Essay on Theological Method
I offer a brief reflection on theological method. [1] Like other disciplines of study, such as philosophy, psychology, and sociology, theology has an aspect of its area of study that is self-reflective. What is theology? How does one go about the task of theologizing? The danger is that a theologian could reflect upon method so obsessively that one never engages the major themes of theology in the way the method describes. I do not intend to do that. The following is my best judgment as to the method I have followed over the course of my pastor life in preaching and teaching. I offer this reflection while acknowledging that many cultures lived and thrived without that concept. In fact, no view of the divine is necessary to live a human life. One can thrive without the notion. Yet, every culture and every historical phase includes those who reflect upon the divine dimension of life. Such persons have a sense that matter is not a sufficient reference point for understanding reality.