Theological Doctrines as Scientific Theories? Thinking along with and beyond McGrath

Abstract McGrath's recent analysis of the parallels between scientific theory formation and the development of theological doctrine in The Nature of Christian Doctrine (OUP, 2024) is insightful and largely compelling, but also raises some questions and areas for further exploration. First, there is a remarkable back‐and‐forth between uses of ‘doctrine’ and ‘theory’ in the singular and in the plural, which asks for more detailed conceptual clarification. Second, the disanalogies between theological doctrines and scientific theories remain underdeveloped and should be highlighted, along with the analogies. Third, the lack of reflection on sound development of doctrine(s) beyond the patristic era should be addressed. This article attempts to contribute to these three tasks.