Why Does Theology Feel Dead? The Difference Between Knowing About God and Knowing God
- Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
- Jun 9
- 15 min read
"The Word of God is alive and active" -Hebrews 4:12
The Bible speaks about God as alive, the Word as God-breathed, and the ministry of Jesus and the apostles as filled with power. So why is our study of it all often so. very. stale.?
Theology means the study of God - it is faith seeking understanding.
Where did the life get lost? I have a suspicion that theology becomes lifeless whenever it becomes disconnected from the living God.
Navigate this article easily:
Why Theology Feels Dead -
Reason | What it looks like in real life | What’s going wrong underneath |
Disconnected from God | Reading Scripture feels dry or mechanical | Theology becomes information instead of relationship |
Purely academic approach | Studying the Bible like a textbook only | Knowledge replaces encounter and dependence on the Spirit |
No Holy Spirit engagement | Prayer feels empty; Scripture feels flat | Trying to understand spiritual things without spiritual help |
Spiritual isolation | Faith feels weak or tired when alone | Lack of community, accountability, and shared life |
Routine without expectancy | Church and Bible study feel repetitive | Practice continues, but expectation of God’s presence fades |
Emotional burnout or dryness | Worship feels forced or disconnected | Inner exhaustion blocks attentiveness to God |
Over-controlling faith | Trying to “master” or fully contain God | Truth becomes boxed instead of lived and flowing |
Lack of application | Knowing Scripture but not living it | Faith stays in the mind, not embodied in daily life |
Misunderstanding Scripture | Confusion or boredom when reading the Bible | No guidance, reflection, or sense of narrative flow |
Loss of wonder | Nothing feels spiritually awe-filled anymore | Familiarity replaces reverence and curiosity |
A breath of fresh air in Theology
I remember distinctly, walking along the corridor of the seminary where I studied in my first year when I felt the Holy Spirit prompt something in my heart (*More on the Holy Spirit later in this article). The hallway in the Theology faculty was long, I was the only person there, and it was eerily quiet. The weird cafeteria smells drifted up, a fine layer of dust covered everything, and the decor was outdated. My shoes squeaked on the stick-on floor. Yet in this mundane moment, the Spirit said:
"I have placed you here to be a breath of fresh air in the Theology department"
Theology is often seen as dead - at least here in the context where I'm writing from in South Africa. Yet even beyond that, our personal theology is also dead so often. Our church services are mind-numbingly boring. Our Bible study times are lifeless. Our prayers are uttered without feeling.
In this article, I will use Scripture, my own studies as a Theologian, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to start a conversation about this question: When does Theology come alive? (A conversation I hope you'll join in the comments below because I still have more questions than answers)
We will approach lifeless theology from various different angles, in an attempt to 'find the leak':
stale theology
Holy Spirit encounter
Bible reading fatigue
academic theology critique
living water imagery
resurrection power
How did a story that starts with CREATION become so dull?
On the very first page of the Bible, the canvas is blank. Then God speaks the universe into being. The Creator uses breath, the words from His lips, to create unmatched beauty and wonder. He speaks and Earth forms.
There is something amazing that happens where Theology does come alive in this way: through words, utterance, speech. I catch glimpses of it all the time. I get goosebumps as I listen to song lyrics. I shiver or get teary-eyed in a sermon, or while reading a book I'm editing for someone.
God is still just as creative, moving, and inventive as He was on the first page of the Bible - so why do we see God (and yes, Theology) as dead? I think the reason why I enjoyed studying Theology was because of the sub-field I specialized in: Practical Theology.
"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:26
Practical Theology is concerned with happens outside the building with the stained glass, asking questions like - What does faith look like in action? How do we truly make disciples? Where is God moving? How can we partner with what He is already doing?
Unfortunately, some of us who know about Him do not know Him. Jesus described this in the Parable of the Virgins with the Oil Lamps, when He said: "I never knew you".
What a sad reality to have committed one's life and work to the things of God, only to get to the end and realize that you never knew Him. One of the critiques against Theology is that people who study the Bible "academically" lose touch with reading the Bible "spiritually" (or, for encounter). The know about God, they don't know Him.
A Distrust in Institutions or a Distrust in God?
I cannot count the number of times I got raised eyebrows when I told people I studied Theology. So I just stopped telling them altogether. It was kind of funny how 'okay' the people in my circles were with me being a Christian - and active in my faith - but how terribly concerned they got when they found out what I studied.
