Theology

Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, "God", + λογος, logos, "word" or "reason"). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. A theologian is a person learned in theology.

Divisions of theology

Theology can be divided up in any number of ways. Many of these divisions have originated in the study of the Christian religion, although some have been adapted and extended to apply to other religions, or to the study of multiple religions.

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Theology can be divided up into academic subdisciplines, often into some division like this:

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• Biblical Theology - focused on the investigation and interpretation of a religions' scriptures,
• Biblical Studies - focused on the intrepretation and exegesis of the Bible.
• Comparative religion - focused on the comparison of common themes among different religious traditions
• Historical Theology - focused on the intellectual history of the religion
• Moral Theology - explores the moral and ethical dimensions of the religious life
• Patrology - studies the teaching of Church Fathers.
• Practical Theology - dedicated to the practical application of theological insights. Generally includes the subdisciplines of pastoral theology, homiletics, and Christian education, among others.
• Systematic theology (doctrinal theology, dogmatic theology or philosophical theology) - focused on the attempt to arrange and interpret the ideas current in the religion.

Theology can also be divided up by topic (or by 'loci'):

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• Angelology (less common than it used to be) - angels, the unseen world
• Bibliology (a less common term than most of the others) - the Bible, the nature and means of its inspiration, etc.; hermeneutics is the study of proper biblical interpretation (exegesis).
• Christology (normally only in Christianity) - Jesus Christ, the nature of Christ, the relationship between the divine and human in Christ
• Covenant theology, an interpretive grid that understands God's plans in the Old and New Testaments as being a result of God's covenant with his chosen people. This movement is an alternative to Dispensationalism.
• Demonology (much less common than it used to be) - Satan, demons, evil spirits
• Dispensational Theology - an interpretative grid that views God's relationship with the created order as passing through successive "dispensations", in each of which the covenants of the previous one(s) may no longer be valid.
• Ecclesiology - the church
• Eschatology - literally, the study of 'last things' or 'ultimate things'. Covers subjects such as death and the afterlife, the end of history, the end of the world, the last judgment, the nature of hope and progress, etc.
• Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology - the Vaishnava Theology which emphasizes the devotee's relationship to the "Divine Couple," Radha and Krishna, and looks to Caitanya Mahaprabhu as an avatar embodying both Radha and Krishna.
• Harmatiology (often considered under 'soteriology') - sin
• Krishnology - the discourse concerning the Hindu deity Krishna within the context of Vaishnava Theology.
• Missiology (often a subsection of ecclesiology) - missions, evangelism, etc.
• Radhavallabha Theology is the Vaishnava Theology of Harivamsa Gosvami, who started the Radhavallabha sect. His theology emphasizes devotion to Radharani. This sect also has a famous temple in Vrindavan of the same name.
• Soteriology - the nature and means of salvation
• Theodicy - Attempts at reconciling the existence of all the evil and suffering in the world with the nature and power of the God or gods of the religion
• Theological anthropology - nature of human being
• Theology Proper - God or the divine: attributes, nature, and relation to the world. Often includes discussion of Creation and providence. See the nature of God in Western theology.
• Pneumatology - the Holy Spirit or divine Spirit; sometimes also 'geist' as in Hegelianism and other philosophico-theological systems;
• Vaishnava Theology is the theological discourse concerning the Hindu deity Vishnu and/or one of His avatar.

Theology can also be divided up into different modes, including

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• Apophatic theology (or negative theology; sometimes contrasted with "cataphatic theology") - the discussion of what God is not, or the investigation of how language about God breaks down
• dialectical theology
• Natural theology - the discussion of those aspects of theology that can be investigated without the help of revelation, scriptures or tradition (sometimes contrasted with "positive theology") - the discussion of those aspects of theology

Theology can also be divided up into various movements, including

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• Black theology
• Ecumenical theology
• Evangelical theology
• Feminist theology
• Holocaust theology
• Liberal theology
• Liberation theology
• Neo-Orthodoxy
• Paleo-Orthodoxy
• Postliberal theology or Narrative theology
• Postmodern theology
• Queer Theology
• Revisionist theology
• Transcendental Theology