So what do you think about online quizzes on theological worldview? Here’s the one currently being used as a public quick self-diagnosis, created by Steven Harris from the UK, known online as Sven.
(See Sven’s blog at the World of Sven,
on which he’s pictured in his hoodie (see picture to right). See Sven’s list of quizzes at Quizfarm.)
I’d take issue with the limits of this online quiz. What about the contemplative side of theology? Or the Eastern orthodox? I suspect the question on icons is used for measuring Catholic theology. How about ‘non-realist’ theology – not that I’d score very highly in it! Fascinating to have the photograph of Brian McLaren tied with the quiz. I’d like to include a few other people there too.
Ok – the test does align me with the Emergent/Postmodern slice of faith. But also with the Evangelical and NeoOrthodox slices, with a twist of Catholic. In the graph below you can chart my journey of theology towards being postfundamentalist, post Evangelical, post charismatic, post Catholic, post liberal.
- Started off as a teenager surrounded by fundamentalist, Evangelical and Reformed leaders in a hybrid Presbyterian church. Signed up with creationism and last days doctrine. Learnt all about Calvin’s tulip. Heard that the spiritual gifts have ceased and pentecostals are of the Devil. Didn’t buy it.
- Dived into the charismatic movement as a sixteen year old.
- My fundamentalism/creationism fell apart during Anthropology 101. Went through an intense phase of rebuilding faith on a relational base.
- Joined a charismatic Catholic covenant community in my third and fourth years at Uni.
- Campaigned for nuclear disarmament as an expression of commitment to the future.
- Engaged in contextual and relational approaches to evangelism and social justice as a youth worker.
- Gave up the end times anxiety as a husband and father.
- Linked up with the Vineyard movement at Wimber conferences in Auckland
- As a theology student discovered theologians who expressed what I’d be intuiting: Barth, Moltmann, Torrance alongside Matthew Fox, Karl Rahner and Hans Kung.
- Developed a kingdom of God missional paradigm for ministry.
- Worked ecumenically in youth ministry in New Zealand and around the world.
- Linked up with alt worship scene
- Found postmodernist writers expressing the world view I’d come to hold.
My Quiz Results
You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don’t think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.
What’s your theological worldview? |
Thanks Fernando for responding to my question about the quiz.
Interesting thing was my two teenagers had a go at the quiz. They had a very quick introduction to Karl Barth and Jack Spong via Wikipedia. I remember having a go at reading Barth at their age (was required reading for applying for ministry training) and asking my minister what he thought of Barth. He said he’d never heard of Barth (with a th) but then told me he knew a bit of Barth (with a T).
Anyway it was a good conversation starter at home. Made me realise how important writers and speakers are in our theological development. In some ways it’s part of my motivation for blogging – being able to explore theology publicly.
I had a little comment/rant about this on my blog. Phil Johnson chimed in with some comments, a bunch of which I really agree with.
To some extent these quizzes can be harmless fun; certainly I’m guilty of doing meaningless quizzes in magazines and newspapers.
However, the trend of postining results on EC-type blogs is very interesting. Have gotten the feeling people are sometimes using these quizzes as a form of self-discovery (or self-assurance) and to be frank, they are a pretty poor tool for that.
The kind of theological self-reflection you’ve described is a better way to go for sure and it really fits well with a narrative and biographic approach to theology.
Fernando,
You’re completely right – the quiz was supposed to be a bit of harmless fun and was utterly inadequate for anything other than that. The one positive thing to come out of it was that some people have been prepared to recognise that they do actually have a lot in common with those who the would never normally consider interracting with.
I have received over 300 e-mails complaining about the quiz (ranging from genuine criticism to full blown personal abuse) and I don’t think I would ever have bothered with it if I’d have known what would happen.