How does Theology differ from Religion, Doctrine, and Church Dogma?

Paul Derengowski, PhD

Elsewhere, it was discussed that theology is the study, discussion, or science about God. Although most of that discussion pertains to what God has personally revealed about himself in the Bible, a more general discussion could be made in respect to what he has created, first in creation and then in human beings. Psalm 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Genesis 1:26-17 tells us, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” and “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Religion differs from theology in the sense that while informed by theology, it is not so much a discussion about God proper. It is about man’s attitude toward God, for either good or bad, that leads him to act in a certain way toward God or his creation. Beeke opines, “Theology is narrower than religion or godliness, for theology is not the whole life of devotion, but specifically the engagement of the mind with truth as the foundation for the religious life.”((Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology, 4 vols. (Wheaton: Crossway [2019]): 1.41.)) That description might be a bit optimistic, since everyone has a theology and all human beings are religious, even though the vast majority of human beings subscribe to destructive theologies (see Matt. 7:13-14; Lk. 13:23-24).((Many have pointed out the nebulous nature of the word “religion” and the difficulty of being able to define it.” That being the case, some “Christians” have repelled the idea that Christianity itself “is not a religion, but a relationship,” which on the face of it makes absolutely no sense. Christianity is a religion in the sense of the piety involved on the part of Christians to live a life of devotion to Almighty God. To state otherwise is to mince words and add confusion to what it means to be religious or pious, rather than add clarity and what really sets Christianity apart from other religions.))

Doctrine stems from the Greek word didachē  or didaskalia, both of which involve the discipline of teaching. Doctrine differs from theology in the sense that it is more focused on teaching about individual subjects rather than the whole of theology.((ibid.)) “A doctrine is what the whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic,” Wayne Grudem emphasized in his Systematic Theology.((Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994: 25.)) Therefore, in a document such as the Bible, one is faced with a plethora of doctrines, some of which are major (e.g. God, Jesus, Sin, Salvation, the Church, etc.) and others which are minor (e.g. marriage, sex, tongues, civil government, etc.) that Christians are to subscribe to or obey. In both instances, doctrine provides a narrower understanding of basic theological truths taught in the Bible.

Church dogma provides the “Most narrow” guideline to Christian belief because of its creedal aspect. According to Beeke, “the term dogma is generally reserved for core biblical doctrines officially established in a church’s confessional statements as part of the church’s functional identity, such as the Apostle’s Creed.”((RST [2019]: 1:42.)) Berkhof wrote that dogma “was applied to the self-evident truths of science, to well-established and admittedly valid philosophical convictions, to government decrees, and to officially formulated religious tenets.”((Louis Berkhof, The History of Christian doctrines (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2002 reprint): 15; see also Berkhof’s Introduction to Systematic Theology, where he wrote, “While dogma might in the abstract be a mere private opinion, in common parlance it was generally regarded as an axiomatic or self-evident truth, an official ordinance, or a well found and formulated article of belief.” (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988): 18).)) In my opinion, there is very little distinction between doctrine and dogma, since both involve teaching essential Christian belief. Even Beeke’s attempt to drill-down even more on a specific belief deals with “biblical doctrines.” Although Beeke cites Bavinck stating, “religious or theological dogmas owe their authority solely to divine testimony,” and “Among Reformed theologians…’the principle into which all theological dogmas are distilled is: God has said it,”((Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 4 vols. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003): 1.29, 30)), is that not what doctrine is all about? Doctrines are the distillation of something that God has said?

In conclusion, we may state that theology is the outside lane to understanding God, while religion is the next lane in, as the Christian lives out what he discovers from the doctrines and dogmas the share the inside or narrower lanes that contribute to theological understanding.