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9 - CONCLUSION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2009

David A. Pailin
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
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Summary

Although this study has attempted to probe a number of the fundamental characteristics of theological understanding, I do not pretend that it is comprehensive. Among the issues which remain to be investigated are the ways in which sacred texts, historical reports and tradition are used as sources for the discernment, formulation and development of that understanding. Such studies need to consider the aims and canons of interpretation, the justifiability of seeking insights into the nature and will of God from such sources, and the criteria for distinguishing authentic from inauthentic developments in the cumulative tradition which constitutes a religious faith. Enquiries also need to be made into the relationship between religious belief and morality. Furthermore, since religious faith is a public as well as a private matter, a comprehensive view of theological understanding should examine the social dynamics involved in the processes of thought within religious groups, and the ways in which faith expresses a society's fundamental presuppositions as well as an individual's self-understanding. Another factor in understanding which deserves attention is the role of imagination in the production and development of thought, as well as in the inspiration of creatively novel insights. Without imagination rationality may be confined to dull, mechanical routines; with it rationality may share in the creativity of the divine.

Theological understanding, however, is not a matter of inventing fictions, whether comforting, challenging, entertaining or harmonizing. It is a matter of ‘understanding’ – of apprehending the ultimate truth about reality. Accordingly, a complete survey of theology must consider the possibility, necessity, nature and appropriate forms of truth-testing in such matters.

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The Anthropological Character of Theology
Conditioning Theological Understanding
, pp. 195 - 200
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1990

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  • CONCLUSION
  • David A. Pailin, University of Manchester
  • Book: The Anthropological Character of Theology
  • Online publication: 26 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511520181.010
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  • CONCLUSION
  • David A. Pailin, University of Manchester
  • Book: The Anthropological Character of Theology
  • Online publication: 26 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511520181.010
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • CONCLUSION
  • David A. Pailin, University of Manchester
  • Book: The Anthropological Character of Theology
  • Online publication: 26 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511520181.010
Available formats
×