Document Type

Working Paper

Abstract

This essay discusses two major themes, "Faith, Theology, and Guiding Principles for Theological Reflection" and "Christian Gospel and the Public Sphere".

The introduction begins as follows, "The term ‘faith’ is notoriously slippery. Theologians as well as Christians who do not have any formal theological education use the term ‘faith’ sometimes in competing ways. For example, some use ‘faith’ as a shield for protecting themselves from people who ask questions about God’s existence and actions in the world. For such people, faith opposes reason. They see ‘faith’ as “an antithesis of reason” and also construe “reason as an intellectual virus that destroys the knowledge of God gained through faith in God’s self–revelation.”1 Others such as Augustine of Hippo, Anselm of Canterbury, and Karl Barth, however, have construed ‘faith’ as an act that inspires Christians to seek a deeper understanding of God.2 For many of these theologians, ‘faith’ launches Christians into a rigorous inquiry about the mystery of God. ‘Faith’ does not “obstruct or hinder theological inquiry. Faith welcomes theological tensions and paradoxes.”

Publication Date

2020

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