tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post2326130632624232810..comments2024-03-26T11:33:59.219-06:00Comments on Religion in American History: USIH Panel Recap: The Theological TurnPaul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-77008366026590342632014-10-26T17:13:56.665-06:002014-10-26T17:13:56.665-06:00Hallelujah!
Third, panelists issued a call to bec...Hallelujah!<br /><br /><i>Third, panelists issued a call to become more literate in the field of theology and the language theologians employ. Finstuen suggested <b>that intellectual historians familiarize themselves with the “theological canon,” much as U.S. intellectual historians are familiar with their own canon of thinkers</b>. How many intellectual historians, Finstuen asked, are familiar with the writings of Paul Tillich and Karl Barth, or important contemporary theologians such as John Milbank and N.T. Wright? Worthen, also identifying a field-wide ignorance of the classics in theology, called for historians to realize theology can be expressed in both formal and idiomatic language. We may find more broad ranging influence of theological language and concepts created by professional theologians among the laity if we better understand the theologians and their works.<br /></i><br /><br />[BF mine, if academic intellectual history is to be any more than the study of itself.]Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-10135347577594876502014-10-24T19:40:15.599-06:002014-10-24T19:40:15.599-06:00Of course training is not necessary, but some of t...Of course training is not necessary, but some of the most insightful historians in my field, American evangelicalism, have indeed received formal seminary or divinity school training. Mark Noll, Betty DeBerg, and John Turner immediately come to mind as such scholars who have written about theological influences in ways beneficial to intellectual historians.Dan Hummelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13512135764158710112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-1443801662968688222014-10-24T19:39:13.602-06:002014-10-24T19:39:13.602-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Dan Hummelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13512135764158710112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-65358764072335212022014-10-24T15:28:39.770-06:002014-10-24T15:28:39.770-06:00An intellectual historian does not need training i...An intellectual historian does not need <i>training</i> in theology, any more than one needs <i>training</i> in psychology, in order to examine texts from those fields/disciplines either in conversation with each other, or in conversation with a broader set of texts from a particular time period. One benefits from the familiarity that comes from broad <i>reading</i>, as is suggested above, in order to know simply what (kinds of) texts might be available to answer a particular question. However, it is also sometimes the case that a newcomer to a field can see something salient that others are missing.<br /><br />I think Lilian's description of "the theological" as encompassing both formal, systematic explorations of ideas about the transcendent or the eternal or the divine, and informal, not-necessarily-systematic expressions of thought about the same kinds of ideas/issues, is an excellent way of framing the issue, and is particularly useful for intellectual historians who are interested in foregrounding the history of thought.<br /><br />Indeed, a great example of an historian who took the theological turn in that broader sense is Drew Gilpin Faust. In <i>This Republic of Suffering</i>, she does a great job of explaining how the experience of the Civil War transformed Americans' ideas about death and the afterlife. Those are theological ideas, even if they were not systematically articulated by everyday Americans. Such ideas are everywhere, and any intellectual historian would do well to be attentive to them.<br /><br />It is correct that some historians are probably more habituated to hearing or recognizing "the theological" than others, due to previous training or experience. So those of us who have ears to hear can transcribe those strains in our own work and help our colleagues be more attuned to the theological in both its formal and informal instantiations. Once a text has been situated in its intellectual context by any one of us, it is then rendered accessible -- or perhaps even rendered visible -- to all the rest of us. <br /><br /><i>To turn, turn, 't'will be our delight, 'til by turning, turning we come round right.</i>L.D. Burnetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11030486794964584014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-27292548548161924882014-10-24T14:03:23.793-06:002014-10-24T14:03:23.793-06:00Trevor, thanks for the kind remarks. I agree we ne...Trevor, thanks for the kind remarks. I agree we need a discussion of boundaries/when it becomes excessive, but I don't think we're there yet. In other words, I agree it's an issue, but I also agree with Finstuen and others on the panel that most intellectual historians don't yet have enough training/reading in theology to know what we're missing.Dan Hummelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13512135764158710112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-87879931882226050492014-10-24T08:22:49.337-06:002014-10-24T08:22:49.337-06:00Trevor, As I stated in my opening remarks. I defin...Trevor, As I stated in my opening remarks. I defined theology in two ways. First, that which is articulated by academic theologians and second, wider diffused religious ideas expressed by ordinary people in the course of their lives that motivates them to certain private and public action. People create theologies, ideas about God, everyday.<br /><br />I think we are a long way from paying too much attention on minor theologians. Carl Henry, for example, wrote extensively about culture and politics that has not been examined by historians. But so did Harvey Cox and William Stringfellow, a very theological social thinker. Lilian Calles Bargerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09310264822015129425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-36935974534416284362014-10-24T07:35:37.249-06:002014-10-24T07:35:37.249-06:00Thanks for this great recap, Dan. There was a lot ...Thanks for this great recap, Dan. There was a lot to take in at this discussion and I think you captured the panel's key points very well.<br /><br />The panel did a great job of highlighting some of the benefits of a "theological turn," but I would have liked to hear a bit more on the potential boundaries or peculiar dangers that come with taking on theology in our research. It seems to me that, beyond the rare theologian who made it to the illustrious cover of Time magazine, much of what we might recognize as theology was written for a rather small and specific audience. I wonder what steps we might take to avoid overstating the presence or impact of certain varieties of theology in our subjects as we attempt to give it the treatment it deserves.<br /><br />Matthew Hedstrom's comments are also suggestive of limits to be negotiated here, as they remind us that "theology" is a rather ambiguous term. We might do well to ask - with a nod to some recent discussions here at RiAH - what work does the term "theology" do, both for ourselves and our subjects? Why, in any given context, is one body of ideas being categorized as theological, and another not? These may be especially important questions if we are trying to integrate theologians and their ideas into larger discussions of any given period.<br /><br />Just a few random thoughts. Thanks again for the recap!Trevor Burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09152840020978882789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-33171051741805471062014-10-23T15:24:57.773-06:002014-10-23T15:24:57.773-06:00Thanks, Lilian. It was a pleasure to report on the...Thanks, Lilian. It was a pleasure to report on the panel.Dan Hummelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13512135764158710112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-32616866174722084812014-10-23T10:15:29.677-06:002014-10-23T10:15:29.677-06:00Thank you Dan, this is an excellent recap of our s...Thank you Dan, this is an excellent recap of our session. Indeed Religion and Intellectual historians have much to share as they illuminated what has been regarded as the "black box" of theology. Exciting scholarship awaits as we expand the boundaries of both social and religious thought. Thank you.Lilian Calles Bargerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09310264822015129425noreply@blogger.com