Before reading this part, where did you think theology should start?

Even before reading Bird, I had a belief that theology should start with scripture and the gospel. When I first started college and was deciding for myself what I believed, deep down I knew that I could trust scripture and thus, my theology has been based upon what the word says. However, reading Bird did help me clarify/solidify my own thoughts about exactly why scripture should be where our theology starts. His work also helped me to better understand the role of nature, experience, and tradition in forming theology. It is important for all of us to recognize theology stems from a belief in scripture and the gospel within scripture, but that God can reveal himself to us through other means such as nature, experience, and tradition. Just so, my own “God experiences” have helped me to formulate a deeper theology of who God is and how he interacts with us.

I agree. Theology should start with a foundation on scripture. I heard a quote the other day of someone describing the Bible saying it was "authoritative" and that our interpretations of it were not. My understanding of theology, from it's literal sense is the study of God. So the question is how can we understand God's behavior and actions? It is through reading about His interactions in our time and space as displayed in the scriptures. Studying theology I believe is an effort to organize, not develop, the truths of the revealed in the Bible into structures we can better understand. To analyze the truths displayed.

Jacob Gulka wrote:I agree.  Theology should start with a foundation on scripture.  I heard a quote the other day of someone describing the Bible saying it was "authoritative" and that our interpretations of it were not.  My understanding of theology, from it's literal sense is the study of God.  So the question is how can we understand God's behavior and actions?  It is through reading about His interactions in our time and space as displayed in the scriptures.  Studying theology I believe is an effort to organize, not develop, the truths of the revealed in the Bible into structures we can better understand.  To analyze the truths displayed.  

Jacob, that's an interesting quote. Do you agree with it? I'm of two minds. On the one hand, we should certainly be humble in our interaction with scripture. We don't want to add things to the Bible or elevate our opinions to the same level. But on the other hand, that quote could leave us without any grounds for confidence. When I come across something in scripture, is it the authoritative word of God that I must obey? Or is it simply my interpretation of scripture? Where does the Bible end and "our interpretation" begin?

-Josh