They were Christians, but they hated the study of Theology. In their eyes, Theology stood for everything that was challenging the Christian faith and the church - like lukewarm teaching, twisting God's words, and a cold almost clinical reading of the Bible as an ancient text. Yet, this wasn't my experience of studying Theology at all.
In the Theology classroom, I did witness different professors, various teaching styles, and - yes - a handful of strange theologies. But do you know what happened? They taught me discernment.
I like to think about if this was a different academic study, like Science. Would people be okay with only learning one perspective? One outlook? My husband and I like to say that studying for a degree does not teach you how to do a certain job, it teaches you a way of thinking. And I think that is great!
What Theology taught me is perfectly encapsulated by this quote I read one time in a academic paper (I cannot for the life of me remember who wrote it now - please comment if you know!):
Mature theologians, or Christians, have the strange ability to affirm their roots while spreading their wings.
As a visual learner, I remember making a sketch of this in the sidelines - and it stuck with me ever since.
Can you firmly and simply state your truth, while listening to another's opinion?
Can you respect the one who differs from you, while holding on to Scripture for dear life?
Studying Theology taught me many things. The most important, perhaps, is how to have constructive conversations about Scripture, how to listen to people who differ from me, and how to discern what is from God and what is not.
But, even today, people are still surprised when they find out (via the grapevine) that I studied Theology (because I still don't tell them). They still believe that Theology is deadly. They still hear more stories about what's broken in that world than what works. They still see Theologians as cold-hearted zombies tearing apart the Bible, instead of someone with a beating heart reading it in search of understanding.
This reminds me of another old quote that said:
Are you busy with the things of God or the God of the things?
My experience in studying Theology was anything was lifeless - as I will continue to illustrate in this article, but I do understand where this question comes from. I see the misperception of theology as dead as a problem - and I wish to use Scripture and my testimony to help shed light on it.
When I studied, it was obvious that some of the prescribed literature were ALIVE & other books and articles weren't. Now, this is not to say that God is alive in some of them and dead in other, but the person communicating Him - the messenger - might be missing the message. Our language about God might be dead because we have become disconnected from the Source.
God is anything but dead, so why, oh why, are our ideas about Him so...?
Jesus is Alive so Why Does Theology Feel Dead?
Picture this: It's Wednesday night and time for your Bible study group (again). You sigh. Do you really have to go? Could you skip just this once? It's not like anything really 'happens' there anyway.
If I'm asking why theology feels dead and not alive, it's a matter of that Genesis breath - yes - but it's also a matter of the New Testament Jesus breath - and I'm not talking about His first breath as a baby, I'm talking about His first breath as a corpse...
No better example of life and death can be found than the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He knows what death feels like, yet He breathed again.
Can the same be true for our stale bread Theology? Is there fresh manna here for us as well? Could religion that feels dead breathe again?
Growing up, I always liked the idea of Jesus' resurrection, but looking back, I don't know how REAL it was to me.
Who actually witnessed the resurrected Christ?
Recently, for a writing job, I was tasked with writing about who actually witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. In doing the project, my own faith increased as I saw it through new eyes: We don't just read that Jesus is alive in one sentence in one book of the Bible, as witnessed by one person. Jesus' resurrection was witnessed by...
the Roman guards
the women visiting the tomb
the Emmaus road travellers
the disciples on many occasions
crowds of people (up to 500)
Why does this matter? Because JESUS IS ALIVE. He did not die. So our speech about Him, worship of Him, does not have to be dead either.
Jesus is our perfect example of THEOLOGY coming ALIVE - because in the incarnation God became Man... He walked among us. He breathed this air. He drank water. He stubbed His toe.
The point of this article is simple:
I believe it is possible for Theology to come alive, simply because JESUS IS.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" - John 10:10
God became man and walked among us. He lived the perfect life we could not live and He gave us a Helper who could do what we couldn't - this is the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus is alive and He lives in... YOU!
At the beginning of this article I spoke about walking down the corridor in seminary where I studied, when the Holy Spirit prompted something in my heart.
The Holy Spirit is not just an add-on to the Trinity, He is a crucial part. He is God in us. He is the Helper that Jesus sent for us. He was there at the beginning (hovering over the Genesis waters) & He is still here today (Acts 1:8).
It is the Holy Spirit who comes like a wind and breathes over that which is dead in our lives. A breath of fresh air. Jesus famously called this 'living water'.
