theology

Theology is the academic study of the nature of the divine, the relationship between the divine and the world, and the beliefs, practices, and aims of religious communities. It derives from Greek theos (god) and logos (study) and is pursued both within faith communities and as a secular discipline in philosophy of religion and religious studies.

The scope includes questions about the existence and nature of God or ultimate reality, revelation and scripture, creation, the problem of evil, human destiny, ethics, salvation, and the meaning and purpose of worship. It engages tradition, doctrinal development, experience, and argument.

Methods include textual exegesis and hermeneutics; historical analysis of how doctrines develop; philosophical reflection on concepts such as being, knowledge, and freedom; and comparative approaches across traditions. The field distinguishes natural theology, which reasons from nature to God, from revealed or doctrinal theology, which bases belief on sacred texts and tradition.

Subfields include systematic theology (coherent articulation of doctrine), historical theology (development and reception of doctrines), philosophical theology (conceptual analysis of God and related questions), and practical theology (ministry, pastoral care, education, ethics). Other traditions have distinctive forms, such as kalam in Islam, Jewish theology, Hindu theology, and Buddhist forms of doctrinal inquiry.

In practice, theology informs the teaching, worship, and ethical life of communities, while also functioning as a scholarly pursuit in universities. It often intersects with religious studies and philosophy, and it participates in interfaith dialogue, sometimes adopting critical methods while remaining within confessional or doctrinal frameworks.