Theology in general seems to me a substitution of human

Julia Ward Howe, prophetess of justice and author of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” declared with boldness: “Theology in general seems to me a substitution of human ingenuity for divine wisdom.” In these words, she lifts the veil from the pretensions of men who, in seeking to define the Infinite, too often shrink it into the narrow vessels of their own thought. What she calls theology is the endless weaving of arguments, doctrines, and systems; what she calls divine wisdom is the living spirit of God, vast and uncontainable, flowing through creation and the conscience of humanity.

The meaning is piercing. Howe reminds us that while faith springs from the eternal, human ingenuity seeks to bind it with rules, dogmas, and disputes. This is not wisdom, but presumption—the attempt to capture lightning in a jar. True divine wisdom cannot be caged by scholastic arguments or sectarian quarrels; it is glimpsed in love, in justice, in the humble act of the soul reaching toward what is greater than itself. Where theology divides, wisdom unites; where theology argues, wisdom breathes peace.

History gives us many witnesses to this truth. Consider the life of Galileo Galilei, who beheld the wonders of the heavens with awe. Yet the theologians of his day condemned him, for their human systems could not contain the vastness of the stars. Their theology clashed with truth itself, proving Howe’s warning: when the human mind exalts its own ingenuity over the reality of divine order, it strays from the light into blindness. Galileo’s suffering was not against God, but against men who mistook their formulas for God’s eternal wisdom.

This teaching is also a call to humility. It tells us that human words are fragile, that the wisest creeds may yet miss the heart of the divine. Better to stand in reverent silence before the mystery than to fill the air with endless disputes. For divine wisdom is not found in the pride of intellect, but in the quiet surrender of the soul that listens, that loves, that acts in justice and mercy.

Therefore, let the seeker beware of mistaking the cleverness of man for the truth of God. Study may sharpen the mind, but without humility it blinds the heart. As Howe proclaims, theology too often substitutes the ingenuity of man for the wisdom of the divine. Let us instead pursue the living flame of truth, which shines not in disputes of doctrine but in the harmony of justice, love, and reverence. For to walk in this light is to walk not by the inventions of man, but by the eternal wisdom that guides the stars and the human soul alike.