Professor Terry Martin
Saint Mary's
College
Religious Studies 406
"Ways of Doing Theology"
All Christians are called upon to give an account of their faith. Theology is one public expression of that "account of Christian faith." Every generation of
believers hopes that the theologies which influence and shape their lives will be appropriate to the classics of the Christian tradition and credible to the age
in which they speak and live. Doing theology, therefore, demands that we develop and use methods that clarify theological insights, make theology more adequate
to contemporary problems, and bring forward the religious tradition in living and life-giving ways. Our goal in this course will be a practical examination of
various theological approaches. As "a Christian community of intellectual inquiry," we will explore together questions such as: how is theology done? by whom?
for whom? how is theology for the Church? is Catholic theology unique? how do theologians use the Bible? what does it mean to be faithful to tradition? what
makes adequate theologies? how can we do the job of theology better? While geared toward Religious Studies majors, the course can serve any student with solid
general education background and interest. A seminar, this course requires active class participation, collaboration, discussion, three short papers, and a final
paper. Satisfies Theory requirement.