What is Faith? What is Theology?
June 26, 2008 by jacthanni
Theology is thoughtful faith. Faith and theology are inseparable. Theology is an inquiry into faith. The classical definition of theology is “faith seeking understanding”(St. Anselm: fides quaerns intellectum). Augustine also points to the integral relation of faith and theology, when he said: “I believe in order that I may understand.” Do you understand what you read? is a classical raised by an early evangelist to a pagan seeker (Acts 8:26ff). Prophet Isaiah laments over people who do not understand, who do not care to understand. Gospel writers say that Jesus also endorsed the prophet’s concern (Mark 4:12ff). The Deuteronomic Creed, Shema, exhorts people: Love your God with your whole heart, mind and spirit (Deut: 4:6). Understanding is the capacity of mind to comprehend. Theology is understanding what is believed. Without theology faith turns out to be fideism, an ideology without the possibility of correcting it. As Edward Schillebeeckx noted, Christian faith “causes us to think.” Faith keeps on seeking and asking, thus moves out of ideological blindness to responsible freedom. Human life ceases to be human when we no longer have the courage to ask questions that are necessary “to keep human life human” (Paul Lehmann in Ethics in a Christian Context). Without faith theology loses its cutting edge, its focus, its subject. The starting point of faith is not Cartesian self-consciousness (Des Cartes,” Cogito ergo sum,” I think, therefore, I am) but the awareness of the reality of God ( “God is, therefore, we are,” Daniel Migliore, 5). For Karl Barth: “Theology means taking rational trouble over the mystery…. If we are unwilling to take the trouble neither shall we know what we mean when we say that we are dealing with the mystery of God: (Church Dogmatics , 1/1:483, Cited by Migliore, p.8). Miglior’s Faith seeking Understang has been of great help for this writeup.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
What is Theology? (summarised and edited)
This is the html version of the file http://www.stfran.qld.edu.au/get_file.php?ID=89.G o o g l e automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web.
To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:UzmFqL-7PjoJ:www.stfran.qld.edu.au/get_file.php%3FID%3D89+what+is+theology&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=19&gl=in&client=firefox-a
(summarised and edited from Brisbane College of Theology site)
What is Theology?
In its most basic form, theology is talk about God. More specifically, theology is the ordered study of God and God's relationship to the world.
Theology challenges us to explore vital questions in life. Why are we here?
What do we live for? How can we talk about our experience of God? How do we understand Jesus? The word ‘theology’ comes from the Greek words theos, meaning ‘God’ and logos meaning ‘word.’ Theology is simply ‘God-talk.’ When we talk about God we are in some sense engaged in theology. Christian theology can be thought of as a conversation. We are seeking to reflect on how our own story is enmeshed within the story of God. The study of theology is also a discipline. It seeks to be thoughtful, informed, consistent but imaginative.
Listed below are a number of definitions of what ‘doing’ theology entails. As you read through them jot down a few points about what they suggest is the function of theology.
“Theology is faith seeking understanding”. (St Anselm)
“Theology may be defined as the study which, through participation in and reflection upon religious faith, seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available”.
John Macquarrie, Principles of Christian Theology, rev.ed. London: SCM Press, 1986; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985, 1
The study of theology can take us deeper into life. It can inspire our faith and
challenge us to engage in enquiry with an open mind. Theology is a study of God
and God's relation to the world, but it does not end there.
Every Christian is a theologian when they explain their beliefs in what they
think, do, and say! Theology is a way of interpreting our search for meaning.
The study of theology involves Biblical
studies, systematic and moral theology, church history, ministry and mission.
Other disciplines such as philosophy, the human sciences and language, or
psychology, form part of the conversation that is the study of theology.
Everyone shares theology and each experience is as unique as the
individual.
To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:UzmFqL-7PjoJ:www.stfran.qld.edu.au/get_file.php%3FID%3D89+what+is+theology&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=19&gl=in&client=firefox-a
(summarised and edited from Brisbane College of Theology site)
What is Theology?
In its most basic form, theology is talk about God. More specifically, theology is the ordered study of God and God's relationship to the world.
Theology challenges us to explore vital questions in life. Why are we here?
What do we live for? How can we talk about our experience of God? How do we understand Jesus? The word ‘theology’ comes from the Greek words theos, meaning ‘God’ and logos meaning ‘word.’ Theology is simply ‘God-talk.’ When we talk about God we are in some sense engaged in theology. Christian theology can be thought of as a conversation. We are seeking to reflect on how our own story is enmeshed within the story of God. The study of theology is also a discipline. It seeks to be thoughtful, informed, consistent but imaginative.
Listed below are a number of definitions of what ‘doing’ theology entails. As you read through them jot down a few points about what they suggest is the function of theology.
“Theology is faith seeking understanding”. (St Anselm)
“Theology may be defined as the study which, through participation in and reflection upon religious faith, seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available”.
