When Theology Becomes a Shield to Finding God’s Delight - Dr. Lisa Harper

Main message: The speaker says she moved from trying to master theological ideas and “be good” to a more humble posture of simply asking God to speak, because her earlier pursuit of knowledge was driven by shame and fear of being exposed as a fraud.

Key points:

• She no longer wants to gather lots of human opinions; she wants God to speak through his word and wisdom.
• Her earlier deep dive into systematic theology was shaped by insecurity, not just curiosity.
• Shame from her past—including molestation and divorce—made her feel unworthy of God’s delight.
• She tried to protect herself by becoming knowledgeable and using theological language to keep people at a distance.
• That approach led her to “study [herself] right out of wonder.”

Scriptures mentioned: none