For the purposes of the Saint Louis University Core, “theology” is defined and developed from the etymological (Greek) roots of “god” and “logos,” or, quite simply, “the study of God.” It considers how humans have grappled with the deep questions of the experiences and expressions of the divine and attempted to bring understanding – and to put into words – their answers and further questions about God. Theology provides resources from the wisdom of the past and present to develop sophisticated ways to seek and express both unique experiences and common understandings. It encourages openness to the deep questions that have welled up in human seeking after God and the human desire for spiritual development. The study of theology also includes becoming familiar with the tools and approaches typically used by theologians in such exploration, and applying what is learned to one's personal life.

Theology operates internal to a faith tradition and is practiced by people of a religion who are seeking a deeper understanding of the God they worship, of the faith that they have, and of what such a God and such a faith calls them to in their everyday living. Because the questions theology asks in any one faith tradition have significant overlap with questions of the divine and human purpose, of good and evil, in other religions, theology can engage in dialogue with other faith traditions with “an attitude of openness in truth and in love” (Evangelium Gaudii), and those outside any one faith tradition can study the theological heritage of it in a way that promotes greater understanding of religious faith in general and of that particular faith or religious tradition. Ultimate Questions: Theology courses at Saint Louis University will always include an exploration of the Catholic, Jesuit and broader Christian religious and theological tradition but may also consist of comparative theology classes looking at a range of theological answers to ultimate questions in more than one religious tradition.

Theology does not proselytize or impose beliefs. It educates students from any or no faith background about the religious beliefs that form the bedrock of Catholic, Jesuit identity and have inspired Catholic, Jesuit lives and actions, including the founding and continuing mission and activity of Saint Louis University. Additionally, it welcomes well-reasoned and reflective inquiry about students’ own beliefs, actions, character, and vocations in dialogue with the answers and modes of inquiry surrounding ultimate questions in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition and potentially other traditions and worldviews as well. This course opens students to a mode of inquiry and reflection that will serve them in their own lives, but, through sustained engagement with at least one religious tradition (Catholic Christianity), it will also develop interfaith competencies so that they are better prepared to understand and relate to individuals not just of the Catholic faith but also of any religious faith tradition. “In this way we learn to accept others and their different ways of living, thinking and speaking” (Evangelium Gaudii).