Week 8 – Response to Joe’s blog

Joe wrote:

Although the argument is logical in its construction, the critique doesn’t hold much weight when you consider that overall every theory is just that, a theory, until put in action. As a wise Jedi once said: “No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try!”

I’m all for the Yoda quote, but I have to take issue with your general premise.  While there is some validity to the assertion that theory doesn’t really take form until put into practice, I’d also assert that any theory that remains entirely abstract fails to serve the basic purpose of a theory.  That is, the theory must at some level guide or modify our approach to contextual theology in order for it to be useful.  I wonder if the transcendental model meets that criteria; it seems likely that, given this model, one could justify almost any approach (or lack thereof) on the grounds that one is simply seeking an authentic expression/understanding of one’s faith.