good theology

what is theology? i know, "words about God" - but what is it? i have been toying with what makes-up a good theology. over the past years i have seen theology of many cause great pain to many people. i am not usre i ever shaed this story before, but a friend of mine (one of my best friends now living in dallas) played ball for his church softball team. one day, while playing, he broke his arm. the pastor of the church told him that he broke his arm because he did not have enough faith - bad theology.

i know of a great your women who became "with child" when she was 15. the father of the child was the senior pastor's son. durring the process, she was asked to leave the church because she was "easy" - while the pastor's son was simply told to stay away from "girls like that" - bad theology.

a women started to attend a church i pastored because she was kicked out of her other church. her husband was an elder in the church and had an affair with a church employee. he filed for divorce. when this happend the pastor called her into the church and told her that she would need to find another church to attend. he was forgiven for his sins, but she was not welcomed in the church because she drove her husband into the arms of another women - and God could not allow this - bad theology.

a "mixed couple" (while husband and black wife) were not allowed to join a local church because, as the pastor preached, God did not allow mixed couples - bad theology.

the stories seem endless - and they are painful to listen too. so i got to thinking, and i am still in process - what makes "good theology?' well, let me share with you what i came up with so far:

good theology is:

simple: complexity comes out of a desire to please everyone, while in fact pleasing no one.
relevant and timeless: to be both today and yesterday is hard, but we find our relevant theology in the roots of our past.
transparent: it must be honest and come with no strings attached.
flexible: not fixed, but moveable.
scriptural: it must be grounded in scripture.

i am certian i will develop more as time moves on, but these i think are central to foming a good theology.

pax