What is theology? The simple answer is that theology is the study of God. Why is theology important? Theology is what we believe about who God is, His character, what He has done. We all have a theology or an understanding of who we think God is, but it may not be a correct theology or accurate picture of God. Studying theology helps us to understand better who God is based on what the Bible says about Him. What we believe about God affects how we live our lives. Theology is worked out in our behavior, attitudes and actions, thus a study of theology helps us to grow more like God as we learn who He is.
There are many sub-branches of theology that deal with different aspects of what we believe on different subjects. The study of God the Father is often referred to as Theology Proper. The study of Jesus Christ is called Christology. Other branches of theology include:
Pneumatology – the study of the Holy Spirit
Anthropology – the study of man (and a sub-branch under this is Hamartiology – the study of sin)
Bibliology – the study of the Bible
Ecclesiology – the study of the church
Angelology – the study of angels/demons
Soteriology – the study of salvation
Eschatology – the study of end times
It is important that we study theology in order to know God. Here is a great article outlining the importance of theology in the life of the believer. And if you’re new to theology, here are some books to get you started.
Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem
Pilgrim Theology by Michael Horton
Everyone’s a Theologian by R.C. Sproul
Exploring Christian Theology editors Michael Svigel and Nathan Holsteen (3 volumes)