Canyons vs. Crannies Theology

Please don't be offended by this post. If you read anything here that you find offensive, please just talk with me. 

Anyone and everyone that believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, is a theologian on some level.  I absolutely believe this to be true. A person doesn't always have to be a professional theologian to be a theologian. Theology is simply the study of God, so one could be a professional theologian, investing their time and energy into this study, but they might also be a lazy theologian, deeming the study of the Word to be not all that important, at least not as important as Sports Center or their Facebook feed, but both ends of the spectrum depict theologians none-the-less. If a person believes something... anything... about God, they are a theologian. And if they also believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, then to some degree those beliefs are shaped by their reading, or their lack of reading, the scriptures. 

I have also come to believe that you could categorize this full spectrum of Bible-Believing Theologians into two basic categories. Ok, ok, I know that there are quite a few categories of theologies and their theologians that already exist and that there are a myriad of ways we could already think about how to divvy them up into those categories. And besides the well-known theologies like Covenant Theology or Dispensational Theology, we could also think about lazy vs. diligent or ancient vs. modern, but from my own observations, I think there is another way to consider and then categorize the full spectrum of theologies, or at least the full spectrum of the theologians adhering to their theologies. 

These observations have come from interactions that I've made through a multitude of discussions with various theologians I've run into from time to time. Whether that encounter was from reading a book that a seemingly professional theologian wrote or some side comments that an acquaintance theologian has made over lunch or while drinking coffee, I have noticed a particular trend to lead to the creation of these two categories.  As you know, from my previous post, I think (or rather, I believe) that it can be exceptionally helpful to trim away as much as you can from a topic or a viewpoint or, in this case, a theology, to see what it is really about: what are its defining attributes? And when you do this to specific points of various theologies that people have come up with or latched onto over the years... whether they were long-thought-over theologies from a studied and diligent mind or a theology that developed from watching a YouTube video before the theologian dozed off at the end of the day, I believe that these theologies can be sorted out into two general categories. I'll name them first, and then I'll try to explain the naming and what each is about. 

I will call the first category the Mountain Ranges and Canyons Theologies and the second category I will call Nooks and Crannies Theologies. The Mountain Ranges and Canyons Theologies are the theologies that are built on the big pictures of the Bible. It is within this category that you will find many of the dominant theologies with their official names. For the record, this is not a bad way to consider various theologies: putting official titles on things can be exceptionally helpful. But what I would like to point out is that the similarities with most of the officially titled theologies is that they are each based on some big over-arching, scripture-spanning ideas. Ideas that extend over the scope of the whole Bible. Covenant Theology, for example, has recognized the Covenants that God has made with people from the beginning, whereas Dispensational Theology, with the word dispensation meaning stewardship, has focused on the seeming different responsibilities of different ages of mankind. These are the big, grand, over-arching themes and realities and teachings that cover the scope of Scripture. These big things are the defining things. Each and every story, poem, proverb, and prophetic statement is understood under the big umbrella of these big pictures of the Bible.

So I chose the title I did for this first category because Mountain Ranges and Canyons are big. They are grand features that define various regions by their geography.  In fact, most places on the planet are described by mentioning those imposing features of geography that really "make" the place and will quite often, not only define the region, but can sometimes define that region's people. We could also throw in there other major features like bodies of water or arid deserts, but I am just going to stick with Mountains and Canyons.    

There are some divisions among the Mountain and Canyon Theologians, but for the most part you will find a decent amount of agreement because these big themes, though interpreted in slightly different ways, are undeniable. These interpretations will usually end up meaning that we might feel a little different on when and how to baptize someone, but we would all agree that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father: That this historical Jesus, who was God incarnate, was born of a virgin, lived a righteous life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and will some day return. We might bicker about when that return will happen and how it will look, but we all believe that he is coming back. When you meet professing Christians "out in the wild" and perchance start discussing a life topic: inevitably either your theology or their theology will start to reveal itself. Some will show themselves to be Mountain Range and Canyon Theologians, with at least some grasp of these big pictures, but many others will instead reveal themselves to be, what I am going to call, Nooks and Crannies Theologians. 

