When we hear the word theology, we often imagine a seasoned scholar, gray-haired, studious, peculiar, and with glasses, with a nose that is buried in books. Perhaps we think about classes for pastoral leaders and other ministry leaders. Yet theology, at its core, is simply “faith seeking understanding.” In this way, our understanding of what theology is grows. That means every follower of Jesus is a theologian, continually wrestling with who God is and how He works. This means that “every aspect of the life of the church and its members is a theological testimony” (Stone 1996, 2). We each are developing understandings, convictions, and frameworks that explain who we think God is and what God expects of us. We’re all students, studying God together.
In How to Think Theologically, Howard W. Stone and James O. Duke remind us that “there is no substitute for the study of accomplished theologians,” yet they also urge believers to craft their own thoughtful theological frameworks (Stone 1996, 3). This is not a call to lessen theological thinking and reflection. Rather, it is a raised bar on theological reflection for the church. The authors boldly declare that we don’t need fewer theological studies and reflections; we need to celebrate them more, and in light of this, “theological reflection cannot flourish unless it is valued and practiced in the church itself” (Stone 1996, 23). Rather, they uphold that theology needs to be more deliberate and understood as “seeking after understanding—a process of thinking about life in the light of the faith that Christians engage in because of their calling” (Stone 1996, 2). First published by Fortress Press in 1996, the book is more than a good and helpful introductory text for theology students—it is a valuable resource for every follower of Jesus who wants to shape faith convictions deliberately rather than haphazardly.
The Theological Work of Christians
The work of theological reflection is done in every moment of our lives—in the places we each live, work, worship, and play. Stone and Duke point out that “Christians learn what faith is all about from countless daily encounters with their Christianity—formal and informal, planned and unplanned” (Stone 1996, 13). These learnings and understandings of faith are organized in our minds and wrestlings that are both “disseminated by the church and assimilated by its members in their daily lives,” can be referred to or understood as “embedded theology” (Stone 1996, 13). Embedded theology is the inherent, sometimes intentional, often unconscious and default “theology that is deeply in place and at work as we live as Christians in our homes, churches, and the world” (Stone 1996, 13). Embedded theology is our default as followers of Jesus, but it has its limits. Embedded theology, the most common theological work of followers of Jesus, sustains us for the most part, “until…our conscientiousness, or a crisis, or some conflict prompts second thoughts” (Stone 1996, 26). In these anxious roadblock moments, the shallowness of embedded theology reaches its limits, and the crisis puts us on a radical “quest for something more satisfying, sets us on the path of deliberative theology” (Stone 1996, 26). For this reason, the authors make helpful distinctions between embedded theology—the beliefs we inherit from our communities – and deliberative theology, a deeper reflection discipline that invites us to examine and deepen those beliefs with greater care and consideration.
At the core of this book is a prophetic call to the church to focus more on deliberate theology in our lives and church communities. The shallowness of embedded theology certainly has made “a great deal of real-world skepticism and indifference” (Stone 1996, 15). Sadly, because this has been the faith too many have cultivated and inherited from their churches, others, and their own journeys, that in these crisis moments, “give up on the faith” (Stone 1996, 15). In comparison, “Deliberative theology is the understanding of faith that emerges from a process of carefully reflecting upon embedded theological convictions”—it is a discipline that roots us as followers of Jesus into a more holistic, deeper, more intentional, and fuller image of God (Stone 1996, 16).
Theology Informs Our Practice
Being more deliberate with our theological understandings, reflections, and frameworks is essential because our understandings, reflections, and frameworks inform our lives. The authors remark that our “reflection on theology and ministry will inform our practice,” and because of this, “if we are attentive to the Word, the Christian faith will have its impact on what we do” (Stone 1996, 119). Deliberate theological reflection is not just reading the scriptures, but being deeply transformed by them, as we listen and question. Stone and Duke share that “As Christians and therefore theologians, we are called to listen and question, to forge an ever-growing understanding of the meaning of the Christian message of God, and to act on it in our lives, in the church, and the world” (Stone 1996, 119).
Deliberate theology doesn’t have to be academic and at an intellectual capacity that few understand. Nor does developing a deliberate theology mean we have to be “readers of theology,” nor do we need to be “impressed or intimidated by theologians” (Stone 1996, 18). However, deliberate theology is rich and needs to be informed. I appreciated the authors’ emphasis that “a responsible theologian is guided by deliberations on the historic themes of faith, by Scripture and tradition, by worship, and by engaged service in the world” (Stone 1996, xiv). Thoughtful, deliberate reflection draws on the full narrative of history, key themes, and the theological insights accumulated to date.
Stone and Duke point out that the border between embedded and deliberative theology isn’t always easy to see. At times, the divide is “striking, even hard-edged, separating divergent theological convictions,” but more often the two “overlap” along a continuum (Stone 1996, 20). However, we can lose pursuing the need for deliberate theology, which remains a vital pursuit precisely because it is “not so commonplace.” Since theology informs our practice, if we have done the theological work, when life backs us into a corner, and the trials come, we can stay faithful in our practice and can articulate our faith with conviction. Right now, the authors point out, often when believers hit those moments when they must articulate their faith, many can only repeat familiar phrases (Stone 1996, 21). As a resource, How to Think Theologically equips readers to move beyond stock answers by cultivating a way of thinking that is intentional, reflective, and grounded. Rather than steering them toward a single theological approach (like biblical, practical, or systematic), Stone and Duke provide practical tools for thoughtful theological reflection in everyday life.
