Reflection Essay: What is Theology?

📌Category: Religion, Science
📌Words: 867
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 04 April 2022

Theology, as a term immediately introduces a religious context; people often talk of the beliefs of a certain religion whether it is Judaism, Islam, or Christianity as their ‘theologies.’ Likewise, the doctrinal differences between the various branches of Christianity, including Catholicism, Orthodoxy or, Protestantism are referred to as their ‘theological differences.’ Theology is a conversation about God originating from two Greek expressions: Theos, signifying God and logos denoting word.   According to Merriam Webster, theology is “the study of religious faith, practice, and experience especially the study of God and of God's relation to the world.”  There are several sources of Christian theological thinking, including: Scripture; tradition; the church; revelation; culture; reason; nature and experience. This reflection will discuss and compare the theologians Saint Augustine of Hippo and Sione Havea and the sources of theological thinking that shaped their theologies. For Saint Augustine reason or philosophy is the prime source of theology whereas for Havea it is culture.

This reflection will examine Saint Augustine of Hippo first. Augustine (Aurelius Augustines) was born in the Thagaste in Roman Africa living from, 354 until 430.  Augustine’s principal source of theological thinking is reason, or philosophy. Augustine viewed this as an attempt to achieve happiness, or ‘salvation,’ as late antiquarian pagan and Christian thought described it.  Thereby, allowing one to live efficaciously, by understanding the true nature of reality. Furthermore, since God is the true source of wisdom, a sincere philosopher is necessarily a lover of God.   Hansard maintains that this “faith seeking understanding” or reason approach to theology, owes much to Augustine.   According to Tornau, Augustine was preeminent among ancient philosophers, his influence being the most significant and enduring .   Augustine adopted Platonic philosophy in a far more circumscribed fashion than most of his contemporary Greek-speaking philosophers. However, the influence of his writings throughout Latin Christendom, resulted in Augustine’s peculiar blending of Platonic, Christian and Roman traditions becoming foundational for most subsequent traditions and discussion:    

Writing in On Christian Doctrine, around 397 Augustine gives this advice to Christians, regarding pagan philosophy. “if those who are called philosophers, particularly the Platonists have said anything which is true and consistent with our faith we must not reject it but claim it for our own use in the knowledge that they possess it unlawfully”.   This is because, God is the unacknowledged source of any reason pagan philosophers have.   Augustine argues, further, that Christians should utilise pagan philosophical principles in the propagation of the Gospel.  In making his argument Augustine compares the adoption of pagan philosophy by Christian Apologists; to the Israelite’s removal of Gold and silver from Egypt as they escaped to freedom.   Augustine makes the connection to Moses, in Exodus: “Moses that most faithful servant of God had done the same thing: after all it is written of him that ‘he was learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22)’”.   Augustine’s point is that all good things come from God whether gold, silver, or philosophical truth. 

Another significant theologian this reflection will examine is the Tongan theologian Sione Amanaki Havea, 1922-2000. Havea was ordained in the Tongan Methodist Church in 1952 and was principal of Pacific Theological College (PTC) between 1977 and 1981. Havea’s Theology is based on culture rather than reason; he developed Coconut Theology, a theology drawing on Pacific Island culture. Hovea’s purpose in developing this theology was to unite Pacific identity to Christian theology choosing the motif of the coconut as a vehicle to this end.  He viewed this as necessary to make Christianity meaningful to Pacific Islanders; Christianity needed to be contextualised to island culture to prevent it from being viewed as an alien imported religion. Havea wrote, “Theology is a gift of God. It is God’s revelation to history and culture therefore it is an attempt to interpret and see with pacific eyes and to listen with Pacific ears”.  

Havea’s groundwork publication on Coconut Theology, also suggests that ‘Pacifica Theology’ should have a celebratory perspective. He notes that the theological perspective of the foremost exponents of twentieth-century systematic theology such as Bonhoeffer, Tillich and Barth arose from an era of conflict.  In contrast, Pacific Island cultures “are deeply involved in celebrations”.  For example, he compares the Tongan Royal kava ceremony to the Eucharist viewing both, as offerings of celebration.    To further the aim of creating a distinctly Pacific theology, Havea associated the stages of life, evolution, Christian Theology, and time with the coconut.    He states that “If Jesus had grown up and lived in the Pacific, he possibly would have added another identification of himself I am the Coconut of Life”.   Thus, the thrust of Havea’s argument is that Jesus’ message is universal, but it needs to be contextualised to its environment. In the Pacific coconut flesh and juice, rather than bread and wine, are more appropriate vehicles to illustrate this universal message.   

In conclusion, this review has looked at two different theologians from vastly different eras and backgrounds: Augustine being a Catholic western theologian of antiquity and Sione Havea, being a modern Protestant Pacific theologian. For Augustine, the main focus of his theology was reason whereas for Have, it was culture.  However, for both Augustine and Sione Havea the crucial aspect is not the source of theological thinking, whether it is reason or culture. Rather, it is how these sources help people to better understand God and his relationship with the world.   In other words, it is, the universal message of the contained in theology which is crucial.

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