10 The Contribution of Religious Experience to Dogmatic Theology

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores the interrelated contributions of natural theology and religious experience to dogmatic theology. It examines the functional diversity of natural theology, which gives us good reason to view natural theology as an essential part of the discourse of dogmatic theology itself as the latter reaches toward the desiderata of systematicity, explication of biblical motifs concerning general revelation, and Church-world dialogue. It argues that natural theology and religious experience are conceptually and epistemically intertwined to such a degree that any attempt to integrate natural and dogmatic theology forces the dogmatician to consider the nature and deliverances of religious experience.