Burning Questions in Christian Life

Many pressing topics in theology today are related to the historical interaction between theology and philosophy—declining church authority, questions related to race, gender and sexuality, Christianity’s role in colonialism, the experience of God’s absence. This course aims to clarify some of the complex conceptual issues entangled within these topics by examining how they are understood within the dialogue between philosophy and theology from the twentieth century onwards. Each week the class will focus on theological questions that emerge in relation to major philosophical movements such as phenomenology, existentialism, feminism, and critical theory. Issues range from the contested status of metaphysics to the more recent questions raised by post-colonial theory. Students of theology will be encouraged to see the interaction between philosophy and theology in the twentieth century as part of that which engenders fresh forms of Christian life.