Amateur Theologians

Today I have been reading "Speaking of Faith" by Krista Tippett. This is one of those books I picked up at the library and wasn't quite sure if I was going to like it or not. I am currently on page 164 and have been pleasantly surprised.

One thing that struck me was that Tippett spoke of how author Karen Armstrong likes to refer to herself as an "Amateur Theologian." The Latin translation of that would be one who loves to study about God. Isn't that what we all should be? My sister is ten years older than I am. She studied the Baltimore Catechism in school. I did not. But I had access to the book as a child from her desk and I would read through it. The book was set up in a question and answer format. The first question was "Why did God make me?" The answer was "God made me to know him and to love him." We are called to know and to love God. The only way we can do that is through prayer and study. Then we can carry God's love out into the world through our interactions with other people.