Theology Definition in How to Think Theologically, Term Paper

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Theology Definition

In How to Think Theologically, Howard Stone and James Duke argue that theology works with a distinct template and epistemology or theory of knowledge, as do history, sociology and physics. Each theologian will have a distinctive template, but they all rely on Scripture, tradition, reason and experience to a greater of lesser extent (Stone and Duke 43). Martin Luther stated that his theology was based on Scripture and faith experience, for example, but he also accepted the traditions of the Catholic Church councils that defined the Trinity and the nature of Christ. Indeed, tradition has played "almost as prominent a role in Protestantism as in Roman Catholicism," and all churches have developed their own distinctive traditions of poetry, art, hymns and prayers over the centuries (Stone and Duke 49). Even non-Christian traditions can be an important point of comparison, such as the description of God offered in the Bible and the Qur'an, which are quite similar and indicate that Muhammad was familiar with the Christian and Jewish Scriptures and theology. Although few Christians may be aware of this or willing to admit the fact, in reality Islam describes the nature of God in almost identical terms to the other monotheistic religions, although naturally it does not accept the divinity of Christ.

Not all Christian traditions value reason equally, and some like Pentecostal and evangelical Protestantism put more emphasis on personal faith experience and the literal truth of the Bible than systematic theology. This was most certainly not the case with early Protestant Reformers like Luther or John Calvin, who were highly learned scholars and academics and took an active part in the major political and intellectual debates of their time. Although theology is not really one of the hard or exact sciences like chemistry, and cannot produce exact, mathematical results, reason is important for identifying the meaning of the Christian message in the contemporary world (Stone and Duke 51). Catholic theologians like Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas argued that Christianity should be rational, and that reason and logic could provide evidence for the existence of God. Aquinas offered as proof the fact that the physical universe had a certain order and design (teleology) that indicated the existence of a Designer, who was also the First Cause and Prime Mover, while Anselm's ontological proof held that God was the most perfect being conceivable, and that existence must necessarily be an aspect of that perfection.

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Aquinas also defined theology as "the science of God" and claimed that "every topic of theology has to do with God, either because it is God himself, or because it is related to God as the origin and goal of all things" (Summa Theologiae I.1.7). Anselm described theology as having the rational goal of applying human understanding to faith, for while "we first believe in the mysteries of Christian faith before daring to examine them rationally, so likewise it seems to me that, once we have been confirmed in faith, we would be neglectful if we did not then attempt to understand what we believe" (Viladesau and Mark Massa 68).

Both the Bible and the Qur'an describe God's identity and divine truth, as well as expressions of faith identity central to both religions. They agree that God is the omnipotent and omniscient Creator who made the universe in six days, including the sun, the moon, the stars and all the plants and animals on earth. In Genesis 1 and Sura 2, God creates the universe out of nothingness (ex nihilo) and as the Qur'an puts it "He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when he decrees something, He says only, 'Be', and it is" (Sura 1: 117). In this description of God as an all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe, the Bible and the Qur'an are in complete agreement. God created the first human beings, but they committed the….....

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