Starting a theology website can sound a little grandiose.
Theology is a serious word. It can bring to mind university libraries, academic conferences, thick books, Greek and Hebrew, footnotes and people who know far more than most of us ever will. So calling a site Humble Theologian might seem slightly ambitious, or perhaps slightly ironic.
In some ways, that is the point.
The name is not a claim that I have mastered theology or achieved humility. It is more of an aspiration. Theology matters because God matters. Humility matters because I am not God. The more we learn, the more we should realise how much we still do not know, and how dependent we are on grace.
I started Humble Theologian because I believe Christians need thoughtful theology, but we also need theology that leads us toward worship, love, service and faithful discipleship. I wanted a place where serious Christian thinking could be expressed in plain language without pretending that every issue is simple or that every disagreement is unimportant.
This site is part learning space, part resource library and part personal reflection. It is written from the perspective of an ordinary Christian, Bible college student, church volunteer and someone learning to think more carefully about Scripture, disability, pastoral care and the life of the church.
Theology Is Not Just for Academics
One of the reasons I started this site is because theology is often treated as though it belongs only to academics, pastors or people with formal ministry titles.
That is a mistake.
Every Christian has theology. Every Christian believes something about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, suffering, prayer, church, hope, judgment and what it means to follow Jesus. The only question is whether that theology is thoughtful, biblical and well-formed, or whether it has been absorbed without much reflection.
A person who says, “I do not do theology, I just follow Jesus,” is still making theological claims. They are saying something about who Jesus is, what it means to follow him and how Christian faith should be lived. Theology is not an optional extra for people who enjoy books. It is the careful thinking that sits underneath Christian belief and practice.
That does not mean every Christian needs to become an academic theologian. It does mean Christians should care about truth. We should want to know God as he has revealed himself, not merely as we imagine him to be.
Bible college has helped me see both the richness and the complexity of Christian theology. It has also reminded me that serious study does not have to make faith colder. At its best, careful study deepens worship. It gives language to faith, guards us from shallow slogans and helps us see connections we might otherwise miss.
Good theology should make us more faithful disciples, not just better arguers.
Why Humility Matters
If theology matters, humility matters just as much.
Knowledge can do strange things to us. It can help us grow, but it can also make us proud. It can deepen love, but it can also become a way of winning arguments. It can serve the church, but it can also become a private identity project where being right matters more than being faithful.
That danger is not theoretical. Christian history is full of examples of people defending truth badly. The internet has made this even easier. We can now find a theological tribe, adopt its language and learn how to defeat people who disagree with us before we have learned how to listen well.
Humility does not mean having no convictions. It does not mean treating every doctrine as equally uncertain. Christianity has core beliefs, and some truths really do matter deeply. But humility does mean remembering that faithful Christians have disagreed on some significant issues. It means being honest about where I currently stand without pretending that every conclusion is final or every disagreement is obvious.
That is why I often use language like “where I currently stand.” It is not an attempt to avoid conviction. It is an attempt to hold conviction in a way that remains teachable.
Some doctrines are central to Christian faith. Others are important but secondary. Others are areas where we should be careful, charitable and willing to keep learning. Humility helps us know the difference.
A humble theologian is not someone with weak beliefs. A humble theologian is someone who knows that all our knowing is done as creatures before the Creator.
Why I Wanted a Resource Like This
Another reason I started Humble Theologian is because many Christian resources seem to fall into two broad categories.
Some are accessible but shallow. They are easy to read, but they do not always help people think deeply. They may encourage, but they do not always equip.
Others are rich but difficult to access. Academic books and articles can be excellent, but they often assume background knowledge, technical vocabulary and time that many ordinary Christians simply do not have.
I wanted Humble Theologian to sit somewhere in the middle.
The aim is not to replace academic study. It is not to pretend that difficult questions can always be answered in a short article. Rather, the aim is to provide thoughtful starting points for Bible college students, serious Christians and anyone who wants to understand the faith more carefully.
That is why the site includes articles on core Christian beliefs, Bible interpretation, disputed doctrines, disability, church life, pastoral care and resources for further study. Some articles are introductory. Some are more reflective. Some explain where I currently lean on debated issues. Others aim to help readers approach Scripture more responsibly.
The goal is not to have the last word. The goal is to help people start well, think clearly and keep following Jesus faithfully.
Why Disability and Pastoral Care Matter Here
Theology is never merely abstract.
What we believe about God, creation, humanity, sin, salvation, healing and hope affects how we treat real people. It affects how churches welcome people, pray for people, include people and sometimes unintentionally wound people.
My own experience of disability shapes some of the questions I notice. I am especially interested in how Christian theology speaks about human dignity, weakness, dependence, embodiment, healing and belonging. I am also interested in how churches can become better communities of pastoral care, not only places where people attend services.
That does not mean every article on this site will be about disability. It does mean disability is not a side issue for me. It is one of the lenses through which I notice whether our theology is actually helping us love people well.
