Women Don't Need More Theology (And Neither Do Men)

This article was first published in French at TPSG. It was subsequently published in Spanish at Coalición por el evangelio and in English at TGC Canada.

The first time I heard the phrase, “Women don't need more theology,” it was from a respected older woman in the church. She followed it with this statement: “They just need to know how to be better wives and moms.” On another occasion, another respected woman made a similar remark and added, “They just need to know how to apply what they already know.” Both times, my first reaction was to take offence. After all, I am a woman in full-time ministry called to teach and train women in Bible exposition.  

A recent preaching course I took with the renowned Bryan Chapell, however, helped me see what the heart behind these women’s statements may have been. In one of his earlier lectures, Dr. Chapell asked the question, “Of the three essential elements of preaching, which is the most important: explanation, illustration, or application?” To most of us Bible nerds, the response that comes to mind immediately is explanation, right? Because we naturally want our hearers to understand what the Bible teaches. Yet Chapell argued that it is application and not explanation that is of utmost importance. Are you surprised? I know I was!

More than a Data Dump

To illustrate his point, he told the following story from his own days in seminary:

 

One of my preaching professors was a Colonel in the Korean war. He was scary. He would say, “Gentlemen, I don’t care how good a preacher people say you are. I don’t care how big your church is. I don’t care how many people just listened to you preach. At the end of each sermon, as you walk out of the sanctuary, I want you to remember that you need to walk past me. Imagine that I’m in the back, my arms are crossed, and there’s a frown on my face. And my question for you is “So what?!” So, Israel was in the wilderness for forty years. So what? Jesus rose from the dead. So what? What does that have to do with me.” 

 

I remember that because it was what my heart wanted. I didn’t want a sermon that was a data dump. I wanted to know how the word applied to my life. If I just wanted information, I could’ve read the commentary myself. The reason I came to listen to you is that I want to know what this text means for my life. That is the obligation of the preacher. 

 

Ministers of Transformation

Explanation is, therefore, the foundation on which application is built. And because we are not primarily ministers of information but of transformation, our goal is not merely to give our hearers data, but to lead them to heart change. 

 

Quoting John Calvin, he added

 

If we leave it to men’s choice to follow what is taught them, they will never move one foot. Therefore, the doctrine itself can profit nothing at all.

 

Paul himself attests to this when he states in 1 Corinthians 8:1, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” This truth may explain why many of us went through a “cage stage” when we first embraced Reformed theology. (R. C. Sproul explains that cage stage Calvinists are identifiable "by their insistence on turning every discussion into an argument,... making it their personal mission to ensure everyone they know hears—often quite loudly—the truths of divine election." He adds that they are “so aggressive and impatient that they should be locked in a cage for a little while so that they can cool down and mature a little in the faith”.)

The Right Focus in Application

That being said, as essential as application is, Chapell explains that a grace-centered vision for application consists not so much in providing our hearers with a To-Do List for the week. That could simply lead to moralism devoid of the Spirit. As Bible teachers, we certainly need to identify the “what” that the text requires of us: something to do, believe, accept, or change. And we must also answer the “Who” question by identifying to whom this text applies. We should be as situationally specific as possible, by thinking of a variety of people who might be hearing us and speaking into their lives in concrete ways. 

 

But Bible teachers’ job doesn’t end there. Rather, they need to instill in their hearers the fundamental truth that it is grace that motivates and enables the powerful application of Biblical truth for obedience and hope. That answers both the questions “why” and “how” of obedience. 

Grace-Oriented Preaching

Providing the right motivation for obedience means inspiring love for God rather than fear/self-protection and gratitude to God rather than gain/self-promotion. And as we as Bible teachers invite our hearers to live in conformity to God’s Word, we need to keep in mind what is and what is not in jeopardy if they disobey. What are the proper reasons to call people to repent and change? 

 

Chapell distinguishes between those things that can change and those things that cannot change based on a believer's obedience. Obedience can affect our fellowship with the Father, but not our sonship. It can affect our blessing, but not his concern for our welfare. It can affect our assurance of his love, but not that love itself. It can affect his delight in our actions, but not his desire for our good. It can affect the extent to which he disciplines us, but not our ultimate destiny. 

 

The love of God thus provides both the motive and the power for us to obey. The biggest difference between moralism and Christ-centered, grace-oriented preaching is this: The rules don’t change, the reasons do. Chapell explained that he used to believe his primary motivation as a preacher was to get his people to do what they did not want to do. Now, he has come to understand that his primary task is to enable his people to love Christ more. For in so doing, Christ will fill his peoples’ hearts with the power of grace. And that, my friends, is what produces faith-filled obedience.

We Do Need More Theology!

So, looking back on the conversations I had with these two unnamed women, would I articulate myself precisely as they did? Clearly not. I remain convinced of the importance of inspiring and equipping women to treasure Christ through the study of theology. We do need more theology! But if the intent behind their words was to point us to the greater need of the human heart, that of putting into practice the truths that we know, then I echo their sentiments. And thanks to Bryan Chapell, I am endeavouring to saturate my teaching with application that points my hearers towards the motivation and the enabling they need to live out the truths of Scripture. And this principle applies not only to women in their roles as wives and mothers but to every believer. May the Lord help us all to grow in our love for the Saviour that will lead to faith-filled obedience.