There are many ways theology can be misused and abused.[1] Given this book aims to see doctrine as an avenue for delight, articulating ways theology and doctrine may be used for ill may prove helpful and can give us a diagnostic for the way theology moves us in our own time spent contemplating the Lord. Theology done well ought to lead us to delight in the Lord and pursue the good of our neighbor; theology done poorly can lead to many negative outcomes. The three pairs I have in mind here are (1) performance and pride, (2) division and discord, and (3) a poor substitute for wisdom and wholeness.
Performance and Pride
To say that theology can be misused in the direction of performance and pride is to recognize that there are those whose goal is applause, and theology just happens to be a convenient vehicle toward that end. Of course, this ultimate desire is not an expressed one, for few would come out and explicitly state that they strive for applause, yet the gravitational pull toward acceptance via doctrinal thinking is real. There are spaces in evangelicalism where it seems that theology has become something of a stage on which doctrinal pundits perform an act in hopes of riling an already agreeable base toward applause and acceptance. As we have seen various news outlets move from the business of information toward entertainment, we have also witnessed a growth—especially in our social media age—of theology-as-entertainment in which the goal is not the glory of God or love of our neighbor but the continued pursuit of outrage, clicks, and controversies.
When theology is pursued as a performance, it is often accompanied by pride. There is something intoxicating about receiving the applause of others, being the focal point, memorizing arguments, using fancy jargon, and being the most informed person in a room. When time spent developing theological ability is used toward the end of puffing someone up instead of in service to God and his people, corrosive pride often follows. We know pride has taken over the theological pursuit when the telos, or goal, of our theology shifts from loving our neighbor to getting the attention of our neighbor.
Division and Discord
Beyond the pull toward performance and pride that can accompany theology done poorly is the evergreen worry that theology may lead to division and discord. The worry here is that theological exploration will lead not to intellectual clarity leading to deeper community and more rooted belonging but to an ever- growing list of ideas over which the church may divide. This problem is accentuated by our cultural moment. It seems that some spheres of theological discourse have taken notes from modern political discourse, as many of the same divisive tactics are employed. When theology is framed merely in us- versus- them dynamics, it is easy to prioritize “winning” doctrinal arguments and “defeating opponents.” Rather than theological contemplation being a God- ordained means to steady our souls and form us into persons who are equipped and enabled to behold the glory of God, theology done poorly has the potential instead to become mere intellectual ammunition in our ever- shifting ideological wars.
Substitute Wisdom and Wholeness
The final malpractice I want to mention is mistaking theological knowledge for wisdom. To put it plainly: We must see Christian maturity and sanctification as more than mere theological intelligence. When Scripture describes faithful followers of Christ, it seems to have the whole person in mind. For example, when the Synoptic Gospels discuss “the greatest commandment,” we can see the emphasis in Matthew’s, Mark’s, and Luke’s lists. The disciples ask Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?” In Matthew’s account, Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind (Matt. 22:36–40). Mark’s and Luke’s accounts also include these three— heart, soul, mind— but also include a fourth: strength (Mark 12:28– 31; Luke 10:27).
Two observations about these passages are important for our purposes: First, any notion of holistic devotion to the Lord must include the life of the mind. Theological contemplation is not reserved for a special sect of super- Christians but is the glorious calling and task of all those who wish to follow Christ. Second, while all three lists include the mind, they also include other elements of the Christian life. These two observations come together to instruct us that the life of the mind is a necessary ingredient but is not sufficient for a holistic understanding of Christian maturity.
Yes, theological wisdom is needed for a rooted stability in the Christian life. So is relational wisdom, emotional wisdom, ecclesial wisdom, and more. We must not make the mistake of confusing theological intelligence for Christian wisdom. Knowing a lot of facts about God does not mean one has an intimate relationship with God. Moreover, knowledge and wisdom are not synonymous. There is a substantial difference between being well- read in theology and knowing how the doctrines that make up the Christian faith cultivate our souls and enable us to administer reality in a world full of lies.
Editor’s note: Excerpted from Theology for Life: A Joy-Filled Introduction to Christian Doctrine ©2026 by Ronni Kurtz. Used by permission of Baker Books.
[1] There are, of course, others who have written about misuses and abuses of theology. See, for example, the three reasons Keith Johnson gives in his book Theology as Discipleship (IVP Academic, 2015), which has some overlap with the three I have listed here. Also see my chapter “Why Do the Theologians Rage?” in Ronni Kurtz, Fruitful Theology: How the Life of the Mind Leads to the Life of the Soul (B&H, 2022).