Atheology

Such a thing does exist, as many of you know, but the discussion in my previous post makes me wonder about those who claim to do theology without affirming the faith of the tradition that they study. Why bother?

Please don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that one can, as I do, be a scholar of religions whether or not one is an adherent to any faith or that particular faith. I am not suggesting, for example, that Alan Lenzi cannot “approach the Bible and religion as products of human culture that can be fully interpreted and explained without recourse to theological assertions.” Of course he can. I myself spend most of my research time on rabbinic literature but I am not Jewish. In fact, much of my work has focused upon considering the theology of the targumim. In so doing I am studying someone else’s theology, but I am not “doing” theology myself.

But I know of those who consider themselves theologians but who do not accept the basic tenets of the given faith that they are ostensibly working within. I just don’t get it. That would be religious studies, wouldn’t it?

(“I no you di’ int!”  Oh, yes I did!)

Agnostic
Frazz by Jef Mallett

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