anti-authoritative, individualistic society, it is socially intolerant to be religiously intolerant.  What’s good for you is good for you but not necessarily me.  What I believe about my beliefs has absolutely no jurisdiction upon your own.   

In lieu of divine revelation, we have sought out sideways collaboration.  Instead of learning from the expert, we effortlessly become the expert.  We have traded truths etched in stone by the finger of the Almighty God for erasable opinions jotted down on disposable coffee shop napkins.  

Our culture worships the Wiki God.   

We want ever so desperately to serve a deity whom we have the freedom and capability to edit.  We cut out what we dislike about him.  We copy a belief from this religion and paste it over into our own.  This syncretistic approach places God upon a theological buffet in which we pick and choose those delicacies in which we enjoy and pass over the dishes upon which we would rather not chew.      

Voltaire said it this way: “In the beginning, God created man in his own image, and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since.”  

I cannot disagree with him.  We were made to be like God and not the other way around, yet we filter truth as soon as it conflicts with our preferences.  When Scripture teaches an attribute of God that doesn’t settle nicely into our neat, tidy theological cages that we have assembled, we resort to tossing out those doctrines altogether.  “I just don’t think God is like that” could be the theological slogan for our culture. 

As gently as I can say this, please process this truth: 

It doesn’t matter what you or I think about God.  It matters what God thinks about God.