Churches can sometimes talk about disability in ways that are well-meaning but theologically thin. Disabled people may be treated as objects of pity, inspiration or ministry, rather than as fellow image-bearers, disciples and contributors to the body of Christ. Some healing theology can unintentionally imply that disabled bodies are mainly problems to be fixed. Some inclusion language can sound good but fail to create real belonging.
A better theology will not solve every practical problem. But it can help the church ask better questions.
Do we see every person as bearing the image of God? Do we make space for people to contribute, not only receive care? Do we understand weakness only as failure, or can we see dependence as part of creaturely life? Do our prayers, buildings, assumptions and leadership patterns reflect the welcome we say we believe in?
These questions belong on a theology site because they belong to Christian discipleship.
Why the Site Includes Different Kinds of Content
Humble Theologian is intentionally not just one kind of site.
The theology guides are there to help readers understand core beliefs and important debates. Articles like “What Is the Gospel?” or “What Are the Essential Christian Beliefs?” are meant to be clear entry points for people who want a map of the faith.
The Bible and interpretation articles are there because many disagreements begin with how we read Scripture. Questions of genre, context, culture, canon, translation and application are not academic luxuries. They shape how we hear God’s Word and how we live it out.
The disability, faith and church articles are there because theology has to touch bodies, belonging and community. Christian doctrine should not float above the lived experiences of people in the pews, wheelchairs, hospitals, homes, workplaces and group chats of ordinary life.
The personal reflections are there because theology is lived by real people. I do not want the site to sound like an anonymous reference work. I want readers to know something of the person behind it, including the fact that I am still learning.
The resources pages point beyond the site. No single website can do everything. Recommended books, YouTube channels, devotionals and organisations can help readers keep learning from others.
Even Love as a Verb belongs within that wider purpose. Devotional material reminds us that Christian faith is not only about thinking correctly. It is about being formed by love, prayer, Scripture and obedience.
In that sense, the site’s tagline is not accidental: learning, loving and living the faith.
What Readers Should Expect
Readers should expect clarity, but not oversimplification.
Some Christian topics are straightforward. Others are genuinely difficult. When faithful Christians disagree, I want to say so. When I hold a view, I want to explain why without pretending those who disagree are stupid, dishonest or unfaithful.
Readers should expect sources and further reading, but not academic footnote overload. This is not a college assignment site. It is a public theology and Bible study resource. I want articles to be readable while still being responsible.
Readers should expect conviction without unnecessary combativeness. Some issues matter deeply. Some ideas should be challenged. But if theology is done in a way that makes us less loving, less patient or less humble, something has gone wrong.
Readers should also expect a pastoral concern beneath the writing. I am not interested in theology as a hobby detached from people. I care about how doctrine shapes prayer, church life, pastoral care, disability inclusion, discipleship and hope.
I also want to be honest about the limits of the site. Humble Theologian is not a substitute for a local church, pastoral conversation, professional counselling, medical advice or emergency help. It is a resource. It can help people think. It can encourage reflection. It can point people toward Scripture and further reading. But it cannot replace embodied community.
What I Hope the Site Does
My hope is that Humble Theologian helps people understand the Christian faith more clearly and live it more faithfully.
I hope it helps Bible college students find accessible starting points without bypassing serious study.
I hope it helps Christians think more carefully about Scripture, not merely quote verses out of context.
I hope it helps churches consider disability and pastoral care with more theological depth and practical love.
I hope it gives readers permission to be thoughtful without becoming arrogant, convictional without becoming combative and humble without becoming vague.
Most of all, I hope it points beyond itself.
Theology is not meant to terminate on the theologian. It is meant to lead us to God. If the site helps someone know Christ more truly, read Scripture more responsibly, love the church more deeply or serve their neighbour more faithfully, then it is doing what I hope it will do.
A Humble Beginning
I am aware that “Humble Theologian” is a name that can only ever be lived up to imperfectly.
But perhaps that is appropriate. Christian discipleship is not about arriving at a place where we no longer need grace. It is about continuing to learn, repent, receive, grow and follow Jesus.
So this site is not a declaration that I have everything figured out. It is an invitation to think carefully with me.
The aim is not to sound impressive. The aim is to keep learning in a way that leads to love, worship, service and faithfulness.
That is why I started Humble Theologian.
Sources and Further Reading
- John Stott, Your Mind Matters. A short and accessible argument for loving God with the mind as part of Christian discipleship.
- Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy. A major work on discipleship, the kingdom of God and the formation of ordinary followers of Jesus.
- N. T. Wright, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters. A helpful account of Christian virtue, formation and life after conversion.
- James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love. A readable introduction to desire, worship, habits and Christian formation.
- Henri J. M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved. A pastoral reflection on identity, belovedness and the Christian life.
- Michael J. Gorman, Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross. A deeper theological account of how Christian life is shaped by the crucified Christ.
- Amos Yong, The Bible, Disability, and the Church. A helpful theological introduction to disability, Scripture and church life.
- Scripture passages worth reflecting on: Micah 6:8; Matthew 22:37–40; 1 Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 4:15; James 3:13–18.