There is a vast difference between theory and practice. These days if you want to drive in the UK, you have to pass both a theory test (demonstrating that you understand the Highway Code and the theory of driving and hazard perception) and a practical test (demonstrating that you can actually drive a car safely.) It makes sense to emphasise that both are necessary and important in driving.
Similarly, the Christian life has much to teach us which is often viewed as ‘theoretical knowledge’: theology and doctrine are often viewed in this light. But this is never intended to be merely theory; rather, it is intended to shape how we live our daily lives in very practical ways. Eugene Peterson says of church life ‘it is never an abstraction, never anonymous, never a problem to be fixed, never a romantic ideal to be fantasised.’ (‘Practise Resurrection’, P 170) All the doctrines we learn about the nature of God and man, about Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, about the defeat of the devil are not meant to be merely interesting debates; they are meant to shape our understanding of life and inform how we actually ‘do life.’ ‘There is more to the church than sermons and sacraments, theology and liturgy, Bible studies and prayer meetings, committee minutes and mission statements. There are names, meals, small talk, births, deaths. There is us.’ (ibid. P 170-1)
Jesus was clear that the wise person is the one who not only hears His words but puts them into practice. (see Matt 7:24-27). James was similarly blunt: ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.’ (James 1:22) The challenge before each one of us is to marry theory to practice and to live out what we believe, in simple faith and trust.