We Practice Theology Together
Stone and Duke emphasize that theological reflection is both a personal responsibility and a communal practice. As followers of Jesus, we belong to the church—a people formed in community—so deliberate theology must be forged in conversation with others, shaped by our shared worship, experience, wisdom, and understanding. The authors remind us that “theology is an individual task and a corporate enterprise” (Stone 1996, 112). When we practice deliberate theology together well, we “move beyond analysis and framing interpretations; we must make judgments and be prepared to tell others why those judgments are warranted” (Stone 1996, 112). That means the church has more purpose than we sometimes give it credit for; “the community of faith is not only a community of worship and fellowship; it is also one of critical deliberative theological inquiry” (Stone 1996, 113). Our church communities are a place to “offer support to others, but we also offer them our insights about the faith” (Stone 1996, 113). Practicing deliberate theology means that we are not just sharing our insights, but we are listening to theirs. Then, most importantly, “Theological conversation occurs. We decide” (Stone 1996, 113). Good deliberate theology is developed with the full narrative of history, key themes, and the theological insights accumulated to date —and with a “we” (Stone 1996, 113).
A Look Inside How To Think Theologically
This book, How to Think Theologically, offers a template or practical framework for becoming more intentional in theological reflection. Following a concise preface and introduction, Stone and Duke take readers on a journey that begins with the nature of “faith seeking understanding.” This is perhaps one of the richest and most important sections in the whole book that develops a lens and glue for everything that follows. The opening chapter clarifies how faith, understanding, and reflection belong together in our theological understanding. The next two chapters explore the sources we draw upon. Chapter Two talks about how “all Christian theologians need to give thought to the standards of judgment that they apply” (Stone 1996, 37). Then, in Chapter Three, our template is analyzed. The authors point out that “all Christians need to operate with a theological template. Without it, spiritual assessment of what is happening with a troubled parishioner, or in one’s Christian life, will surely result in an inadequate theological response” that might even sadly “repeat the information and alleged “wisdom” of the dominant culture and ignore the singular Christian message of God” (Stone 1996, 42). The authors explore what elements need to go into our theological template or trellis; they offer the Methodist Quadrilateral as a starting place, “Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience” (Stone 1996, 43).
Halfway through the book, in Chapter 4 (The Theological Method), the authors remind us that “Conscientious theologians will also want to become clear about the particular theological method they are following” (Stone 1996, 56). In doing so, they call us to be creative thinkers of theology. We need the facts, but to do good theology, we also need imagination. We are dealing with meaning, with human need, with our connectedness to God and to one another, with God’s intervention in our lives” (Stone 1996, 60). The authors contrast sequential thinking (cognitive information proess) with Parallel synthetic thinking (crativeness), both of which are needed in theological work, because they “complement each other, but do not replace one another” (Stone 1996, 60-61). They also point out that “most of us have a natural leaning toward either sequential or parallel synthetic thinking,” but good and deliberate “theological reflection requires both modes of cognitive encoding of data (thinking) for it to be creative” (Stone 1996, 61). This disciplined inquiry also keeps belief from drifting into sentimentality or rigid dogma.
The latter half of the resource grounds this method in concrete realities. A chapter centered on the gospel anchors all deliberate theology in the good news of Jesus Christ. Any theological work we do must be evaluated, and for this reason, “a deliberative theologian will not let the matter rest here but will evaluate the source and content of the message in light of the Christian message of God” (Stone 1996, 75). Chapters 6 and 7 examine the two-way conversation between theology and life, showing how reflective faith both grows out of our human condition and vocational calling and, in turn, reshapes them.
The final chapter widens the lens to show theological reflection as a communal practice cultivated within the church’s worship, witness, and shared wisdom. The authors clearly unpack that good, deliberate theological work is spiritual formation. Stone and Duke remark, “Spiritual formation is a bridge between theological reflection and day-to-day experience. We return to the sources of faith. We focus on our relationship with God, the source of meaning and the giver of the power to live Christian lives faithful to the gospel in the community of faith” (Stone 1996, 116-117). The community is a place of theological conversation that leads to spiritual formation. A helpful glossary and index of resources and biblical passages round out the book, making it easy to revisit core ideas or pursue further study.
Why I Read How To Think Theologically
To my surprise, this book showed up on the required-reading list for my Doctor of Ministry program at Kairos University. With two seminary master’s degrees under my belt, much of the material felt like review, but Stone and Duke still offered a fresh angle. I appreciated how they press readers to clarify the template, questions, and criteria that guide their thinking. That emphasis sharpened my own approach as I continue in my program and studies..
Recommending How To Think Theologically
This book occupies a curious middle ground. Although authored by two academics from Brite Divinity School (Texas Christian University), it is intentionally accessible, yet I suspect few in the average congregation will reach for it. Instead, its primary audience will likely be students and scholars who already lean toward systematic approaches, even though Stone and Duke model an integrative, practical theology. Every day, believers would benefit from its call to build a richer, more holistic framework of faith, but seasoned theology students may find much of the material familiar, its chief value lying in the authors’ distinctive perspective rather than brand-new content. All followers of Jesus are theological practitioners—or as Stone and Duke put it, “All Christians are theologians.” For me, this book affirms that theology is not just academic – it’s a lived and ongoing practice that all Christians are called into. What the others do well is to call us to question, and “questioning helps us to observe accurately” (Stone 1996, 112).
