The Importance of the Process by Chad Hess

When I was in high school, one of my friends who had been home-schooled the year before, had the Solutions Manual for Algebra 2. The Solutions Manual didn't just give the correct answer, it showed all the work and how to get that answer. This is very important in math because all math teachers want to know how you got the answer, not just what the answer is. When I had questions, I would ask him for help, and if he couldn't figure out the problem, he would look in the manual. Such a valuable book also had great potential for evil. My friend's roommate stole the book and used it to cheat in the class. He didn't care about understanding the process of how to solve the problem; he only wanted the answer.

I have wished many times for a Solutions Manual for theological questions. A book that would tell me how to solve the problem and provide the right answer. But I understand how such a book could easily be abused and actually prevent people from really knowing God.

Just like in math, the process of solving a theological issue is just as important as the answer (sometimes it's even more important than the answer). A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook, "To most Christians, the Bible is like a software license. Nobody actually reads it. They just scroll to the bottom and click 'I agree'." The problem is that this approach completely misses the point of the Bible: God. God is found in the process even more than in the solution. It is in the process that we really understand the complexity and depth of God. The process is how God changes our hearts, not just our beliefs. It's how we understand who God is.

Chad Hess