Christian theology is a discipline in religious thought that is restricted in its narrower sense, because of its origination in and format

to Christianity. According to McGrath (1994), it is defined as talking about God in a Christian way. It is the intellectual reflection of the act, content and implications of the Christian faith. According to Clarke (1971), Christian theology professes belief in Jesus as Christ and is a religion that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus. The writer of this paper will discuss some of the sources of Christian theology, outlining some of the limitations of each source. According to Macquarrie (1967), these sources are also referred to as the formative factors of Christian theology. The writer has identified five major sources, namely scripture, tradition, revelation, reason and experience and these will be discussed in detail. However it must be noted that all these sources are very much related and one builds its basis on another, therefore it may not be easy to discuss them separately without reference to the other. Scripture is the universally acknowledged source of Christian theology within the Christian church. According to McGrath (1995), the bible is a collection of books which Christians regard as authoritative in matters of thought and life. He further argues that bible and Scripture both refer to a body of texts which are recognised as authoritative for Christian thinking. Hall (1975), argues that, so long as a community designates itself Christian, it is beholden to the scriptural testimony of the foundational events which establish the fundamental character of Christian belief. The canon and scripture of the Christian church include both the Old Testament and the New Testament, of which the Old Testament establishes the totality of context within which the meaning of Christs life, death and resurrection are to be interpreted. The New Testament is believed to give practical guidelines on how to live the Christian life. According to McGrath (1994), questions on Christian theology relates to the authority and interpretation of the scriptures. It is argued that scriptures are open to a series of

interpretations, some of which were not even remotely Christian. According to McGrath (1995), the Gnostic controversies of the second century had the Gnostic writers putting forward some speculative interpretation of the scriptures. In response to this, some scholars such as Iraneaus emphasized the need to interpret the scripture in line with the living tradition of the church. According to McGrath (1994), during canonisation rules were set on which texts could be regarded as scriptural and authoritative for Christian theology. Comparison of the contents of the Old Testament in the Hebrew version on one hand and the Greek and latin version on the other show that the later contained a number of words absent in the former and thus intensifying the debate on the authenticity of the scriptures. The status of a further group of texts referred to as the apocryphal has been a subject of debate between the Roman Catholic and the Protestants. In spite of all this, Christian Theology asserts that because the Bible is inspired by God, it is therefore trustworthy and reliable as the churchs text. The bible is scripture meant to be read, understood and applied in a way that differs from merely human text. This brings us to another source of Christian theology called tradition. Macquarrie (1967), defines tradition as an active process of reflection by which spiritual insights are valued, assessed and transmitted from one generation to another. Tradition was also viewed as the traditional way of interpreting scripture. According to Mcgrath(1995), Irenaeus insists that the Christian community possessed a tradition of interpreting scripture which was denied to the heretics. This he argues ensured that Christians remained faithful to the apostolic witness in the face of non Christian interpretation of the scriptures. Tradition is then seen as offering both stability to the teaching of the church and defence against Gnostic positions. The mainstream reformation adopted this approach insisting that traditional ways of interpreting scripture such as the doctrine of infant baptism and trinity could be retained, so long as they show consistence with scripture. It was argued that scripture is silent on a number of points

which would then be revealed in unwritten tradition. This meant that a belief not found in scripture could be justified by an appeal to an unwritten tradition. Scripture and tradition are coherent. McGrath (1994), maintains tradition as the corporate historical reflection upon scripture. However, it has to be read critically taking due consideration to its historical, philosophical and cultural context. Some radical theologians argue that respect for tradition was seen as capitulation to the authority of the past, a self imposed bondage to outdated social, political and religious structures. Clarke(1971) puts forward revelations as the chief source of Christian theology. According to Migloire (1991), revelation is the disclosure of the character and purpose of God and when it is revealed it radically changes the lives of its recipients, for instance Paul experienced the revelation of Jesus Christ that he turned from a persecutor of the church to a an apostle of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1 verse 12). The Christian faith is not only about a mans search for God but also Gods will to reveal himself to man. God reveals himself to man through his word. According to Clarke (1971), Gods self revelation was made in life and action. When God showed himself to Abraham it was in what he did to the man who trusted in him that God became known for what he was. Revelation of God to Israel through Moses was in small part by speech but mainly by action. Prophets though they spoke of him, from him, but also pointed to him as a God manifest in his doings. God also revealed himself to man through Christ. For God to thoroughly reveal himself and his character to men, he had to come within the range of mens personal knowledge, live a life among men in which they might see him as he is. Paul says it pleased God to reveal his Son in me, (Galatians 1 verse 6). According to McGrath (1994), God has revealed himself to mankind through nature which bore witness to God. However this knowledge of God is to be supplemented by revelation, which gives information which is not otherwise available.

