Pre-Note: Although the DLSC is committed to fostering a high level of theological understanding in its members, it is not a DLSC aim to develop its members into professional theologians, nor to establish or comprise a school of theology. However, for reasons stated below, a conciliatory policy on the management of theological diversity is essential to the DLSC’s purposes and its viability as an ecumenical religious community.
Theological Diversity: The phrase “theological diversity” sometimes refers to different but essentially compatible approaches to understanding the content of divine revelation and its implications. At other times, it refers to conflicting views as to what revelation teaches us. Both types of diversity give rise to controversy which, if not properly managed, can result in sharp division. For this reason, it is appropriate for the DLSC, which identifies theological reflection as a core activity and also requires communal harmony to achieve its evangelical purposes, to adopt a policy for the management of differences that may exist or arise among its members.
DIFFERENT APPROACHES
Theologians employ a variety of concepts and methodologies. Major lines of inquiry, each of which embodies a diversity of its own, are frequently designated as biblical, systematic, philosophical, and historical. Although the findings that arise from these different approaches are, in most instances, not only compatible but complementary and mutually enriching, it is not unusual for those who do theology in one way as distinct from another to regard their preferred approach as more illuminating than its alternatives. Although it is not necessarily unacceptable for individuals to take such a view, a risk of this perception is that it may lead to a discounting of approaches cultivated by others, inattention to their scholarly concerns, a disregard for their findings, and failure to recognize their contribution to theology as a whole. It may also result in lack of will to form community with those who take a scholarly path different from one’s own.
The DLSC recognizes theology as a capacious disciplinary whole whose well-being, progress, and service potential depend on the fruitful interaction of its diverse parts, which it sees as interdependent and generally in need of one another’s findings. Students of theology are thus called upon not simply to tolerate differences of approach, since tolerance is a practice normally reserved for ideas and behaviors perceived as negative, but to welcome and support one another’s efforts as a potential source of enrichment for theology as a whole and an inducement to the cooperative functioning of its various parts.
In practical terms, this attitude calls for reciprocal affirmation, mutual respect, a sharing of information, and friendly dialogue among persons who employ different but mutually reinforcing approaches to the understanding of revealed truth. Hence, as a matter of policy, the DLSC:
- actively seeks and welcomes the membership of scholars who favor various theological approaches, seeing their diverse interests as complementary assets to be cultivated.
- counsels and exhorts its members to be curious about and interested in the findings and views emerging from approaches and methodologies different from alternatives which they may prefer.
- encourages multifaceted studies and dialogue activities designed to promote the integrity of theology and to discourage its fragmentation.
THEOLOGICAL DISAGREEMENTS (CONFLICTING VIEWS)
Much communal division in faith-based communities, and even their disintegration, can be traced to the convergence of two factors:
- opposing views as to what divine revelation teaches, explicitly or implicitly, on any number of matters, and
- an idea of community which predicates its essential unity on an exceptionally high degree of intellectual agreement.
Division resulting from the convergence of these factors occurs even in situations where none of the conflicting views has been formally certified as orthodox. Even then, it has not been uncommon for disputants to characterize one another’s views as heterodox, and, on that basis, to decline further association with those who espouse them.
Yet over and against this tendency, there are also instances in which theologians of exceptional holiness and learning have disagreed on substantive issues without disputing one another’s orthodoxy or refusing one another’s friendship.
The DLSC regards this attitude as furnishing the appropriate and preferred model for the management of theological disagreements that may exist or arise among its members. Although a search for common ground is always to be commended, sometimes a community’s more pressing need is to adopt arrangements that prevent ongoing disagreements and irreducible differences from becoming an intractable source of division and a rationale for separatism. In practice, this requires a community model in which membership and good standing in the group are not tightly predicated on uniformity of outlook, at least on theological questions which have not been definitively settled.
This inclusionary community model commends itself to the DLSC for additional reasons as well:
- The benefits of DLSC membership include resources for spiritual development, insight into the ministerial dimensions of one’s professional activities, enhanced theological perspective, and the solidarity of a great religious family. It is not desirable, and would be inappropriate, to limit these need-satisfying benefits to a few people who take a particular view instead of sharing them with a wider range of scholars.
- Constructive interaction among scholars holding different and sometimes conflicting views can lead both its participants and others to a richer understanding of revealed truth and, to some extent, may also stimulate the emergence of truths previously unknown.
- A community model which allows for a substantial amount of friendly disagreement opens the door to contacts and relationships that facilitate the disclosure of previously unrecognized common ground.
Hence, as a matter of policy, the DLSC encourages its members:
- to take great care that theological disagreements which may exist or arise among them do not lead to factionalism or an unwillingness to cooperate with one another for the spread of the Gospel and for the cohesion of the DLSC;
- to deal with their differences in a loving way, evincing kindness and respect for those who disagree with them, even on important issues;
- to practice a high level of civility in critiquing one another’s views and in arguing one’s own positions.
PUBLIC STATEMENTS
An important complement to the accommodation of theological differences is a policy concerning public statements. It is the policy of the DLSC that:
- Unless formally deputed to do so by the competent authorities, individual DLSC members shall speak only for themselves, not for the DLSC (or other members), especially on theological questions, and will take reasonable care to so qualify their statements. The competent authority for issuing a deputation to speak for the DLSC on any particular matter is the DLSC’s governing body. The competent authority for delegating one member to speak on behalf of another member is the other member.
- Neither individual members of the DLSC, nor the DLSC as a corporate entity, shall speak for any other branch of the Dominican Family on any matter, unless expressly invited to do so by the governing bodies of those entities.
- In sharing their religious insights with others, DLSC members shall not identify themselves as official spokespersons for any denominational body or ecclesial community unless invited to do so by the competent authorities of those entities.