Bringing God to mind: Christian theology in light of the critical study of religion

This dissertation explores the possible relevance for Christian theological methodology of recent work in the critical study of religion. It argues that attending to such critical study can help theologians refine their technique, improving their understanding of what they are doing and what they can hope to achieve. The dissertation further argues that critical approaches in religious studies are not incompatible with traditional Christian understandings of God's presence and activity in the world.;In the Introduction, I give a brief history of "religion" as a theological problem. I consider not only liberal uses of the category "religion" but also neo-orthdox and postmodernist repudiations of it. I offer both theological and non-theological justifications for the category's continued employment.;Chapter One begins to inquire into the relevance of religious studies for theology by looking at the work of Gordon D. Kaufman, a trailblazer in this field. Kaufman bases his understanding of theology on the premise that religions are worldviews. Theology, on this view, is the imaginative construction of an all-embracing, ordering, orienting world-picture.;In Chapter Two, I offer a critique of Kaufman's picture of religion. Calling into question Kaufman's theory of religion raises doubts about his theological method.;Constructive work begins in Chapter Three. Here I review the portrayal of religion offered by Jonathan Z. Smith. Smith's picture of religion offers a corrective to that of Kaufman. Revising Kaufman's understanding of religion provides a basis for rethinking his theological methodology.;In Chapter Four I move back toward theology proper. I explore analogies between Smith's view of religion and the understanding of theology advanced by Henry Nelson Wieman---an American theologian of the mid-twentieth century. I suggest ways of revising and re-using Wieman's notion of "creative interchange.".;The Conclusion ties together the findings of the previous chapters. On this basis, it offers some concrete practical guidelines for future theological work. It also takes up the question of whether a "theology" incorporating insights from secular religious studies could be worthy of the name. In keeping with precedents set in Christian scripture and tradition, I propose that theology's purpose is less that of describing God, and more that of "bringing God to mind.".