Migliore (1991), argues that the problem with revelation as a source of Christian theology is that it offers a glimpse of the very heart of the mystery. Revealed knowledge is resisted because it is so frightening and threatening. It compels momentous decisions about who god is and how we are to understand the world and ourselves. Some theologians content that the concept of revelation is quite peripheral in the bible. It tends to focus on the sorts of epistemological questions that are prominent in modern philosophy and science rather than the question of salvation. Concentrating on revelation then would mean the human predicament is ignorance rather than sin yet in the bible people do not ask, what must l know? but who must l be and what must l do to be saved. (Mark 10 verse 17 and John 3 verse 3). According to Clarke (1971), the way God reveals himself to man and mans self revelation about God is grounded in experience. It is defined as the life, individual or collective, that consists of fellowship with God as Christ reveals Him and in the fruits of that fellowship. Christian experience is the channel through which revelation comes. Clarke (1971) goes on to state that experience is the mediator between Christian theology and its source - revelation. The theology of an individual receives much from his/her personal Christian experience and the theology of any age is largely an expression of the Christian experience of that age. Experience which resources theology is of many kinds. It includes the cultural matrix in which one lives which supplies one with the language, symbols, myths and outlooks of the world. Experience shape the way one thinks, influences the way one read scriptures and has got a direct bearing on which traditions of the church one would find helpful as a source of our theologising. For some theologians experience is a field of revelation not a source of theology. It is taken as the medium through which other sources of theology speak to us, or an interpretive framework, but not its foundational resource. This view is supported by a growing consensus

that there are no pure experiences. One scholar Stanley Grenz draws the conclusion that a valid theological proposal may contradict previous experiences, transform present experience and facilitate future experiences. Martin Luther demonstrates the unreliability of human experience by pointing to the disciples experience and even Jesus experience of the absence of God at the cross, yet the resurrection demonstrated that God was present all along. The resurrection was therefore the necessary objective critique of their subjective experience. Summing up then it will mean that nothing can be an authority without being experienced, but experience is not the authority. The last source of Christian theology is reason. Theology involves thinking therefore it draws from the faculties of reasoning. Philosophy is a useful tool for articulating and structuring theology. Theology should call on critical reasoning for disciplined argument as this maintains logical coherence and critiques other points of view. According to McGrath (1994), human beings are rational beings. Reason is seen as a subservient to revelation. It allows us to reflect on revelation. Aquinas argues that faith goes beyond reason, having access to truths and insights of revelation which reason cannot discover. Reason builds upon what is known by revelation, thus exploring what its implications might be, so theology is a rational discipline. It should then be noted that none of the sources of Christian theology is independent from another but one builds on the other and finds its strengths and relevance on another. For it to be Christian theology, its continuity with Christianitys historical roots must be preserved, especially the founding revelation of God in Christ as witnessed to and interpreted in the scriptures. Due respect must be paid to traditional interpretations and formulations handed from the past. Experience and reason are considered as theological tasks from the present whereas scripture and tradition as from the past. In as much as revelation was coming from scripture, both cannot be divorced from tradition. It is therefore impossible to separate one

from another. Scripture resulted from reasoned understandings of things revealed to man by God. Experience recorded from pre-existent traditions that developed by interpreting previous events.

Bibliography Clarke W.N (1971), An outline of Christian Theology, Scribner Press, New York Macquarrie J (1967), God Talk: An Examination of the Language and Logic of Theology, SCM Press, New York McGrath A.E (1994), Christian Theology: An Introduction, Blackwell Publishers, New York. McGrath A.E (1995), The Christian Theology Reader, Blackwell Publishers, New York Migliore D.C (1991), Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, Wm.B.Eerdmans Publishing Company, Cambridge

www.theology.udu www.scott.brisbane.id.au/theology/sources/ www.freedictionary.com/christian www.blackwellpublishing.com/mcgrath www.revandylittle.com/doing-theology-praxis/sources www.ezinearticles.com/?sources