N. T. Wright is a smart and knowledgeable man. I finally started reading the first volume of his magnum opus The New Testament and the People of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.). I have many thoughts so far, but one quote has really caught my eye. On page 78 he says, “…like so many theological terms, words like ‘monotheism’ are late constructs, convenient shorthands for sentences with verbs in them, and that sentences with verbs in them are the real stuff of theology, not mere childish expressions of a ‘purer’ abstract truth.”

I mean, I get what he is driving at, and I largely agree with him. For many long centuries, Christian theology has had a bias towards philosophical propositional statements. I would agree that God has largely revealed himself by actions in the storyline of history as expounded by and paired with the words of Scripture.

However, there is a lot of theology in the Bible in the form of “God is” statements. The Bible tells us that the Lord is faithful. He is good and kind. And yes, these statements imply that God is the type of God who does certain types things, but that still does not contradict the fact that there are a lot of theological propositions in the Bible.

In fact, in the languages of the Bible many of these propositions can be made without a verb at all. The “to be” verb is implied. After all, when you think about it, the “to be” verb is often not really a verb at all. It merely serves the grammatical function of linking a noun with a descriptor. So the Bible can say something like “God faithful.” It is a complete sentence without a verb.

There are some examples that get really ironic when considering the quote from Wright. Wright offers “monotheism” as an example of a shorthand for a sentence with a verb in it. However, the two most well-known statements of monotheism in the Bible do not have verbs in them.

Deuteronomy 6:4: “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” This could be more literally translated as “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD one.” The monotheistic statement is lacking a verb.

1 Corinthians 8:6: “…yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.” This could be literally translated as “…yet for us one God, the Father. All things from him, and we for him. And one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things through him, and we through him.”

Not only are these great examples of more propositional theology, not only are these definitive statements of monotheism, but these statements do not contain verbs.

I have a feeling that Wright’s own thoughts on the matter are more balanced than he lets on. Perhaps he let his rhetoric get away from him. It is a warning to all of us not to overstate our case in pursuit of a nice turn of phrase.