Developments and Progress Dealing with the Faith-and-Reason Question

For those convinced that theology is about reconciling faith and reason or offering a reasonable account of Christian beliefs and ways of living, the task has become a huge challenge in recent times. This is because reason appears now, both as too demanding in its scientific form and too bewildered in many postmodern and critical expressions. Nevertheless, a deeper perspective can discern interesting developments that open new windows of opportunity for a well-informed theology. This article explores four such scenarios: identifying expressions of reason in each social system and understanding their function; researching beliefs and the process of believing as an essential cognitive function with its rational demands; studying religion, health and well-being to discover the healthy dimension of faith; and recent developments in science and theology, or theology engaging with and learning from science. In all these areas, we can see a growing and much-needed collaboration between faith and reason, and their inevitable plural expressions.