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Wiki MarkupIn earlier formulations (including many in _On Theology_), I define "theology" succinctly as "the critical reflection constituted by the question as to the meaning and truth of what is thought and said by a religion" (_OT_: 127). Thus I can argue, for instance, that "what makes one a \ [Christian\] theologian, insofar as one is such, is not the commitment of faith one shares as a believing Christian, but only reflectively asking and answering the question as to the meaning and truth of the Christian witness, together with making whatever prior commitment this kind of reflection involves" (142 f.).

In my more recent work, however, the earlier key phrase "meaning and truth" is replaced, in effect, by "meaning and validity" (although I'm not sure I ever actually make use of this phrase!). Correspondingly, my writings make constant use of the distinction between "critical interpretation" and "critical validation"-- the first being concerned with critically determining the meaning of Christian witness, the second, with critically validating the claims to validity that bearing this witness makes or implies.

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