By Schubert Ogden
The Notebooks of Schubert Ogden
1. Historical theology is logically prior to systematic and practical theology, because its task is critical interpretation of Christian witness, and critical interpretation of this witness is logically prior to the critical validation of the claims of Christian witness that is the task, in their different ways, of systematic and practical theology.
2. Systematic theology is logically prior to practical theology, because its task is critical validation of the claim of Christian witness to be adequate to its content, and critical validation of this claim is logically prior to the critical validation of the claim of Christian witness to be fitting to its situation that is the task of practical theology.
3. The dogmatic task of systematic theology is logically prior to its apologetic task, because this task is critical validation of the claim of Christian witness to be appropriate to Jesus Christ, and critical validation of this claim is logically prior to the critical validation of the claim of Christian witness to be credible to human existence that is the apologetic task of systematic theology.
October 1992; rev. 24 November 1993
Overview
Content Tools