Authority in Christianity

William Thompson-Uberuaga
Department of Theology
Duquesne University
USA

In this lecture, Professor Thompson-Uberuaga explains sources of authority in the Christian tradition, through the various concepts of reason and faith. Moreover he highlights the faith-reason interplay in its changing perspectives throughout history and within the individual himself any given point. Therefore, authority takes on new meanings, from the institutionalized Catholic Church to the stress on the ‘common good’ in the Protestant Reformation. Despite the tension of faith and reason within Christianity, Professor Thompson-Uberuaga claims that mainstream Protestants, Eastern Christians and Catholics display a mixture of faith and reason in their Christianity. He ends by quoting a figure of authority that states: if faith is truly on track, it will make room for reason as well.

 

Link to article on Academia.org