(Un)wise Theologians: Systematic Theology in the University
Systematic theology is primarily pursued within the university, but the effects of that setting have not yet been given the theological attention that they need. Some theologians who have sought to consider theology's marginalization in the university argue that theology ought to reclaim its st...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2020]
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| In: |
International journal of systematic theology
Year: 2020, Volume: 22, Issue: 4, Pages: 494-511 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CF Christianity and Science FB Theological education NAA Systematic theology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Systematic theology is primarily pursued within the university, but the effects of that setting have not yet been given the theological attention that they need. Some theologians who have sought to consider theology's marginalization in the university argue that theology ought to reclaim its status as queen of the sciences, or should order the relations of other disciplines to each other and to itself. Using 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, this article argues that these moves transform academic theology into a discourse of wisdom rather than foolishness. Humility, unmastery and foolishness in relation to God become ways of claiming authority in relation to the neighbor. Further, such claims fail to recognize, and thus to counter, the nature and depth of the distortive effects of theology's presence inside university contexts structured by discourses, and to an extent practices, of scarcity. In conversation with Martin Luther and Karl Barth, I outline an alternative, non-defensive theology that admits its own foolishness: its participation in history's incompletions, its need for eschatological verification, and its vulnerability to the desire for mastery. Such a theology could struggle more effectively with its own failures. |
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| ISSN: | 1468-2400 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal of systematic theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/ijst.12361 |