The Social Construction of Revelation

Revelation is at the heart of religion, but it can also be a major impediment for developing public theology in the academy. These two observations provide a starting point for efforts to develop practical theological discourse. Usually such a practical theology would be communicable within the reli...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of practical theology Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 1 - 14
Main Author Ganzevoort, R. Ruard
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berlin Walter de Gruyter GmbH 01.07.2006
Subjects
Religious studies
Social sciences
Theology
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Summary:Revelation is at the heart of religion, but it can also be a major impediment for developing public theology in the academy. These two observations provide a starting point for efforts to develop practical theological discourse. Usually such a practical theology would be communicable within the religious community only. Even when performed on an academic level, this discourse runs the risk of isolation because the appeal to revelation implies a truth claim beyond the possibilities of verification and thereby a withdrawal from scientific argumentation. We might even call this sectarian because it hinders rather than advances wider communication. For public theology, such an approach is problematic.
ISSN:1430-6921
1612-9768
DOI:10.1515/IJPT.2006.003