Prayerless Theologians

As you watch theological interactions online, and even in some churches, have you ever wondered how many strong assertions come from prayerless theologians? I do not raise this question to belittle solid reasoning, forceful arguments, and correct theology. All are essential to spiritual health and defending the faith, but they are not enough. Prayerless theologians are erring in multiple ways. Here are three.

First, prayerless theologians lack humility. They do not call on the God they claim to know because they do not think they need him. They may declare the opposite with their words, but their life does not reflect that reality. If they realized their need, they would call on him regularly. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “If you do not know what you should pray for, may the Lord show you your misery, that you may cry to Him out of the depths of your soul.” What Spurgeon was getting at is if you don’t know what to pray about, it does not mean you lack the need. It means you are blind to it. This blindness is a manifestation of pride. This pride will eventually bubble over in the way we communicate our theology, even if it is orthodox theology. Prayer indicates spiritual health because it reveals our humility and reliance upon God.

Second, prayerless theologians trust in the power of the flesh. In all their argumentation, apologetics, and reasoning with others, they live in a way that says the power of their arguments is enough to change hearts—if they desire to change hearts at all. In practice, they do not believe in the necessity of the Holy Spirit’s power to give sight to the blind. If they genuinely believed the Holy Spirit was needed to quicken spiritually dead hearts, they would be men and women of prayer.

Finally, prayerless theologians, as they study, teach, correct, and exhort others, are engaging in theology without worship. Knowing God is more than knowing things about him. Though proper doctrine is necessary in knowing God, it also involves a reliance upon him for all things and ascribes to him the worth he is due. Prayer is one of the most significant indicators that this is the state of our hearts. Worshipful theology is not only about proper words, rituals, and bodily postures. We can do all the appropriate actions with a cold soul. Meaningful prayer flows from a heart that loves the Lord.

If we read through this short writing and only think of other people who we think might be guilty but do not feel any conviction in our own lives, we might be missing the point. We all fall short of this in some way, shape, or form. We must all guard our hearts from being prayerless theologians, and the way to do this is to see our own needs and take them to the Lord in prayer.

-D. Eaton