As with Roger Haight, SJ’s 1990 book Dynamics of Theology, he is still seeking to clarify what the academic study of Christian theology is about, but here he is taking into account significant shifts in the context of theology during the past three decades. These include the dialogue with science; extensive development of liberation theologies; public acceptance of religious pluralism; and increased scrutiny on Christology due to the rise of religious pluralism. He thus asks questions such as: How can theology maintain a real authority in its exchange with scientific culture and a critically informed political culture? If religious pluralism means one religious tradition can learn from other religions, how does theology justify the particular claims of its tradition? If theology arises out of a faith community, how does it retain its autonomy as an academic discipline relative to the more objective disciplines of social sciences and religious studies?