Nooks and Crannies Theologians, upon your first meeting of one, might seem to fit into one of those nicely titled other categories. And they will often say many of the same things...  and I am quite sure that they also believe most of those major points. Nooks and Crannies theologians are in every church and in every denomination and will go undetected most of the time. In fact, they will most likely go undetected even to themselves most of the time. It is for this reason that I am even writing this!  I am not about to throw Nook and Cranny Theologians under the bus. No. I am hoping to warn a Nook and Cranny Theologian about the pitfall of Theology that they have fallen into. 

Nooks and Crannies theologians will also appear to be some of the most (seemingly) diligent students of the Word. They will speak and sound very knowledgeable about the scriptures. This leads them into an even deeper pit, but it also drags others with them as they begin to voice their Theological beliefs. Even though the Nook and Cranny Theologian will echo most of those major beliefs found in the mountains and canyons, their theology, (and here is where I have given the title) instead of being defined by these Big Picture themes that are presented for us in Scripture, are instead clarified (as they think) by the little nooks and crannies of the text. It will be the details of a text, the minutia of a passage, and the almost indiscernible features that only reveal themselves when the puzzle is put properly together. 

Because of the way that  Nook and Cranny Theology is formed, there are almost as many of these "theologies" as there are Nook and Cranny Theologians.  It would be amazingly difficult to come up with specific titles for any of these theologies. Not only are there too many to count, the Theologians themselves would reject any title given, mostly because they see themselves as true adherents to the real, and finally revealed to them, hidden Theology. I understand that we all think that we are right to some degree, but with a Nook and Cranny Theologian there is that added layer of uniqueness that has usually come through their belief that they have found the secret to the whole thing: the missing piece that unlocks the rest of the Bible. Most Nook and Cranny Theologians really and actually think that they've honed in on the most important aspects of the Bible, aspects that have been revealed to them by God the Father through the power of the Spirit.  This uniqueness usually gives them a sense of undauntable purpose, especially because they usually don't know anyone else who has figured this out. Well, except for the three different YouTube Theologians that they follow ... and they usually don't agree with everything that they say either. This is also why you will rarely find a Nook and Cranny Theologian dedicated to any particular body of believers, at least, not for long. 

This, again, is why I am bringing this up. Since there are such a variety of forms that the Nook and Cranny Theologians can take, they typically undetected by most for years. But for others, they have become guides: though I would say that they are blind guides, leading the blind. Quite frankly, if a Nook and Cranny Theologian wants to go down a bottomless pit of a rabbit hole, that is one thing, but when they start bringing other with them, that is something entirely different. That is the sort of behavior that we should take note of and warn others about. Since it is so difficult to offer a summary of a Nook and Cranny Theologian because there are so many and such a variety of Nooks and Crannies in the Bible, I think that the best way to help you identify them is through a few prominent examples. Sometimes the best way to learn what something is, is by seeing examples and allowing your brain to create its own mental image. 

Before I go any further, I need to warn you that this may step on your toes. Please understand that my intent is not to mock you or make fun of you. If any of these examples hit too close to home, I am not purposely aiming at anyone. If you can attempt to read this next part with a kind tone, that would be helpful, because that is the tone that I am using while I type it. I am genuinely concerned. As the world goes to Hell in a hand basket, the hand basket congregants have lost their ability to sort out disagreements. We ought not to be that way. Our church fathers knew how to come together with their disagreements. They also knew how to find those agreements by sharpening and pruning their own beliefs, but by also being willing to declare what is heresy. Whether or not you think it is possible, we need to learn to come together with our disagreements. So, if you hear this next part and disagree, know that I am also willing to come together with you and hear you out.  ... welp... Here goes:  

The first example of a Nook and Cranny Theologian can be characterized by the mention of two words: Red Heifer.  *pause* I'm sorry. Please understand, I mean no disrespect to anyone directly, but I must mention that I can honestly say that I have read the Bible from front to back more than one time, and I have never walked away thinking, "... you know what is really important? The Red Heifers. That is what you need to be on the look out for."  In fact, I couldn't even tell you the passage of scripture that mentions a red heifer. And yet, even though I can say this with genuine, authentic sincerity, there are some who will almost froth at the mouth at the mention of a Red Heifer in the news, responding almost as if Jesus himself had been spotted hovering over Jerusalem.  Again, I don't want to step on too many toes here, so I will say, this doesn't mean that I don't think you are a Christian or that if you have been excited about the unveiling of a Red Heifer in Jerusalem, that you are automatically some sort of false teacher. All I mean by this is that it just might mean that you could be missing the big picture. But this is what Nook and Cranny Theologians are all about. They are focused on the obscure, the trivia of the Bible, as if it holds the key to the important stuff. 

