i8 7 o] A THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 161 



simplicity. So far, our theology is always presented ready- 

 made for our acceptance, not constructed by ourselves 

 at first hand. Even Scripture contains not only normal 

 Christian experience, but in some measure developed 

 theology. But all this only simplifies, does not dispense 

 with, the necessity of re-thinking a theology which is 

 actually to become part of our personality. The thing 

 has still to be thought out by every man for himself, 

 though not thought out without guidance from those 

 who have gone before. 



The mutual support and assistance which men can 

 thus render one another in thinking out their Christianity 

 into an intelligible form is just one case of the general 

 doctrine of the Church as an organism in which no part 

 can be developed save in and through the development of 

 the whole. And thus we pass from the theology of the 

 individual to the theology of the Church. The theology 

 of the individual is always a one-sided imperfect develop 

 ment of that common faith which binds the whole Church 

 to Christ. But all these imperfect developments supple 

 ment each other. And because the individual is united 

 not only to Christ but to his fellow-believers, every growth 

 of one member reacts on the others and makes it easier 

 for them to grow in that direction. And thus in each 

 age arises a unity in the theology of the whole Church 

 a theology which is not strictly the explanation of any 

 one-sided individual development, but which is the ex 

 planation of the faith of the Church as one whole. And 

 as this theology of the Church is a part of the life of the 

 Church it reacts on all other departments of life, so that 

 the next generation of the Church grows easily and 

 naturally into the ideas which the fathers elaborated with 

 much toil. Thus room is given for a further develop 

 ment of theology according to the new experiences of the 

 new generation, so that wherever the Church is really 

 strong in faith and living union with its Head, theology 

 advances to an ever fuller and fuller comprehension of 



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