We are all called to be Theologians

Two things I read today made me reevaluate what it means to be a theologian. My definition of a theologian has always been an academic one - someone with a terminal degree (Ph.D. or D.Min) in Theology. However, these two works opened my eyes to a much broader definition.

The first was from the book I am currently reading: "Lost Women of the Bible" by Carolyn Custis James. In it, she writes,

The word "theologian" doesn't appear in the Bible. Old Testament writers used a warmer, user-friendly expression, describing people who "walked with God." A theologian takes a long walk through life with God. . . The theologian sees God at the center of everything. She lives with a profound confidence that he holds the whole world (including her) in his hands.

The second is from the January 27, 2006 issue of Commonweal Magazine. Luke Timothy Johnson writes in "After the Big Chill: Intellectual Freedom & Catholic Theologians" that

All in the Church should practice theology. All Christians are called to discern and bear witness to the ways in which God is at work in their lives, and all are needed to help the community as a whole discern how God's holy Spirit is moving within their lives.

I think that these two quotes serve to illustrate that we are all called to be theologians, to walk with God and see God as the center of all and to discern, with the help of others, the way the Spirit moves in our lives. What a wonderful call!