Several months ago, I asked LYWB.com readers to tell me what you wanted us to write about here on the blog. One reader asked, “Is doctrine important?” To be honest, my first response was to groan. I tried to talk other members of the blog team into tackling the topic, but none of them took the bait. So even though it’s a great question, I opted to sweep it under the rug.
You see, I’m no theologian. I don’t have a degree from a Bible college. I can’t speak Greek or Hebrew. Doctrine seems like a big scary word. I’m afraid if I try to answer questions about theology I’ll make a mistake or sound like a fool.
Then I heard Dannah answer an important question at a recent event where we were speaking. She was asked, “What is the lie you see girls believing most often?” I may not want to talk about doctrine, but I always want to talk about lies young women believe. I am passionate about exposing the lies that have been told to your generation and replacing them with God’s truth. That’s why Dannah’s answer stuck with me. She said, “The biggest lies I see girls believing are lies about God.” Her assessment is that when it comes to God, girls just like you have been lied to big time.
What is theology? It’s the study of God. What is doctrine? The basic teachings of our faith.
Duh! How had I missed this before? Theology matters because girls are being deceived into believing whopper lies about who God is and how He works.
That’s why I love this great video by Josh Harris. It really hammers home the point that what we believe about God impacts every corner of our lives. I love the part where he said, “We’re either building our lives on the reality of what God is truly like and what He’s about or we’re basing our lives on our own imagination and misconception.”
Girls, we’ve got to get the facts of our faith right. We have to know that the Bible is trustworthy, and we have to learn to filter everything through it. False messages about God will find their way into your world. You will continue to be lied to. But you don’t have to take the bait. Know what you believe about God. Make sure your beliefs line up with the Word, and ditch the messages that don’t add up.
I want to know God and His Word. I want to be a theologian. Do you?
