How Do I Learn to “Do Theology”?

Eric Wong and his fellow students

　　Looking back on my more than three-year student life at the seminary, I realize that theological training has helped me not only in gaining knowledge, but also in strengthening me in serving the church. Through the teaching of the seminary, I come to understand that we, as creatures of God, are obliged “to contemplate, to preach and to witness God with the utmost earnestness,” for it is the true purpose of our creation. For the Christian community, theology is important because it is all about how we know God and the others around us.

Knowing God

　　A profound realization came to me when I tried to perceive the notion of “God is love.” If we regard such notion as a mere proposition and thus explore its meaning metaphysically, we will always stumble into the realm of philosophical dilemma with no answer in sight. Only when we enter into a relationship by interacting with others in real life, can we genuinely “get a taste of” this mystical truth that derives from the eternal inner relationship of God (namely, immanent Trinity). In other words, the notion of “God is love” is never for our minds to explore; such a notion of God indeed has nothing to do with us. If we treat this confession of faith as the yardstick of life, on the contrary, we will be able to live out, through our interactions with others, the concrete substance and significance of the notion of “the Trinue God is love.” I still remember a powerful statement that a teacher once told me: “HKBTS trains pastors, not scholars!”

Knowing the Others

　　More importantly, theology not only helps an individual become more aware of God, who is transcendent, and yet present, but it also has an influence on the relationship between an individual and others (other people and the created world). During these three years at the seminary, God has made me understand that God’s creation is diverse and vast, so we must learn to appreciate and be considerate of the others. By the grace of God, I had opportunities to share my theological knowledge and learning experiences with my fellow students year after year, and through such sharing I realized the diversities among all of us.

　　Frankly speaking, learning theology has never been easy, because its object of study is the Trinue God whom we cannot fully comprehend. For some students, learning theology is indeed a harsh job, because there is no guarantee that one can master theology just by spending more time on it, for it involves different areas of study and history; these ABCs (borrowed from the signature “pet phrase” of Dr. Andres Tang, referring to basic knowledge) have become an obstacle for many students in studying theology.

Knowing the Community

　　Moreover, I now more deeply realize and experience the importance of community. The gifts that God gives each of us are never the same. What God expects of us is to be good and faithful servants, making good use of the gifts we received from Him (that is, to truly become ourselves); instead of competing and comparing with each other, we should accept and help each other. The Holy Spirit often reminds me to put myself into “the shoes” of others so as to identify their perplexities, and then use appropriate methods to help my fellow students to comprehend and understand; this attests to the fact that God is powerful and loving; driven by our love for each other, the Holy Spirit works among us. As long as we are longing for Him, though we all have different limitations, restraints and personalities, He will help us through various people, events, and things.

　　In addition to the theological teachings, the community life as well as the interactions at the seminary (the “hidden curriculum” of the seminary) allow me to practice and live out what I have learned. A heartfelt thanks to the Trinue God, our teachers, fellow students and staff! Amen.