Question about Theology

Is theology ever a non-denominational academic subject? Is there a difference between "Religious Studies" and "Theology" as academic disciplines?

 

I always liked Levicoff's concise statement on the subject.

"Religious Studies is what people believe. Theology is what we believe."

Or something to that effect.

If you earn a degree in Religious Studies it may well come from a secular institution. You could focus on one religion or all of the religions and you're studying the religions and what they believe without making assumption or judgment as to the truth value of those beliefs. When it comes to Theology you're operating off of the assumption that some core tenets of that believe system are true. For example, if you earn an M.A. in Theology from a Catholic university you are studying from a standpoint that 1) there is a God 2) All the Jesus stuff 3) the authority of the Pope 4) the seven sacraments etc are all valid and true positions. If you were studying Catholicism as part of an RS degree, however, you could be an atheist who is just studying Catholicism from afar.

So yes, there is a difference and it is pretty significant from an academic standpoint.

 

I read somewhere that Religious Studies is the study of man. Theology is the study of God (with lots of specialities within that category).

 

Am I right in thinking that Theology doesn't necessarily include pastoral studies?

 

It could. There is "practical theology". My understanding is that there are a whole lot of other subspecialties under theology related to text, background, etc.

You are correct that "Religious Studies" is what is typically found in secular institutions and related to sociology and anthropology and centered around man as a religious being.

 

Yes.

Yes. Theology usually entails either systematics, biblical theology, or practical theology. Religious studies certainly has theological aspects but tends to focus more upon the praxis of a faith and an appraisal of that group(s) beliefs but not necessarily the theology that underlies them.

Pastoral studies is a subset of practical theology. Practical theology includes things like apologetics, pastoral theology, some aspects of ecclesiology, and homiletics, etc.

 

Not exactly. Theological anthropology or more generally the doctrine of man. I think what you mean is that Religious Studies refers to the human practice of religion, which is accurate. Theology proper or the doctrine of God is the study of God. "Theology" is a generic term, at least within the so-called Abrahamic faiths that refers to any doctrinal position.

 

It is hard to find a non-denominational theology department. The one I'm aware of is the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David. From what I've seen "Religious Studies" tends to be anthropology or sociology vs theology that is philosophy or literature. Religious Studies studies Christians, whereas theology might study the Christian God.

 

That's not true in the United States. Many highly regarded divinity school programs are now not tied to a particular religious tradition (Harvard, University of Chicago), many that privilege Christianity are explicitly interdenominational (Yale, Union), and many that are denominational (often Methodist, but also Presbyterian and others) are quite effective at educating those from other denominations (Duke, Princeton, Emory, Drew, Baylor).

Also not uncommon at the doctoral level are faculties like Toronto, Oxford, Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley) that are a union of institutions with different denominational perspectives.

 

Omergerd; Toronto, Oxford, GTU are a UNION of institutions with different denominational perspectives but you, generally, need to pick your denomination. Look at Toronto, for example. This is different from Wales that is not a “union” but requires no choice of faith.

 

Did you read my comment? There are a number of theological faculties in the United States that are interfaith like Harvard and Chicago. There are many more that are Christian but non-denominational.

 

On the one hand, there are ecumenist/interfaith institutions that do not have a denominational affiliation or even an affirmation of Christianity as such (e.g., Hartford Seminary; Harvard Divinity School). On the other hand, virtually of these institutions have drunk deeply at the pool of modernity. One could argue, therefore, that these institutions do reflect a kind of denomination (e.g., liberalism). As for non-denominational institutions, virtually all of these have evangelical commitments and while they may not officially align with a denomination, they certainly do in practice.

 

Agreed. Theology degrees in the US are maybe only behind MBA's in number. Are there some, truly, "non-faith" based institutions? Probably, but not common. Even if you accept Harvard, which I would disagree with, the cost is prohibited. Why would I disagree? If you are a conservative and present such a position, in an academically respectable fashion, at Harvard Div... you will be crushed. They aren't about Theology anymore, they are about social justice ideology.

 

I've personally spent time on both the campus of Harvard Divinity School and Yale Divinity School. While the vast majority of profs and students are advocates of heterodox theology, there are some evangelicals among both the student bodies and faculty. That is especially true of Yale. Obviously, since these are elite institutions, the costs are high. So are the costs of MIT, Duke, and Vanderbilt. Even among the evangelical elite institutions, the tuition is pricey indeed, albeit not as expensive as the ivy leagues.

 

Wow, a lot of back and forth on this one.

Let's look at some literal definitions:

So no, there is no such thing as a truly non-denominational view of theology. You can teach a more generalized flavor of theology that is more or less acceptable to a wider swath of Christians but that's it. The many seminaries that crank out clergy and scholars serving other denominations are more accurately described as "multidenominational." What they are teaching works for multiple denominations.

Places like Harvard are even more open. If we look at the requirements for a Harvard M.Div.

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Harvard has coursework and faculty to cover a pretty broad religious spectrum. Unlike a place like Liberty where the M.Div. is pretty standardized with maybe only limited flexibility for electives, two different M.Div. graduates could not only have vastly different transcripts but might never run into one another in class because they are focused on different religious traditions.

That said, you're still studying Theology. If you go and earn a Harvard M.Div. with all of your coursework focused on Judaism then you're studying Jewish theology. You're still starting every class with a Jewish notion of the nature of God. That's it. It is not the same thing as taking a Religious Studies course on the institutions, traditions and practices of Judaism. The overall program might be pretty interfaith in nature. However, theology is still theology. And theology by its very nature has a specific traditional root.

 

Does "heterodox" in this context include Unitarianism? I'm not sure there even is such a thing as Jewish theology but you learn something new every day...

 

Unitarianism is an inherent part of rabbinic Judaism, so not within Jewish theology. In Christianity on the other hand, unitarianism is a longstanding heresy.

 

Might be a surprise to the average rabbi...

 

Unitarianism in the theological sense refers to the belief in a unipersonal God. No, it wouldn't be a surprise at all. Only some Messianic disaffirm unitarianism.

 

It's just that I'm not sure rabbis even ask the question often enough to have a word for it. My last Rabbi but one said, "I don't know anything about God." Well, that's not quite how he put it but you get the idea.