Red Heifers, of course, are just an example... a clue... or a key word that might reveal a theology defined and clarified by the minutia. And I must say, it sounds very convincing. When you've heard someone start to connect the dots, piecing together minor details from Genesis 6 to Revelation 21, it presents itself like a solution to a problem that you didn't know you had. Most that fall into this trap will start looking at the Bible (sometimes literally) like they need to have their Numerology lenses on in order to really understand what the scriptures are telling us. Even when it isn't the color of a cow, Nook and Cranny Theologians will often begin to look for matching obscurities throughout the Bible. These obscurities will then, quite often, be used to understand and interpret, not only other scriptures, but also what is happening in the news. The simple fact that there are seven letters to seven churches in the book of Revelation will cause a Nook and Cranarian to miss the actual messages to those churches, based on the seeming significance of the number 7. For these theologians, the Nook and Cranny of the number 7 will end up having more significance than what Jesus actually wanted those churches to hear and what he now wants us to hear... and that is its potential danger.

Allow me to give you one more example, or one more key word that will clue you in to a Nook and Cranny Theologian. The word is Nephilim. Now, if you have never heard that word, then I would like to apologize for the rabbit hole on the internet that you might stumble down if you Google search it. Again, I will say it: I have read the Bible through, from front cover to back cover, I have done the difficult labor of preparing expository sermons covering much of the New Testament and portions of the Old Testament, I have been having the Bible  read to me since I was a little boy... and I have never once walked away from the scriptures and thought to myself, "...you know what is really important? The Nephilim. They are the key to unlocking the rest of the Bible!"  

The Nephilim are a Nook inside of a Cranny, and yet these mysterious individuals from antiquity have a tendency to take center stage in a Nook and Cranarian's understanding of the Bible. And whatever or whoever they are, these Nephilim, once they have a hold on someone's attention, can make their way into a person's interpretation of the history of the world. That is what Nook and Cranny Theology does: It latches onto a small piece of trivia in the scriptures and then runs with it.  And the more trivia that can get attached to it, the more it seems to make sense to the ones following it, like a snowball rolling down a cartoon hill.

I get it. It is sort of fun and a little exciting to delve into the endless lineages of our world's history. And I am sure that there is much that we do not know about the antediluvian world.  Considering and contemplating those obscure and hidden things can be really enjoyable, but they ought not to be used to define or characterize the remainder of what is clear in scripture.  And when one gets caught up in those speculations hidden within the triviality of scripture, it tends to (but won't always) lead one away from the important things. You will see very few Nook and Cranny Theologians mining the scriptures to understand the work of the mortification of sin in a believer (Colossians 3:5-11) or to approach the ways of God when men acted sinfully and opposed God to bring about what God had planned from the beginning (Acts 2:22-23; Acts 4:27-28). The triviality of the focus may lead some to a focus on the triviality and thus ignoring even the essential things in one's own life.

I know that some of this may have upset some of you, but I see too many swerving down that path. You're following those red heifers and those Nephilim down an endless path that you, I believe, will find to be a vain (empty) discussion.  I hope that if this has struck a chord with anyone, that they will seek to enter into a discussion. With that, I'll leave you with Paul's words to the young pastor Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:3–7 (ESV)

[3] As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, [4] nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. [5] The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. [6] Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, [7] desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

If you find that the obscurities of the Bible have taken a center stage to all of your Biblical beliefs, then I would like to encourage you to find a Bible teaching and Bible preaching church and get yourself grounded in a local fellowship... Because what you really might need is an actual flesh-and-blood Pastor... and not one that you only know through his YouTube church.