John Macquarrie, Principles of Christian Theology, rev.ed. London: SCM Press, 1986; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985, 1
The study of theology can take us deeper into life. It can inspire our faith and
challenge us to engage in enquiry with an open mind. Theology is a study of God
and God's relation to the world, but it does not end there.
Every Christian is a theologian when they explain their beliefs in what they
think, do, and say! Theology is a way of interpreting our search for meaning.
The study of theology involves Biblical
studies, systematic and moral theology, church history, ministry and mission.
Other disciplines such as philosophy, the human sciences and language, or
psychology, form part of the conversation that is the study of theology.
Everyone shares theology and each experience is as unique as the
individual.
Defining Theology ( summarised from various sources and edited)
What is Theology?
A.H. Strong described it as "The science of God and of the relations between God and the universe." Charles Hodge wrote that it is "The science of the facts of divine revelation so far as those facts concern the nature of God and our relation to Him, as His creatures, as sinners, and as the subjects of redemption."
2 Timothy 3:15 records:
The Nature of Theology
One could say that our concept of theology began with the Greeks, even though it gained its content and method with Christianity. The themes of the discipline are God, humanity, salvation, and the study of last things, among other topics. According to Helmut Thielicke:
The Greek philosopher Plato (c. 428-348/347 BC), with whom the concept emerges for the first time, associated with the term theology a polemical intention - as did his pupil Aristotle. For Plato theology described the mythical, which he allowed may have a temporary pedagogical significance that is beneficial to the state but is to be cleansed from all offensive and abstruse elements with the help of political legislation. This identification of theology and mythology also remained customary in the later Greek thought. In distinction to philosophers, "theologians" (as, for example, the poets of myth - e.g., the 8th-century-BC Greeks Hesiod and Homer - or the cultic servants of the oracle at Delphi [Greece] and the rhetors of the Roman cult of emperor worship) testified to and proclaimed that which they viewed as divine. Theology thus became significant as the means of proclaiming the gods, of confessing to them, and of teaching and "preaching" this confession. In this practice of "theology" by the Greeks lies the prefiguration of what later would be known as theology in the history of Christianity. In spite of all the contradictions and nuances that were to emerge in the understanding of this concept in various Christian confessions and schools of thought, a formal criterion remains constant: theology is the attempt of adherents of a faith to represent their statements of belief consistently, to explicate them out of the basis (or fundamentals) of their faith, and to assign to such statements their specific place within the context of all other worldly relations (e.g., nature and history) and spiritual processes (e.g., reason and logic).
The Objective of Theology
There may be as many objectives to theology as there are theologians. Some have as their goal, perhaps, simply the accumulation of facts about God, without any concrete goal beyond that. Others may study God for the purpose of making a point. Too often, theology falls to the lowest ebb, of people seeking to prove something, rather than people seeking to discover or understand something. Theology should function as a science, and like any other science, it should have as its sole goal the attainment of truth.
Importance of Theology
It is a truism that everyone has a theology, even those millions who deny there is any need for it. Everyone who reads the Bible or even thinks about God has contrived a theology of some sort. So there is a question that everyone must face: "Is my theology a good one?" By good, it is meant, accurate, biblical, coherent, and consistent? This is not a subjective question; there are objective criteria to think about.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that those who worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
The prophet Hosea wrote:
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. (Hosea 4:6)
Classification of Theology
1. Natural Theology
Natural theology is restricted to the facts concerning God which are revealed in the universe around us. Thomas Aquinas, in a systematic fashion, outlined his belief that the existence of God may be proven from reason alone. Modern theologians such as Karl Barth, reflecting Immanuel Kant and David Hume, argued that there was essentially no validity to a natural theology, while Process theologians such as John B. Cobb, Jr., Schubert Ogden and David Griffen have argued the exact opposit.
2. Biblical Theology
Biblical theology is restricted to the biblical revelation of God. Its sole source is the Bible, independent of any philosophical system (ideally). In reality, any approach to theology must inevitably carry certain philosophical presuppositions and perspectives.
3. Dogmatic Theology
Dogmatic theology refers to those elements of theological truth which are absolutely certain. It will avoid controversial fields of study and will concentrate on those points about which the church throughout history has held to unswervingly, such the virgin birth, the resurrection, the Trinity, and the like.
4. Revealed Theology
Theology proper concerns itself with the study of the person of God, apart from his works. It deals with the existence of God, the ability of people to know God, his various attributes, and the nature of the Trinity. In other words, Theology Proper is concerned with understanding and knowing God.
5. Systematic Theology
6. Contextual theologies
The five kinds of theology are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and in fact, this essay will make use of all five sorts.
A.H. Strong described it as "The science of God and of the relations between God and the universe." Charles Hodge wrote that it is "The science of the facts of divine revelation so far as those facts concern the nature of God and our relation to Him, as His creatures, as sinners, and as the subjects of redemption."
