Systematic and Philosophical Theology MTh

The field of systematic and philosophical theology concerns the articulation of the meaning and implications of Christian doctrine or `teaching´. On the one hand, this doctrine includes claims relating to, for example, God, Christ, creation, salvation, the nature of the Church, human identity and ethics. Systematic theology refers to the attempt to relate these areas of doctrine to one another in a coherent and orderly fashion in such a way that the various aspects of doctrine become mutually illuminating.

The practice of systematic theology is undertaken in many and various ways throughout the Christian tradition. From the earliest years of the Church, theologians have deployed philosophical learning as a tool in clarifying Christian teaching. This has given rise to the very closely related field of philosophical theology. Here, the particular application of philosophy to the study of Christian doctrine is examined, along with the attendant issues of the relationship between philosophy and theology, and faith and reason.

The relationship is complex. On the one hand, both theology and philosophy are concerned with the metaphysical and its relationship to the physical. On the other hand, theology is thought to contain an historical revelation which perfects and goes beyond the reason exhibited in philosophical learning. Meanwhile, philosophy has tended to set the intellectual climate in which the study of Christian doctrine is undertaken. However, in recent years and in the wake of the theological liberalism which dominated the post-war period, Christian theology has undergone a revival of nerve in the face of the demands of philosophical reason. This has renewed the encounter between theology and philosophy in new and exciting ways that challenge the sufficiency of purely secular modes of reason.

The MTh in Systematic and Philosophical Theology is therefore concerned with a field at the heart of the task of Christian theology. There is no denominational bias within the programme; students may pursue an interest in Protestant and Catholic theologies of many kinds, although always critically and rigorously. The course is particularly concerned with the tradition of Christian theology, its engagement with philosophy, the relationship between faith and reason, and the nature of the theological task in the contemporary world.