John 7:38"Whoever believes in Me, rivers of living water will flow from within them"
Living Water Cannot Be Stored
Water that is still-standing gets funky after a while. It might have come from a living source, like a river, an ocean, or rain - but somehow it closed itself off and isolated. That is when it becomes dangerous. That's when the living water becomes dead. It is disconnected from real life.
The thing about water is it wants to flow. We cannot hold it in our hands; cannot get a firm grip on it. So if we desperately cling to it, we put it in a container. The problem was never the water; it was the cup.
"We have this treasure in jars of clay" - 2 Corinthians 4:7
I think that most of the time when our Theology is dead is because of our own structures, religion, and 'boxes'. We try to contain the divine and we end up spoiling it in doing so.
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." - Jeremiah 2:13
In a similar way, the manna from Heaven (daily bread for the Israelites) rained down freely. Yet the people wanted to gather it up, and it got moldy and full of maggots. They shouted "Mine!" while God gave freely, all they needed.
Just like in Eden, when Eve reached for the forbidden fruit. It is always by grabbing / taking that sin enters. It is by holding tightly / clenching fists that we are corrupted.
You can't store up living water. You can't store up manna. You can't pick the fruit. It breaks apart in your hands and spills through the cracks between your fingers.
The same happens to us when we try to store up what God said yesterday instead of hearing Him afresh today. Our Theology gets moldy. Our Theology breaks. Our Theology gets just a little funky at first, and soon it is unrecognizable.
You can't keep yesterday's revelation and expect it to taste fresh.
You need a new personal revelation from God about His unchanging Word each day.
Important Note: What about drawing from wells dug in previous spiritual seasons?
This article has argued that you need fresh living water, new encounter from the Spirit, and the manna that is for today. Yet there is one aspect of this FRESH FAITH that I'm aware of that is lasting - that is more like a well than trying to contain water in a cup.
What does this mean?
All structure is not bad. It must remain connected to the source.
Digging into God, His Word, and the Spirit. It connects you to the water source.
This is like a well that is built, giving water for years (often, generations) to come.
While it's important for our faith to keep seeking a new understanding, we will be amiss if we forget to:
Learn from the wisdom of generations of older believers who have walked this road before us
Remember what God has done in previous seasons of our lives and use it to understand what He might be doing now (I'm a big proponent for keeping a faith journal for this very reason!)
Remembering (looking back) & refreshing (looking forward) seems to go hand-in-hand. There's a lot of value in not having to bundu bash or pioneer a path for the first time. There are hard lessons that can be learned via stories instead of through suffering - but this can only happen if we pay close attention.
This is how living water can be passed down from one season to the next, one generation to the following. The world is dying of thirst, and you are holding living water - Will you share it with them?
While this article has covered more general ideas so far about Theology that is dead - there is, of course, a very personal way that Theology can feel dead as well. Your prayers hit the ceiling. You feel far from God. You cannot for the life of you enjoy reading the Scripture. You feel awkward during times of musical worship.
Why is reading the Bible so boring?
Often, our Theology is resembling a dusty library more than a spring of living water. The Theology library on campus was lined with ancient books that nobody read. We wrestle with books, texts, and interpretations of God -
"for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." - 2 Corinthians 3:6
In one academic paper, they likened our misunderstanding of God to a man sitting down with his hero in a coffee shop. He asks his hero a question, but every time the hero moves to answer, the man pulls out the autobiography he has - the book about his hero, and pages through it to find the answers. Eventually the hero gets up and leaves because it's obvious the man will not listen to him. He thinks he has all the answers already.
Jesus said, "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." - John 5:39-40
When we pick up the Bible for the first time, it can feel like learning a new language - with strange nuances, weird symbolism, and challenging examples woven in.
Yet Theology is not only for pastors or scholars. You don't need a Theology degree to be able to read the Bible and understand it, but I do believe you need something else. Or rather, someone.
The Holy Spirit as our Bible-guide:
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." - John 14:26
The Holy Spirit is the one who breaks open the Word for the reader and helps them see the meaning in the text. God is unchanging, He will not contradict Himself or change His mind. His Word still stands, but the Holy Spirit is like a translator who can help you make sense of it.
Scripture is living through the Spirit. Our faith can only come alive when the words jump out from the page and into our real, daily, living lives. When the abstract becomes tangible. That's what living theology actually looks like.
"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." - 1 Corinthians 2:14
If you have struggled with faith that feels dead when reading the Scriptures, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read. Get quiet and listen for His voice. Remember, He is your Helper.
