Theology and "real life"

Theology has been on my mind as of late, with a few conversations that have brought the subject up. One conversation in particular spoke as if what is happenening in theology or more generally "academia" is not what is happening in the local congregation, or more appropriately in "real life."

I disagree. I believe what I am going through in seminary is real and it is concerned with what is happening outside of the walls of the classroom. If we are exploring and wading through the assumptions that most people are affected by and which the people may live whole lives without ever becoming critical or thinking about such assumptions does not constitute my study as being not about life.

Let us take an aspect of the theology of sexuality and what I have heard titled as "Evangelical Egalitarianism." The assumption behind the egalitarian position was the liberal, western, democratic politic (not republican vs democrat vs third party politics but the idea that politics is about how we gather as a people. This way of politics makes republicans and democratic parties two side of the same coin, hence 6 to one, half a dozen to another!). The problem with the assumption is that not many people talk about this assumption, even with some people saying that they have gotten past the assumption. I do not think that not talking about the asssumption means that one has transcended the assumption. I do not talk about St. Augustine's theology and way of thinking but I know it affects me and is still a part of my assumptions. Anyways, Academia explores the deep thoughts that a regular "worker" may not ever go through, yet we do because we are trying to create a change, a difference in life. Difference does not come through simply not talking about something or trying not to do one thing the same way as before, but real change comes from altering and exposing the deep roots of our thought "scripts" or patterns or ways or how ever you want to entitle them.