Realism and Theology: Background, Scope and Relevance

The question of the nature and the scope of theology is a broad yet crucial question for theologians. What are we doing when we study theology? Are we talking about God and the ways he interacts with the world, or are we dealing with human beliefs about God? Is theology a science? If so, what are the criteria which define its scientific character? What are the roles of faith and reason in the practice of this discipline? Might the theologian employ philosophical tools? Do these questions above belong to the field of theology, or are they a preamble to theology? Such interrogations are almost as old as theology itself, and since the seventeenth century and the emergence of modernity in Western countries, they have been increasingly debated. Nowadays they are inescapable for any theologian who wants to practice his or her discipline in a reflexive way.