"Ethics of Being a Theologian" Article in Chronicle of Higher Ed.

My good friend and colleague Danny Fisher over at his blog has mentioned an important article in the Chronicle of Higher Education delineating the relationship between the academic disciplines of of theology and religious studies. Danny quotes a significant part of the article that hones in on the important distinction:

The best theologians are scholars who have immersed themselves in many of the same academic disciplines favored by religion researchers. Like good religion research, good theology is generated by the application of sound reasoning to empirical evidence. But there is a crucial difference. The religion researcher evaluates that evidence from within a tradition of secular, academic "wisdom." The theologian evaluates the same evidence from within a tradition of sacred, esoteric "wisdom."

The import of this differentiation between the religion scholar and the theologian is that they are both employing the same methodology of using critical thinking to evaluate evidence that can be observed, discerned, and understood by the senses and the mind. However, their contexts are very disparate. The religion scholar is attempting to place her/his self within the traditions of the secular sciences, especially the "softer" sciences like history, sociology, anthropology, as well as the discipline of philosophy. Theologians draw from all of these secular disciplines, but are seeking answers from within a particular religious tradition, doing their work within and for the advancement of the tradition with which they are affiliated.

This distinction between theology and religious studies should not be glossed over and ought to be a more present aspect of public discourse. (Even though critical discussion of religious issues is largely absent from the public sphere in the U.S. I refer those interested to Stephen Prothero's book Religious Literacy).

I did find the article to be a bit overly critical of theologians and the purpose of theological endeavor. The author, K.L. Noll, tends to view theology as less sound and more wishy-washy than religious studies. Nonetheless, it's certainly an essay worth reading for it's insighful distinction between these two important areas of study.

Check out Danny's post.