What is theology?

Reflections by Fr. Randy Flores, SVD

How do I find God? you ask. I do not know how, but I do know where---in my fellow man. -Elie Wiesel
For many students, theology is an added burden, a boring subject, full of lectures and paper
works, memorizing biblical passages, and as one student quipped, deals with transcendental and
other-worldly matters. But beneath all these impressions, theology is concerned with the
fundamental questions which pervade human life: Who am I? Where have I come from and where
am I going? Why is there evil? What is there after this life?
These are the questions which we find in the sacred writings of Israel, as also in the Veda and
the Avesta; we find them in the writings of Confucius and Lao-Tze, and in the tragedies of Euripides
and Sophocles, as they do in the philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle. They are questions
which have their common source in the quest for meaning which have their common source in the
quest for meaning which has always compelled the human heart. In fact, the answer given to these
questions decides the direction which people seek to give their lives. (By John Paul
II, in Fides et Ratio)
The desire to know is embedded in the human heart. The Old Testament concept of heart, is
not only the seat of emotion but also of thinking. The human heart is restless until it discovers the
answers to lifes fundamental questions. This innate desire of the human heart, as illustrated in the
Book of Job, is like a miner looking for gold (Job 28). This human search for answers is ultimately a
quest for wisdom: But whence can wisdom be obtained, and where is the place of understanding
(Job 28:12)?
Philosophy is directly concerned with asking the question of lifes meaning and attempting to
draw answers to it. In fact, term philosophy in Greek means love of wisdom. Philosophy begins
when the human being first asked the questions about the reason for things and their purpose.
Theology, on the other hand, seeks to find answers from the point of view of faith in God, the
God who revealed himself in Jesus of Nazareth. The words of the Book of Proverbs are significant:
The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps (16:9). Theology presupposes
faith. It is faith in God that compels the human being to search for the truth about him. St. Anselm
of Canterbury spoke of theology as faith seeking understanding.
Theology then is critical reflection of faith. It is critical not in the sense of finding faults but in
the sense of systematic and scientific investigation of the faith that we profess. The great Jesuit
theologian Karl Rahner defined theology as the conscious and methodological explanation and
explication of the divine revelation received and grasped in faith (Encyclopedia of Theology,
1975). Thus, theology can be called the science of faith. Its object of study is divine revelation,
that is, Gods self-communication in Jesus the Christ. Theology seeks to make sense and express in
an intelligible manner the meaning of God revealing himself in Jesus Christ who is the core of
Christian faith.
As a science that investigates, theology proceeds in a systematic way. Theology has a
number of different specialties and uses many different methods in its task of critically examining
the faith. Some specialties investigate the sources of Christian faith like the bible, the Church
traditions and its teachings. Some articulate the Christian understanding of God, Christ, Church,
human experience and action, sacraments, and so on. Others examine the Christian way of life,
conduct, prayer and worship and action in the world.
Theological investigation is not only concerned with examining the content of faith but also
the actions of believers in particular, actions in behalf of the weak, the poor, and the oppressed of
our society. Theology seeks to bring into the consciousness of the believers the unjust social
structures that continue to make the poor poorer, the rich richer, the weak weaker, and the
powerful more powerful. Theology in this aspect is a struggle for justice. It is faith seeking social
justice. This theology is called, liberation theology because it seeks to liberate the human being
from all forms of structures that enslave and destroy the persons human dignity: sin, poverty,
discrimination, greed, etc. In the Philippines where majority live below poverty line, such kind of
theology is indeed relevant. Studying theology is not merely critical reflection of faith but also of
understanding praxis (action) that leads to human liberation.