Can Conservatives Flourish in Academic Theology? | National Catholic Reporter

Can Conservatives Flourish in Academic Theology? | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: This is an interesting piece.  In answer to the question, can conservatives flourish in academic theology?  Sure, if they go to conservative school and teach at another conservative school.  In general, however, is it a bad thing that most academic theology is more liberal?  Not at all.  Theology can look outside of approved teacing to history, archeology, anthropology and Christology and provide the yeast the bishops and the CDF won't allow.  Remember, no one has revoked the condemnation of Modernism - even though history and modern theology have made it relevant only to the CDF.  More bishops than you think practice a benign neglect of the theologians in their diocese - unless the CDF raises an issue.  Of course, there are conservative bishops who might look to find error, although I suspect that they have a pool of self selected theologians that are essentially yes-men to Rome.



There is the question of conservative theologians and money.  Perhaps it is not the desire to start a family that drives them so much as a bit of a rejection of the social doctrines of the Church, which are not kind to wealth.  Neither is the Gospel.  Indeed, it may be that liberal theologians do actually have families, even on meager resources, because they thrust the Lord that their needs will be met.  They are right. (we had a saying in my dorm at Catholic college - money is no object, I work for Loras College).



One final thing.  There seems to be a bias in theology toward credentialism.  Indeed, MSW won't discuss by name such an indvidual (me).  What should be prominent is the truth as it is written or spoken -not where or whether one went to school.