If I had a nickel every time I was asked that question… I’d have too many nickels. I usually try to squirm away from this question, as I have yet to develop an elevator pitch to answer it.
But, it is a fair one.
Very few people go into theology or philosophy because they are in it for the money or esteem. There usually is a lot more, indeed that’s why I believe theologians and philosophers are some of the coolest people I’ve met… and strangest. Therefore, by keeping the legitimacy of the question in mind, in line with my own strangeness, I will attempt to answer it.
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I actually think Theology is a practice that is meaningful, only because people are meaningful. Perhaps that is blasphemous to say, but I think that any abstract speculation of the divine is just that… abstract speculation. But… since that speculation is done be people, complex beings with wonders and desires, this reflection can and often does become more than speculation. Theological reflection becomes the catalyst from which one starts to build the framework they use to interpret their life experiences.
At least if I am of humble opinion, that is what happened to me.
I was an adolescent child with confusing life grief in her heart. I had a want for something more as I was raised in the Sikh religion that I loved but did not always understand. I then encountered Christianity. This Christianity gave me words to express myself when I did not know how. For example, “My grief was the result of sin, my own or others.” or “My wish for wholeness was a desire to be united with God.” Also, I was a teenager with fragile self-image. The notion of everlasting and undying love was incredibly meaningful and, the religion was shared with me in English. A language that I could understand, and make peace with easier than the Punjabi Sikh texts I was raised with and admired.
But of course, I could not stay an adolescent forever. As I grew older I began to develop questions about the nature of religion and public life that most of my religious leaders could not satisfactorily answer for me. I began to grow and the language I received as a child no longer made sense as an interpretive lens. Indeed, my life grief was more than the accumulation of sins. I now had different desires, and longings for my future and I started formally studying philosophy and theology in University where the mysteries of my Sikh heritage, and several other Christian and religious traditions became more meaningful to me. I felt as if I could hide behind their poetic folds in these moments. I was changing. And my theology was changing with me.
It is very common for most people to lose their bearings to religion as they enter adulthood. I think I most certainly would have, except that I had committed myself to its study and therefore, was forced to re-interpret it in my young life.This re-interpretation and freedom to continuously re-interpret has kept me interested in my study.
Therefore, Theology is an existential endeavor. A reflection that I think most people can benefit from and I want to have conversations with people to help them articulate their sense of self, and their relationship to the world around them.
I do not think one needs faith. I care very little about convincing an individual to uphold certain theological doctrine over another (unless it is related to public policy and/or exploits vulnerable people in society). Nor do I really feel inclined to affirm or negate their doubts/beliefs or give them specific religious (or non-religious) labels. But, I do think one should reflect on their personal life experiences and the ethics that drive them. Indeed, most people have theological ideas before I even enter into the conversation and I just want to nurture this space so that they can reflect on their beliefs, their life and their personal worlds. This reflection creates better self-knowledge, improves ones relationship with others and can meditatively create meaning in a world where we are continuously pushed to value material and commercial consumption, before caring for our intangible needs.
Thus, I think good philosophers and theologians allow people to pause, breathe, and use language to interpret their lives at different stages, through different changes, so that we can be active agents in constructing our own narratives. And if I can be part of that… well.. SO COOL!
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That is why Theology.