Theologians

  • Thread starter Thread starter mgn2010
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mgn2010

Guest
When one receives a degree it is often necessary to participate in seminars to keep abreast of their fields study and maintain their credentials by participating in such events. Are there similar activities for one who is a theologian? How is it that some can become dissident…is it by lack of continuum in their field of study? It seems odd that you read about dissident theologians…don’t they risk losing their status by teaching contrary to church tenets?
 
I don’t think the purpose of being a theologian is to march in lock-step with Catholic doctrine, although there are some who do. I think a theologian studies the principles upon which our doctrines are based and then applies those principles to various issues or fields of study. So just like in the field of philosophy, where the philosopher has studied the basic deductive principles of philosophical thinking, you might have a philosophy professor who is a Marxist, or an atheist, or who doesn’t even believe we can be certain of our own existence. You may have a theologian who is more or less liberal or conservative. I think it’s a good thing because it fosters discussion and makes some people think outside the box. It can also strengthen the foundation of our belief system by making us thinking about why we believe what we believe.
 
Theology is an academic study, not just a spiritual endeavor. Therefore there are no “dissident” theologians, any more than there are dissident mathmaticians or dissident philosophers.

Even Catholic theology students study the works of theologians who do not hold Catholic beliefs.
 
Neofight said:
Theology is an academic study, not just a spiritual endeavor. Therefore there are no “dissident” theologians, any more than there are dissident mathmaticians or dissident philosophers.

Even Catholic theology students study the works of theologians who do not hold Catholic beliefs.
Click to expand...
This is partly true. The early Desert Fathers said “A theologian is one who prays.” A Catholic theologian without prayer is hardly a theologian at all.

But you are correct about the academic nature of theology. They propose ideas, debate them, try to prove or disprove them - this is what they do. Nicolaus Copernicus was a “dissident” in his time for proposing that the earth rotated around the sun. It was a radical idea in his time.

Von Balthasar posited the idea that Hell is empty. People freaked out but it is just an idea to be discussed and debated. It isn’t dogma.

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
This is partly true. The early Desert Fathers said “A theologian is one who prays.” A Catholic theologian without prayer is hardly a theologian at all.

But you are correct about the academic nature of theology. They propose ideas, debate them, try to prove or disprove them - this is what they do. Nicolaus Copernicus was a “dissident” in his time for proposing that the earth rotated around the sun. It was a radical idea in his time.
Click to expand...
But Copernicus was not a theologian. He was a mathematician and astronomer.
 
mgn2010 said:
When one receives a degree it is often necessary to participate in seminars to keep abreast of their fields study and maintain their credentials by participating in such events. Are there similar activities for one who is a theologian? How is it that some can become dissident…is it by lack of continuum in their field of study? It seems odd that you read about dissident theologians…don’t they risk losing their status by teaching contrary to church tenets?
Click to expand...
There is a distinction between a “theologian” and “Catholic Theologian”. Anyone can be a theologian. Hans Kung is a theologian, and he is a Catholic, but he is not a “Catholic Theologian”, even though a priest in good standing.

In other words, he meets the criteria for being a theologian. There are no exact standards, but he has academic credentials. He meets the criteria for being a Catholic; he was baptized, and not excommunicated. And he even meets the criteria for his diocese to be a priest in good standing. But he was stripped of his identity as a Catholic Theologian.

Sadly, some of his recent book covers misleadingly refer to him as a “priest in good standing” but that only means his sacramental faculties are valid and licit. That is only relevant to readers who are in commuting distance of him. His theology is unreliable, from a Catholic view. From a non Catholic view, his books sell. He still could teach theology. But he is unable to meet the standard as Catholic Theologian.
 
Interesting. So there is no mandatum (sp?) to be signed for theologians as there is with teachers at some Catholic universities! One can present their viewpoints on church teachings and its up to the faithful to know their faith well enough to determine nay or yay. But, I guess this has gone on for ages…wasn’t Tertullian and many others reprimanded for writing contrary to established teachings?
 
In the Catholic sense, a true theologian is one who is faithful to the Catholic Church and has an interior life that is open to the grace of God. A theologians job is first and foremost to communicate different teachings of the Catholic faith and expound upon them if need be while remaining faithful to the Church. There are usually different realms of theology that theologians focus on in order to effectively expound and clarify Church teaching such as moral theology or dogmatic theology. A theologian however does not have to be novel or attain some status as a trailblazer of “new” theology. Before a theologian can even begin to expound upon doctrine they must first be properly formed, which most of them today are not. Responsible theologians do not put forth ideas that contradict Church teaching. Such propositions are useless. Finally theologians are to inspire the faithful to live in the truth of Christ, if not in a direct way, then in an indirect way in their higher studies.
 
AsceticHermit:

In the Catholic sense, a true theologian is one who is faithful to the Catholic Church and has an interior life that is open to the grace of God.
Finally theologians are to inspire the faithful to live in the truth of Christ, if not in a direct way, then in an indirect way in their higher studies.

Your two sentences captured the essence of how I didn’t understand the “dissident” aspect of (Catholic) theologians. But, I see from others’ posts that theology is not confined to the straight path only…if that is explainable!
 
mgn2010 said:
AsceticHermit:

In the Catholic sense, a true theologian is one who is faithful to the Catholic Church and has an interior life that is open to the grace of God.
Finally theologians are to inspire the faithful to live in the truth of Christ, if not in a direct way, then in an indirect way in their higher studies.

Your two sentences captured the essence of how I didn’t understand the “dissident” aspect of (Catholic) theologians. But, I see from others’ posts that theology is not confined to the straight path only…if that is explainable!
Click to expand...
“Dissident” or the “straight path” may mean other things than what you think. Whenever Christianity is opposed by the secular establishment, as it is now, then a faithful Catholic or Protestant Theologian is dissenting from the establishment (the NY Times, the State Universities, etc). In the late 1960s Fr. Charles Curran used his Church position to promote the secularist moral ideology. He had a responsibility to dissent from secularism. He conformed to secularism instead. In his writings he took old ideas newly promoted from the secular playbook, added a few religious phrases, and called it “new” Christianity. There were many theologians who have, and continue, to dissent from secularism. You don’t hear much about them, because they are ignored by the media, their books are not found in Barnes and Noble, they don’t get called for quotes by Huffpost. But they serve Christians by their research and teaching.

There are many areas of Science that are not fully defined, where new and creative ideas are competing. But, in addition to the genuine creativity, charlatans use that open door to promote pseudoscience. Likewise, in theology, there are many areas not well defined, where faithful theologians may disagree among themselves, and in the sorting out sometimes shed new light. Read what Cardinal Newman wrote about theology, and development of doctrine.

Just as in Science there will be the quack who claims he discovered something “new”, a perpetual motion machine (here’s where you can send your check) there will always be a
theologian who pretends to discover something new and bold, but really old and rehashed, to promote book sales.
 
Everyone needs to keep in mind that prior to the eleventh century theology was monastic, based on the prayerful reading and elucidation of scripture. It’s goal was purity of heart.

It was only the introduction of Aristotlean philosophy into the west that scholastic theology took root and it was not universally accepted. Scholastic theology uses reason to answer questions and overcome contradictions. The goal of scholastic theology is to find the truth.

The resistance to scholastic theology was fierce in places and the two schools of theology still exist. There is an extremely strong bias today toward scholasticism. Pope Benedict XVI gave a brief but interesting Wednesday audience on the topic of Monastic and Scholastic Theology which is worth reading. ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/b16ChrstChrch94.htm

Another excellent short page is msaviour.org/2010/mon_sch.htm. This is really worth reading.

-Tim-
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top