What's needed for theology?

The single indispensable prerequisite for theology is the ‘Self-Revealing’ God. The word theology derives from the greek ‘theos’ and ‘logos’, being speech or rational discourse upon the subject of God. Theology always starts with God as He is both the ‘initiator’ (Gen 3:8-9) and the ‘wholly other’ (Eccl 5:1-2), and so being ontologically different from the created order, we would have nothing to say about God if He had not first said something about Himself to man.

Theology therefore is only possible because of God’s self-revelation, and consequently it is in His accommodation into our finititude in the works and oracles of God that theology can only ever find meaning. Our knowledge of God is not founded on our freedom and capacity to know God, but on God’s freedom and capacity to make Himself known to us.

As theology is dependent on God’s self-revelation, the theological task is to bear witness to this revelation through faithfulness and obedience. Faithfulness to God’s word in proclaiming and confessing the message of the Gospel, and so being witnesses of Jesus Christ, and obedience to God in our words and deeds being agents of God in this world by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How can we be faithful to God’s word and proclaim the truth of the message within?
What are the main theological methods that we can use?
The deductive approach begins with a general truth and seeks to investigate and interpret the particulars, so systematic theological principles are applied to interpret the Biblical passage being studied. However, the Bible was not written systematically, so theological systems should also be open to correction by accurate exegesis.[1]
The inductive approach begins with an investigation and interpretation of the particular facts and seeks to draw general conclusions, so it starts with a bible passage and uses it to inform systematic theology. However, in reality no-one ever approaches a bible passage free from their own prejudices. In fact, “exegetical expertise that ignores the ‘big picture (as served by systematic and historical theology) is bound to confuse old errors with ‘new insights’”.[2]
The Hermeneutical Spiral approach is the middle ground between the above two approaches, which appreciates the delicate dance between induction and deduction in theology. It is therefore the most sound method, as biblical passages should ground systematic conclusions, and equally the context of the passages within the biblical book, and the rest of Scripture should form the basis of interpretation.[3]
Whichever approach is used it should be framed by a Radical Attentiveness to the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.

Fully dependent of God’s self revelation, the Christian mind must be characterized by holiness, as true knowledge of Christ will only ever put one in a place of humility. All humans have their own theology, even if not articulated, as their lives speak of their reaction to their confrontation of God’s self manifestation. The Christian mind which knows God, cannot be distinguished from a Christian heart, and the two should be characterized by thankfulness, prayer, praise, humility and obedience.

[1] Horton: Modern Reformation: ‘Who needs systematic theology when we have the Bible?’
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.