retreats at holy cross

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A Review of the Retreat with Dr. Peter Bouteneff held on Saturday, November 9, 2024

 “Theology: What it is and Why it Matters”
 

by Scott Sorrentino

Perhaps the most striking thing about last Saturday’s Retreat was that there were fifty or so people, mostly laypersons, who would respond to an invitation on the most beautiful of fall weekends to an all-day contemplation on “What is Theology?” of all questions.

But we did gather, and the morning in the downstairs social hall was marked by the gentle and profound probing by our guest speaker Dr Peter Bouteneff, whom Father John introduced as a St Vladimir’s Seminary professor, jazz musician, author and podcaster.

From the start, Peter sought to re-frame theology, not as an intellectual pursuit, but rather as a personal and communal practice. How do we know God? Both regulars of Holy Cross and other guests were eager to offer their own thoughts and experiences affirming and exploring this compelling vision. Peter brought the morning to a conclusion with a consideration of prayer, which he offered as a clear example of a theological practice, both individual and corporate in nature, that when engaged with over time, would certainly result in real knowledge of God as God is.

After a simple and delicious lunch prepared by members of the church, the retreat continued with less discussion and more formal teaching. Peter led us to see how each area of our personal lives and the corporate life of the church is an opportunity to know and love God further, and how all this centers on Christ. In the person and work of Christ, we can see a clear practice of knowing God and making God known to others. Peter drew a strong contrast between theology as a cold, intellectual study and the colorful life of the living and breathing Church.  In a particularly moving example, Peter asked us to consider the great weightiness and loftiness of the ideas in the prayers we use many times each day -– calling the Holy Spirit “the Giver of Life” and the great vastness of imagining such a Giver “abiding in us.” Line by line, Peter prayed with us slowly and gently indicating the theological truth embedded in each.  

Having asked us to think of theology as more of something that Christians do, rather than as something we think about or study, Peter concluded his presentation by asking us to imagine theology as something that we are. That is, the understanding of God that we inherit through the Church, and which we obtain not only through study but rather more forcefully and completely through our gathering together for prayer and individual spiritual disciplines like fasting and almsgiving; these over time form our personal character and the icon or image of the Church.  This was summed up beautifully by Peter in a slide that quotes Abbot Vasileos (20th c.).

How beautiful it is for a person to become theology!
Then whatever he does, and above all what he does spontaneously...,
bears witness and speaks
that the Son and Word of God was incarnate,
that He was made human.
Whatever he does speaks silently
about the ineffable mysteries which have been revealed.