Kenneth J. Howell, Ph.D.

"Theology as if Heaven Matters"


Adapted from the October 2010 Newsletter of The Coming Home Network International..

"We are all on our journey to heaven, whether cradle Catholics or adult converts to the Church.

"But one of the most important marks of all those seeking the Church from the outside is their engagement with theology..

"Defined by St. Anselm as faith seeking understanding -- fides quarens intellectum -- theology is important to Christians because they believe in truth.

"Their belief in particular truths taught in Sacred Scripture and in Christian history is rooted in a Person who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

"The purpose of studying theology is ultimately to know the person of the Son of God and through Him to be united to the Father of all.

"The joys of theology can be many.

"It can lead to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the faith that alone can satisfy.

"It can allow a person to see connections between different truths such as how the Incarnation was the necessary background for the Eucharist.

"And in a practical sense, it can afford a deeper penetration into the faith that aids us in getting a better perspective on the world in which we are living.

"Yet theology also can be a precarious business.

"It can lead to the pride of clinging to pet theories, or the love of debate for its own sake rather than the pursuit of truth.

"It can lull its practitioners into the sleep of intellectual knowledge alone..."

Folks, it just keeps on getting better and better!

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