Doing Theology in Today's World

Book excerpt: This volume focuses on a central question: What does a person need to know for developing a theology? In other words, this book will not only answer objections lodged against the study of theology, but will explain to students, pastors, and laypersons alike what a theologian actually does. It will also present different approaches to the study of theology and review the present status of theological reflection in various Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic traditions. In the first section of the book evangelical Protestant scholars describe the contributions various disciplines make to the study of theology. In the next section, evangelical Protestant scholars explain the distinctives of their approaches to doing theology. In the third part, theologians who do not identify with evangelical Protestant convictions seek to explain the distinctives of their approaches to doing theology. In the final section, Dr. Kantzer provides a summary analysis of how he does theology and interacts critically with a number of essays in this volume.