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Fruitful Theology Q&A

Erica Travis

Jul 7th

  • I wrote this book because contemplating on God is one of the greatest ways to spend our days as Christians. More specifically, I wrote this book because I am convinced a head full of truth ought to lead to a heart full of love and hands full of care. Simply put, I believe the life of the mind can lead to the life of the soul by developing the fruit of the Spirit in the life of the Christian.

  • There were really two different groups of people I had in mind while writing the book.

    1. Those who’ve been disenfranchised or discouraged by theology because they’ve seen it misused and leveraged as a mere war tactic instead of a deep well of joy.
    2. Folks who might view theology as inaccessible—those who may think the theological task is reserved for a special few and who believe the lie that they are not well-read enough or smart enough to practice meaningful theology.

  • Theology is often weaponized or politicized in an us-vs-them culture war. Instead of theology being used as an avenue to worship the Lord and love our neighbors, it can be wielded as a tool to belittle others and make much of ourselves. If theology must be a weapon, I hope to show how it can be a weapon of love.

  • The book is centered around the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians five and shows how a sustained contemplation of God and all things in relation to God can bring about those virtues in our souls. Throughout the book, we look at different truths in the Christian faith to show how focusing our minds on these things will transform us into the kind of people who demonstrate the vital fruit of the Spirit.
  • In the book, I discuss how we are all theologians. If theology is the study of God and all things in relation to God, then anyone who has thoughts or words about God is a theologian. The question is not whether you are a theologian but whether you will be a good one. So, my hope for this book is to show readers how accessible theology can be.
  • A paradigm-shifting and transformative moment in my life was when I was forced to work through a tough bit of theology for the first time. In the wrestling with theology, I found the whole process of theology—as challenging as it can be—can be a transformative experience. What’s more, I found the more I thought about the Lord, the more I loved Him. There was a direct correlation between my thought life and the life of my heart.
  • Beholding God will indeed lead to transformation. As our mind’s eye gets a clearer picture of who He is and what He’s done, we’ll not remain the same. In fact, contemplating God will indeed bring about a transformation from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18) until we ultimate are in glory where our faith is turned to sight and we will behold Him unlike ever before.
  • My hope is readers of this book are convinced—either for the first time or over again—God is worth it. God’s worth us spending our days reflecting on His glory and grace. I hope this short book is a reminder that theology is not an end in itself. When theology is instead used as a means to the triune God, then it can be a buffet of gladness. I hope readers are reminded that the life spent meditating on our God is the good life and that in doing the wonderful work of Christian theology they are transformed from one degree of glory to another.

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