Teologia

Theology is a sacred enterprise, to be enacted with awe and probity; for it is the ever-new attempt to speak of the reality of God and direct the self toward this truth. So considered, theology is a spiritual exercise of the highest order. Its work is conditioned by time and place and tradition, and by the differential impact of these factors. Whether theology strives for eternal and abstract formulations - or for expressions that are more temporal and concrete - depends on the particular practitioner of these thought-forms as well as diverse cultural factors. Styles of theological practice vary greatly. Some center on brief images, born in intuitive flashes and connected by a spiritual logic; others derive from more discursive acts of reason, and adhere to more formal standards of coherence. In addition, these different versions may evoke authoritative sources in explicit or covert ways - or not all. The phenomenon of theology is thus multiple in nature and protean in form. Each generation produces the expressions appropriate to its conventions and needs. The impact of life and the search for meaning and integrity crowd one's consciousness continuously. A living theology tries to meet this challenge again and again.

Thus, despite the natural desire for enduring explanations, new times will repeatedly impeach inherited consolidations and induce their constant reformulation. Disingenuousness or fear may seduce one into self-deception and disregard; but authenticity is their moral counterforce, and demands repeated stocktaking and reassessment. It requires one to step out of the shadows of tradition and routine and say: "Here I am; this is life as I know it." Such a confession clears a space for honest theology. Too often is our sense of the world affected by habit and familiar ideas. We have eyes to see, but our minds are filled with idols. The result is a living death. Almost unknowingly we become caretakers of our moribund sensibilities. Only through self-examination may one hope to begin anew.

Michael Fishbane, "Sacred Attunement"