'“Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth." - Ezekiel 3:3
The prophet Ezekiel took a bite of a scroll and it turned into honey in his mouth. He did not only look at it, talk about it, point to it, or think clever thoughts about it - he had to take the physical action of taking a bite. To digest. To taste.
Theology Dies in Isolation
Another reason why faith feels dead is often because it is lonely.
A candle that is removed from oxygen, or where the lid is placed on, flickers out.
Connection upward (with God) This website and creative business is based on John 15, where Jesus said that if a branch remains connected to the Vine, it can bear fruit. But when the branch is removed from the Vine, it will shrivel up and dry. Is our Theology dead because we're not connected to the Vine?
Anything connected to our Creator is: creative, full of life, life-giving. In my experience, it's when we try to do it on our own that we get burnt out, exhausted, and 'over it'.
Connection inward (with the church)
Jesus was God Himself and even He did not keep Himself apart from life. Jesus had a certain closeness with the Father, yet He also chose for Himself twelve friends to walk with. The wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs teaches us that it is not good for a person to walk alone - we need each other.
In South Africa, we have a word for it: "ubuntu" - it is loosely translated as "I am because you are". The premise is that every person is connected to others, like the trees in a forest, they form part of something much bigger.
A great way to ensure that your Theology stays 'safe' (by that I mean, alive) is to root yourself in community, discipleship, mentorship, and accountability.
Connection outward (the world)
Taking it a step further: Jesus dined with sinners! He ate with tax collectors! He befriended women! He welcomed children!
They killed Him in the end because of these very reasons. Yet Jesus was NOT killed by the sinners! He was killed by the religious leaders! Their Theology was dead and it could not handle the living and walking Messiah, even when He was in their midst.
Sometimes, Theology gets wonky when 'Christian' people only hang out with other 'Christian' people.
God called you to be a city on a hill, to shine in the darkness. If you keep yourself completely separate in all ways and at all times, you will not be able to shine your light and you might be blinded by it.
When dead bones come to life
Like the prophet Ezekiel standing the valley of dead bones and seeing them come alive before his eyes - I truly believe that God can bring life to the stagnant places in our hearts as well.
There is nothing so broken, so lost, that He cannot restore it in full.
This article made the point that our Theology does not have to be dead because our God isn't. God is alive in your heart, in your home, in your community. He lives inside you by His Holy Spirit who will guide, lead, and help you wherever you go.
If you're still feeling unsure of how to make your faith feel more alive, I want to invite you to consider my Contemplative Guide for Wholehearted Disciples of Jesus :
Practical Theology Challenges for a Refresh
In closing, if we desire our theology to come alive - we will do well to remember that:
God is Triune. 3-in-1. We can measure where our Theology is dead by measuring it against each person of the Trinity. Who is missing? Is it God the Father, Jesus the Son, or the Helper, the Holy Spirit?
Jesus is alive. He is not dead; He is risen. Are we living as if this is true? Am I speaking about Him, reading about Him, and praying to Him as if He is alive in me?
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb 12) - Is there a more mature / older believer in my life whom I can talk to about the stale feeling in my faith? Who has wisdom to share?
How to Make Theology Come Alive Again
Pathway | What it looks like in real life | What changes inside you |
Reconnecting to God personally | Prayer shifts from duty to honest conversation | Theology becomes relationship again, not information |
Reading Scripture with the Holy Spirit | Pausing, listening, and asking for understanding | The Word feels “alive” and speaks into your present life |
Practicing lived obedience | Acting on what you read, even in small ways | Faith moves from theory into embodied experience |
Staying in community | Sharing faith, questions, and struggles with others | Theology becomes sharpened, strengthened, and encouraged |
Recovering wonder and awe | Worship feels heartfelt again; Scripture surprises you | God feels bigger, closer, and more real |
Letting go of control | Not needing to fully “master” every answer | Space opens for mystery, encounter, and humility |
Engaging Scripture as encounter | Reading slowly, meditatively, expectantly | The Bible shifts from text to meeting place |
Healthy theological tension | Holding truth while remaining open to growth | Faith becomes mature, grounded, and flexible |
Remembering past encounters | Journaling or recalling what God has done | Encourages trust and renews spiritual memory |
Living in spiritual flow | Regular spiritual rhythms without rigidity | Faith feels like movement, not stagnation |
Seeing Jesus as central | Scripture, prayer, and life point back to Christ | Theology becomes Christ-shaped rather than system-shaped |
Inviting fresh Spirit-led renewal | Asking God to breathe again into dry places | Spiritual dryness is replaced with renewed life and sensitivity |
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