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What Are They Saying About the Theological Method?
An overview of the most popular contemporary methods of doing theology, with a view of some of the best-known Christian philosophers of method.
- GenresTheology
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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December 22, 2021
I just finished "What are they saying about Theological Method?, by J.J. Mueller, S.J.
Quick book, weighing in at only 75 pp. But dont let page count make you think it can't be good. Helmut Thielicke's "A little Exercise for Young Theologians" is slim but great.
A method is nothing more than a tool. We need to have a method and understand other methods so we can see how they got to a theological concept (I am careful not to use "conclusion").
"Method then reflects upon reflecting," p 1.
While we may not know the names of theologians who discuss theological method (OK, some of us are geeks and do but that's beside the point) or their schools of thought we benefit from them if we read academic theology or just listen to sermons. One thing that hits me here is more people should know that other methodology exists and this is a reason why people don't see theology precisely the same. [Insert: room for humility with others] This room for humility is recent. Up to the end of the 19th century if you weren't beginning with Aquinas and the scholastics then you weren't doing theology. The first half of the 20th century revealed that even in Thomas himself there were different methods in play. By the 1970s everyone was writing a book on theological method. By today (1984...no serious, that's not a dystopia comment, that's the publish date, hence "today") there exists methodological pluralism.
"Truth exceeds one method's grasp," p 2.
Mueller will present four different methods and two theologians who use that method differently. He will ask them three questions:
1) What is the vision of theology you are concerned with?
2) What is a step by step presentation of how the method works?
3) What difference does its consequences make for our lives today?
I will try to answer these in the body though not point them out because this isn't an essay and that makes for boring reviews.
Transcendental method (Karl Rahner & Bernard Lonergan):
Theology begins in the God-human relationship and the transcendental method focuses on mankind's radical Openness to God.
"Transcendental refers to the capacity to go beyond ourselves ("trans")," p 5.
For Rahner we go beyond ourselves via knowledge and freedom. For Lonergan this happens via understanding and conversation. They both use Kant's technical definition of Transcendental: "The conditions for the possibility of...".
Existential method (John Macquarrie & Paul Tillich):
Existential speaks to how one experiences existence right now. Feelings play a large role in the existential method because they speak to how one lives authentic lives.
This method speaks to the panic that can occur in life. Leveraging this Macquarrie specifically works in existential to ontology categories. Tillich "seeks to bring together apparently contradictory and complicated relationships in his method of correlation," p22.
Both scholars speak to anxiety, alienation, fear, boredom and confusion.
Empirical method (David Tracy & Bernard E. Meland):
Do our experiences matter? Religious Experience is where the world and self interface. The empirical method emphasizes experiential investigation for theology.
"Experiences are my relationships to my environment of self, others and the world," p 36.
Mystery is included in one's experiences. Religious Experience is coming into a relationship with God as I grow in what life is. This is in need of constant interpretation is my responsibility in the relationship. Theology seeks to clarify the meaningfulness of this experience.
Neither Tracy or Meland are pure empiricism (only experience matters). Tracy uses Christian texts and Meland uses Christian legacy (tradition).
Both ask if experience has anything to say to theology.
"Life becomes an art rather than a syllogism," p 53. Context is irrelevant. That is tee-shirt worthy
The socio-phenomenological method (Edward Schillebeeckx & Jon Sobrino):
The socio-phenomenological method is so named be abuse it has its starting point in phenomenlogical and social analysis of society and the individual. The central question to this approach is "Can God be found in suffering?
"Salvation is not just a concept but a commitment to act and transform the unjust structures that dehumanize us," pp 58-59.
Some books are more like medicine: you read for your own good rather than enjoyment. This was one, though I find Rahner's transcendental method appealing. It would have been better if Mueller ended each section/theologian with an example like the nature of Christ as preformed bybthat scholar/method.
#JJMueller #JJMuellerSJ #WhatAreTheySayingAboutTheologicalMethod #TheologicalMethod #SystematicTheology #Theology #KarlRahner #Rahner #BernardLonergan #Lonergan #JohnMacquarrie #Macquarrie #PaulTillich #Tillich #DavidTracy #BernardMeland #Meland #EdwardSchillebeeckx #Schillebeeckx #JonSobrino #Sobrino #SocietyOfJesus #Jesuit #Jesuits
Quick book, weighing in at only 75 pp. But dont let page count make you think it can't be good. Helmut Thielicke's "A little Exercise for Young Theologians" is slim but great.
