Incarnate, Crucified, and Risen

We live in a time of theological questioning. Just as there is change in all other areas of society and culture, people are searching for new kinds of meaning in the church and of God. This has led to the growth of new schools of theology such as process theology, natural theology, ascetical theology, emergent theology, and many others.

While all of these theologies provide the opportunity for people to search for a deeper understanding of God, I am left to wonder if sometimes we are starting in the wrong place. It seems that sometimes we start with ourselves and our understanding of the world and build our theology from there, instead of starting with God at the center.

Bonhoeffer writes about the importance of keeping our theologies balanced:

In Jesus Christ, we have faith in the incarnate, crucified, and risen God. In the incarnation we learn of the love of God for his creation; in the crucifixion we learn of the judgment of God upon all flesh; and in the resurrection we learn of God’s will for a new world. There can be no greater error than to tear these three elements apart; for each of them comprises the whole. It is quite wrong to establish a separate theology of the incarnation, a theology of the cross, or a theology of the resurrection, each in opposition to the others… (130)

How can we develop a consistent understanding of who God is? And, how would such an understanding lead to living out a consistent Christian life?