Theology

The word theology comes from two Greek words - theos, which means "god," and logos, which means "words." The simplest definition of theology, then, is "god words" or words about god. Whenever someone speaks of God or the characteristics of God, he or she is speaking theologically and doing theology. Since the basic word theology means only words about god and does not specify a particular god, it is possible to say that every major religion has its own distinct theology. There is Islamic theology, Buddhist theology, Hindu theology, Christian theology and the like - one could even say that atheists, when they talk about god not existing, are in some way forming their own "theology."

It is possible to break down the theologies of the world's major religions even further. For example, within Islamic theology, one might expect to find a distinct Shia theology and a distinct Sunni theology; and within Christian theology one will find Catholic theology and Protestant theology. The breakdown of various theologies can continue to become more and more specific, as there are hundreds of distinct theologies.

Though individuals can and do speak theologically and do theology on a day to day basis whenever they talk about God, there are within most major religions a group of trained "theologians" whose task is to evaluate the acceptability and validity of various beliefs. Often, these professional theologians evaluate various possible positions on an issue according to a specific paradigm, although nearly all religions appeal to some combination of holy writings (i.e. the Bible, the Koran) and of oral or written tradition (i.e. Vatican Councils, the Jewish Midrash). These theologians spend time studying the sacred texts of the religion and the ways in which those texts have been interpreted throughout history. This study often results in a new understanding of crucial issues or a reinforcement of previous understandings.

Not all theological paradigms are so simple, though. John Wesley - the noted Protestant Christian theologian - built his theological understandings at the convergence of four distinct threads: tradition, experience, reason, and scripture. This is just one example of the ways in which theological understandings can be developed. It is easy to understand - given the variety of paradigms for theological development - why theology has the potential to become quite divisive and controversial. After all, since few, if any, people can claim to have direct contact with god, almost all theology is but a guess, an attempt to put into words that which defies description.