TOWARDS AN “ENGAGED” SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY?

Abstract

This article explores the question of what the scope and focus of theology should be, by considering two closely connected suggestions in this regard. The first suggestion comes from a group of theologians from the mid-twentieth century who played an important role in instigating the ressourcement movement. These theologians, it is shown, aimed at moving beyond the dualisms of Neo-Scholasticism, by turning anew to the theological style and method of the earliest Christian thinkers. The second related suggestion comes from the contemporary systematic theologian, Graham Ward, a scholar who draws on the thought of the ressourcement theologians in his development of what he calls a “culturally engaged” or simply “engaged” systematic theology. After examining the contributions of both the ressourcement theologians and Graham Ward, the article asks how these insights could inform the way we approach and do theology in our own context.