2 Timothy 3:15 records:
The Nature of Theology
One could say that our concept of theology began with the Greeks, even though it gained its content and method with Christianity. The themes of the discipline are God, humanity, salvation, and the study of last things, among other topics. According to Helmut Thielicke:
The Greek philosopher Plato (c. 428-348/347 BC), with whom the concept emerges for the first time, associated with the term theology a polemical intention - as did his pupil Aristotle. For Plato theology described the mythical, which he allowed may have a temporary pedagogical significance that is beneficial to the state but is to be cleansed from all offensive and abstruse elements with the help of political legislation. This identification of theology and mythology also remained customary in the later Greek thought. In distinction to philosophers, "theologians" (as, for example, the poets of myth - e.g., the 8th-century-BC Greeks Hesiod and Homer - or the cultic servants of the oracle at Delphi [Greece] and the rhetors of the Roman cult of emperor worship) testified to and proclaimed that which they viewed as divine. Theology thus became significant as the means of proclaiming the gods, of confessing to them, and of teaching and "preaching" this confession. In this practice of "theology" by the Greeks lies the prefiguration of what later would be known as theology in the history of Christianity. In spite of all the contradictions and nuances that were to emerge in the understanding of this concept in various Christian confessions and schools of thought, a formal criterion remains constant: theology is the attempt of adherents of a faith to represent their statements of belief consistently, to explicate them out of the basis (or fundamentals) of their faith, and to assign to such statements their specific place within the context of all other worldly relations (e.g., nature and history) and spiritual processes (e.g., reason and logic).
The Objective of Theology
There may be as many objectives to theology as there are theologians. Some have as their goal, perhaps, simply the accumulation of facts about God, without any concrete goal beyond that. Others may study God for the purpose of making a point. Too often, theology falls to the lowest ebb, of people seeking to prove something, rather than people seeking to discover or understand something. Theology should function as a science, and like any other science, it should have as its sole goal the attainment of truth.
Importance of Theology
It is a truism that everyone has a theology, even those millions who deny there is any need for it. Everyone who reads the Bible or even thinks about God has contrived a theology of some sort. So there is a question that everyone must face: "Is my theology a good one?" By good, it is meant, accurate, biblical, coherent, and consistent? This is not a subjective question; there are objective criteria to think about.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that those who worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
The prophet Hosea wrote:
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. (Hosea 4:6)
Classification of Theology
1. Natural Theology
Natural theology is restricted to the facts concerning God which are revealed in the universe around us. Thomas Aquinas, in a systematic fashion, outlined his belief that the existence of God may be proven from reason alone. Modern theologians such as Karl Barth, reflecting Immanuel Kant and David Hume, argued that there was essentially no validity to a natural theology, while Process theologians such as John B. Cobb, Jr., Schubert Ogden and David Griffen have argued the exact opposit.
2. Biblical Theology
Biblical theology is restricted to the biblical revelation of God. Its sole source is the Bible, independent of any philosophical system (ideally). In reality, any approach to theology must inevitably carry certain philosophical presuppositions and perspectives.
3. Dogmatic Theology
Dogmatic theology refers to those elements of theological truth which are absolutely certain. It will avoid controversial fields of study and will concentrate on those points about which the church throughout history has held to unswervingly, such the virgin birth, the resurrection, the Trinity, and the like.
4. Revealed Theology
Theology proper concerns itself with the study of the person of God, apart from his works. It deals with the existence of God, the ability of people to know God, his various attributes, and the nature of the Trinity. In other words, Theology Proper is concerned with understanding and knowing God.
5. Systematic Theology
6. Contextual theologies
The five kinds of theology are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and in fact, this essay will make use of all five sorts.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Introduction to Christian Faith
Christian Faith as we have it today is the outcome of thousands of years the faith experience of many faith communities. The faith of Abraham, which is at the root of at least three major religions, was the result of his direct experience of God, his friend, is not an isolated experience. there were other friends of God even before Abraham even in biblical tradition like Enoch (Gen %:22) who walked with God, and Noah, the righteous, and later Moses. Abraham considered Melchizedek, the King of Salem, as his priest and paid tithes to him. Certainly Abraham subscribed to the Melchizedek's faith which was the religion of Canaanite territory of Salem. He was also a friend of the Hittites, whom he associated with in his war to liberate Lot and his family who were imprisoned by the combined army of seven local kings. Thesed different faith traditions saw their entry into the Old Testament text as is revelaed by the major document that contribute d to the formation of of, namely JEDP representing diferent names of God and traditions.Faith of Moses was alos influenced by his father in law Jethro, the priest of Midian, where Moses first met God and got his commission to liberate the Israelites. Even Jacob went back to Mesopotamia for his wives and certainly influenced by them. The revelation of Jahweh was the criterio0n of accept or reject other traditions. and the y use d it creatively
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