Today: A Study in the Theological Method of Roger Haight

Abstract

Roger Haight employs a theological method which attempts to translate the Christian message into a language that is intelligible for present-day human experience and ensures the ongoing relevance of the tradition. This thesis evaluates the validity of that method, and assesses the overall contribution of Haight’s scholarship. His distinctive understanding of “today” is presented as the hermeneutical key to his approach. In the context of his constructive christology key characteristics and critical issues are identified and critiqued. It is argued that it is not these characteristics in themselves, or the conclusions Haight makes, which call into question the validity of his theological method. Rather, it is the uncompromising application of the criterion of intelligibility for “today” which straitjackets the exercise of his theological method, leading to the primacy of “today” over the tradition. This renders his contribution problematic, yet Haight’s scholarship is deemed to be of particular value and significance. The questions he addresses have not gone away and should remain at the centre of contemporary christological debate.