Searching for a Self-Reflexive Theology: Ways Forward for Systematic Theology in Relation to (Non) Religious Thought in Contemporary Western Culture

Abstract

This article aims to draw attention, first, to the need to explore the inner plurality of theological discourse, as such plural discourses serve to promote a certain dynamism and fullness of the human person in theology as a field, especially in relation to religious studies today. Second, such a potential fullness is reflected in the modern struggle to characterize the relationship between faith and reason. Comprehending the misunderstandings, often construed as an impasse between faith and reason, could foster new relations between scientific methods and theological imaginations. Third, understanding these tensions from a systematic theological perspective also entails a more precise analysis of the structural dynamics between theology and the Church. Our contention is that there must be a permanent, dynamic tension between theology and the institutional structures that are the Church in order for self-critical impulses to be maintained as well as for the individual’s life of faith to come to its highest fruition.