Theology as intellectus fidei

on the “starting point” of theology

Abstract

In 2007 and 2008, a tense and controversial debate took place in Brazil about the theoretical status of Liberation Theology, proved by Clodovis Boff’s scathing criticism of what he considers an “inversion of principle” in this theology, with serious consequences for faith, for evangelization and for theology itself. One of the fundamental points of this debate concerns the “starting point” (foundation, source, principle, arché) of theology. And this is the subject of our study in this work. Without entering directly into the polemics of that debate, it is interesting here to return to the problematic of the “starting point” of theology that is at the origin of this debate. For this, we will present the position of Clodovis Boff and Gustavo Gutiérrez who express well the main theses/postures on this issue; we will explain the theoretical-theological conflict between them, as well as the theoretical-epistemological assumptions that condition and sustain them; and we will highlight the theological-pastoral implications of these positions. With this, while we will make explicit a theoretical-theological conflict in the aforementioned debate on the theoretical status of liberation theology (theoretical assumptions), we will address a fundamental and decisive issue of theological work (departure point).