- “Christian theology… arises out of … a particular community of faith. Whether theology is pursued in a seminary or in a university setting is not at issue here. The point is that theological inquiry does not arise in a vacuum. It is not built on amorphous religious experiences or on the pious imaginations of isolated individuals. On the contrary, the work of theology is inseparably bound to an identifiable faith community that worships God, attends to Scripture and its accounts of God’s work and will, and engages in manifold ministries of education, reconciliation, and liberation.” – Preface to First addition, p. xiv – xv
- “[The book] is by intention Trinitarian in both structure and content. The primary position given to the doctrine of the Trinity reflects my conviction concerning the central importance of this doctrine not only for classical Christian theology but for contemporary liberation faith and theology as well. After a lengthy period of Christological concentration in theology, we must reclaim for our time the fullness of Trinitarian faith.” – p. xvi
- Have you ever heard a sermon or Bible study where the Trinity was mentioned or given any form of attention? Is it too abstract for lay persons to understand? Is this doctrine pertinent for the average layperson?
- “True faith must be distinguished from fideism. Fideism says there comes a point where we must stop asking questions and must simply believe; faith keeps on seeking and asking.” – p. 3
- “When faith no longer frees people to ask hard questions, it becomes in human and dangerous. Unquestioning faith soon slips into ideology, superstition, fanaticism, self-indulgence, and idolatry. Faith seeks understanding passionately and relentlessly, or it languishes and eventually dies. If faith raises ever new questions, then the theological task of the Christian community is to pursue these questions, to keep them alive, to prevent them from being forgotten or suppressed. Human life ceases to be human not when we do not have all the answers, but when we no longer have the courage to ask the really important questions. By insisting that these questions be raised, theology serves not only the community of faith but also the wider purpose of God ‘to make and to keep human life human’ in the world.” – p. 6
- Entire page 8
- On pages 7 – 9, Migliore states the case that theology can get too abstract to be beneficial to active faith. Have you had this problem in your own life or faith? Or on the flip side, have you been the very active one who says that all this theology is too much talk and not enough action? Can there ever be a balance b/w the two?
Project Augustine 