Out of the Closet: Theological Confession Meme

Taking my cue from Ben Myers, here are my “theological confessions”:

I confess: A majority of the books that I own I have not read.

I confess: I really do think universalism is integral to the gospel. I don’t know if I could believe the Christian faith without it.

I confess: I was first captivated by theology when I read Eberhard Jüngel’s Theological Essays in the fall of 2004.

I confess: I feel more comfortable explaining Barth’s theology than I do explaining the gospel to an unbeliever.

I confess: I often think the best theology can be found in poetry and film.

I confess: I get an inordinate amount of pleasure out of using academic lingo.

I confess: I often lean more in favor of gay marriage and gay ordination than against—always swinging back and forth while never able to take a position.

I confess: I doubt the existence of God on an almost weekly basis, it seems. The prayer of the father in Mark 9 has existential significance for me: “I believe; help my unbelief!”

I confess: When Bruce McCormack came to Wheaton to speak on justification in 2003, I justified skipping one of the lectures by saying to my roommate, “I don’t see the significance of the doctrine of justification.”

I confess: I wrote my very first theological essay in 2001 on the doctrine of the Trinity and perichoresis in response to a lecture by Paul Louis Metzger. I had no idea what I was talking about.

I confess: I often would rather watch movies all day than read theology.

I confess: I think Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, Colin Gunton, and Jürgen Moltmann are the four most overrated theologians of the 20th century.

I confess: I think “postmodernity” is both a complete waste of time and an illusion.

I confess: I often wish I could be Eastern Orthodox, but if I had to pick a denomination today, I would be Anglican.

I confess: I have seriously considered dropping out of grad school and becoming a bartender.

See other memes here, here, here, and here.