Theology and the University: A Reply to Professor Wolfe

Professor Wolfe has provided an eloquent and appealing account of the relevance of the study of Christian theology in the modern university, characterizing it in good Thomist fashion as the study of God and all things in relation to God – a very expansive vision of the theological task indeed. She then goes on to explain how Christian theology still has a place in the modern university, and, to my mind, there is little to disagree with in the vision she casts. Nevertheless, it is a particular vision of the theological task, and one that will not be acceptable to all those who practice theology today, let alone those critics of the place of theology in the modern university. In my response to Professor Wolfe’s lecture, I want to draw attention to two issues. First, I want to say something about what we might call the shared task of Christian theology – that is, the core concerns, if there are any such, that most theologians think of as part-and-parcel of theology rightly pursued. Second, I want to say something about why this shared task may still be a suitable pursuit for those at work in the modern university. I think of these remarks as, in many respects, friendly additions to Professor Wolfe’s presentation, rather than as criticisms of it.