Department of Theology and Religious Studies

CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE

Overview

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies is committed to a rigorous presentation of the methods and content of both the scholarly study of Christian Theology and the academic discipline of Religious Studies. We view these combined disciplines as an important component within the liberal arts curriculum in the Jesuit tradition. We therefore take seriously our charge to engage students in the serious and critical study of religious experience, practice, thought and inquiry, both historically and in the contemporary world.

Theology majors will focus primarily on Christianity. Theology, which literally means the “study of God,” was defined by Anselm of Canterbury as “faith seeking understanding.” It entails methodical study of the faith traditions of a believing community. Christian Theology employs the methods of its sub-fields (e.g., systematic theology, ethics, biblical studies) to explore the bible, Jesus Christ, the church, tradition history, doctrinal development, liturgy, personal and communal morality, and relations with other religions. It is not catechesis, which transmits knowledge about a religion to a believer without critically analyzing the tradition’s beliefs. Theology requires a process of grappling with and critically examining particular expressions of faith in order to articulate them in contemporary contexts. In other words, theology seeks to address the “fears, hopes, griefs, and anxieties” of church and world in the present moment. As a discipline, theology converses with the academy, the church, and society. The theology faculty and their students aim to assist each of these communities in appreciating the meaning and implications of the tenets and practices of Roman Catholic and other Christian traditions, as well as those of other religions.