A method is nothing more than a tool. We need to have a method and understand other methods so we can see how they got to a theological concept (I am careful not to use "conclusion").
"Method then reflects upon reflecting," p 1.
While we may not know the names of theologians who discuss theological method (OK, some of us are geeks and do but that's beside the point) or their schools of thought we benefit from them if we read academic theology or just listen to sermons. One thing that hits me here is more people should know that other methodology exists and this is a reason why people don't see theology precisely the same. [Insert: room for humility with others] This room for humility is recent. Up to the end of the 19th century if you weren't beginning with Aquinas and the scholastics then you weren't doing theology. The first half of the 20th century revealed that even in Thomas himself there were different methods in play. By the 1970s everyone was writing a book on theological method. By today (1984...no serious, that's not a dystopia comment, that's the publish date, hence "today") there exists methodological pluralism.
"Truth exceeds one method's grasp," p 2.
Mueller will present four different methods and two theologians who use that method differently. He will ask them three questions:
1) What is the vision of theology you are concerned with?
2) What is a step by step presentation of how the method works?
3) What difference does its consequences make for our lives today?
I will try to answer these in the body though not point them out because this isn't an essay and that makes for boring reviews.
Transcendental method (Karl Rahner & Bernard Lonergan):
Theology begins in the God-human relationship and the transcendental method focuses on mankind's radical Openness to God.
"Transcendental refers to the capacity to go beyond ourselves ("trans")," p 5.
For Rahner we go beyond ourselves via knowledge and freedom. For Lonergan this happens via understanding and conversation. They both use Kant's technical definition of Transcendental: "The conditions for the possibility of...".
Existential method (John Macquarrie & Paul Tillich):
Existential speaks to how one experiences existence right now. Feelings play a large role in the existential method because they speak to how one lives authentic lives.
This method speaks to the panic that can occur in life. Leveraging this Macquarrie specifically works in existential to ontology categories. Tillich "seeks to bring together apparently contradictory and complicated relationships in his method of correlation," p22.
Both scholars speak to anxiety, alienation, fear, boredom and confusion.
Empirical method (David Tracy & Bernard E. Meland):
Do our experiences matter? Religious Experience is where the world and self interface. The empirical method emphasizes experiential investigation for theology.
"Experiences are my relationships to my environment of self, others and the world," p 36.
Mystery is included in one's experiences. Religious Experience is coming into a relationship with God as I grow in what life is. This is in need of constant interpretation is my responsibility in the relationship. Theology seeks to clarify the meaningfulness of this experience.
Neither Tracy or Meland are pure empiricism (only experience matters). Tracy uses Christian texts and Meland uses Christian legacy (tradition).
Both ask if experience has anything to say to theology.
"Life becomes an art rather than a syllogism," p 53. Context is irrelevant. That is tee-shirt worthy
The socio-phenomenological method (Edward Schillebeeckx & Jon Sobrino):
The socio-phenomenological method is so named be abuse it has its starting point in phenomenlogical and social analysis of society and the individual. The central question to this approach is "Can God be found in suffering?
"Salvation is not just a concept but a commitment to act and transform the unjust structures that dehumanize us," pp 58-59.
Some books are more like medicine: you read for your own good rather than enjoyment. This was one, though I find Rahner's transcendental method appealing. It would have been better if Mueller ended each section/theologian with an example like the nature of Christ as preformed bybthat scholar/method.
#JJMueller #JJMuellerSJ #WhatAreTheySayingAboutTheologicalMethod #TheologicalMethod #SystematicTheology #Theology #KarlRahner #Rahner #BernardLonergan #Lonergan #JohnMacquarrie #Macquarrie #PaulTillich #Tillich #DavidTracy #BernardMeland #Meland #EdwardSchillebeeckx #Schillebeeckx #JonSobrino #Sobrino #SocietyOfJesus #Jesuit #Jesuits
January 25, 2021
Loved this book! Mueller exhibits the ability to elucidate Rahner and the other big theologians clearly and concisely. A great introduction into the material! I recommend for all students of theology.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews