Analytical theology and lay theology (ATvsLT)

Problem context

Analytical theology and lay theology are generally considered to be incompatible because the strictly formal logic of the former remains incomprehensible to lay people and the narrative logic of the latter undermines analytical theological standards. Nevertheless, it stands to reason that interpretations of content that are advocated in analytical theology are also formulated by lay theologians. Moreover, in recent analytical theology there seems to be a shift towards the first-person perspective that is typical of lay theology.

Research question

The project asks what characteristic family resemblances and differences there are between the theories of analytical theology and the interpretations of believers without formal theological education regarding the death of Jesus on the cross.

Method

In order to answer the research question, the project examines

• the analytical-theological debate on the death of Jesus on the cross with the help of discourse analysis and
• collects typical patterns of interpretation of lay people using the documentary method on the basis of group discussions in which believers talk about the death of Jesus on the cross.
• Both findings are then analyzed for characteristic family resemblances and differences using Qualitative Comparative Analysis.

Significance of the project

The aim of this project is to reconstruct the family resemblances and differences between a decidedly formal form of theological rationality and the everyday thinking of lay people who are not formally educated in theology. In the discourse to date, both have been negotiated as mutually exclusive ideal types: On the one hand, strictly rationalistic analytical theology and, on the other, the narrative constructions of theological laypeople. The project aims to deconstruct both ideal types and reconstruct the underlying discourses in their mutual interrelation. Initial findings indicate that narrative elements can also be found in analytical-theological argumentation and that laypeople use terms that are also negotiated in analytical-theological texts. Depending on the specific findings, the relationship between the two theological discourses can be redefined.