309 - Philosophy in Theological Education

Philosophy in Theological Education
By Craig Dykstra

One could put the case boldly: Christian theology cannot be understood and Christian ministry becomes superficial when philosophy is left out. Not every major theologian in the church's history would make that claim. Indeed, some have said things that sound very much like the opposite. Ministers who are not trained in philosophy might respond that they get along without it just fine, thank you very much. The percentage of entering divinity students who hope that philosophy will be a major part of their ministerial studies probably would not reach double digits. Nonetheless, the case can still be made.

The history of Christian theology and the history of Western philosophy are virtually parallel. Each has borrowed from the other all along the way. Fundamental modes of thinking, basic questions, patterns of argument, and many of the particular concepts that have given Christian theology its shape from the earliest centuries into the present have been adapted in part or adopted wholesale from secular philosophical sources. Augustine simply would not be Augustine without the Neoplatonists, nor Aquinas without Aristotle, nor Bultmann without Heidegger. In the other direction, it would be impossible to imagination what the works of Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, Hegel, or Kant would look like if they had not had Christian doctrines of God, creation, and humanity to presuppose.

This mutual dependence is not just a matter of past history either. If anything, contemporary theology is more dependent than ever upon philosophical methods, categories, and insights. And not only systematic theology. Biblical studies, historical fields, mission and ecumenics, church and society, all the areas of practical theology-every field of inquiry in the theological curriculum depends heavily on contemporary work in philosophy. Hermeneutical, linguistic, ethical, and fundamental methodological concerns penetrate all of these areas, and they cannot even be broached without philosophical expertise. Again, the reverse traffic obtains as well. Contemporary philosophy of science finds itself compelled to ask theological questions and more frequently now turns to theologians for help. Many contemporary philosophical ethicists are now arguing that the only way they can find their way out of the cul de sac of ethical relativism and individualism is by turning to religious and theological sources.

At many points divergent, sometimes in conflict, and certainly not synonymous, Christian theology and Western philosophy are nonetheless simply unintelligible apart from one another. One cannot read any major Christian theologian with more than superficial understanding or comprehend in any depth the central teachings of the Christian faith

310 - Philosophy in Theological Education

without some philosophical knowledge. And, unless one wishes to argue that Christian ministry can dispense with theology, it is difficult to see how ministers can do their work well if they lack philosophical training.

If there is anything to this case, we may well be in trouble. Seminary students and ministers receive very little philosophical training. Few come to seminary with philosophy in their academic backgrounds, and not much philosophy is now being taught in seminaries. The Roman Catholics do much better at this (they have a serious pre-seminary philosophy requirement in most cases) than do the Protestants. Even so, the place of philosophy in the seminaries themselves is at issue. According to the Association of Theological Schools, the number of people responsible for teaching philosophy in theological seminaries declined from fifty-five in 1967 to thirty-five in 1977. There is every indication that this decline has continued during the past decade. The general result is that most theology students study little or no philosophy. This has made the study and understanding of theology, and much else that goes on in the theological curriculum, very difficult and often downright confusing.

Those who teach philosophy in theological schools, as well as many of their colleagues, are concerned. In order to deal with the problem, forty or so Catholic and Protestant theological educators gathered for a Conference on the Role of Philosophy in Theological Education¹. The articles in this symposium were first presented there.

The writers of these essays represent a reasonably wide theological spectrum-mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, and evangelical Protestant-but representation is not the main issue here. Theological camp seems not to have been important on this topic, though we can note different nuances. The topic of the role of philosophy in theological education could strike one as concern about defending, protecting, and promoting academic turf. If these essays were simply an intramural faculty squabble gone public, they would be of no interest to our readers. The issue, when pressed and thought through deeply, is not the importance of a satellite subject matter, or even how to do a better job of theological education.

The issue, it turns out, is theological. What is the place of reason in faith? What does theology require in order to be a disciplined inquiry? How is faith related to daily human activities? How can debilitating cynicism and skepticism be countered? Philosophy cannot answer all of these questions, of course. But it may have an important role to play in the theological struggle with them. In any case, the issue of the role of philosophy in theological education turns out to be much more than a parochial educational issue. We expect our readers will find here some challenges to their own assumptions and nourishing food for thought.

¹The Conference, held in March, 1987, in Princeton, was co-sponsored by the Luther 1. Replogle Foundation, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the Center of Theological Inquiry, and endorsed by the National Catholic Educational Association (Seminary Department) and The Society of Christian Philosophers. Diogenes Allen, Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Seminary, and David Burrell, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, were the Conference conveners and co-directors.