Theology as a Double Prophetic Discipline for Catholic Universities: Reading the Signs of the Times

Abstract The contemporary era is defined radically by the need to articulate how old identities can help address the realities of the day. This fact is not lost to the mission and identities of universities and colleges that are affiliated to the Catholic Church. Many institutions are reflecting on ways their understanding of their Catholic identity can align with the mission they embrace in a world that must address the realities of diversity. The question thus arises: what role can the discipline of theology serve in this process? The case is made in this work that theology can be a dialogical partner that fosters collaboration among the disciplines that Catholic universities offer in such a manner that those collaborations help to address the needs of the times. To do this well, a case is made for what is termed a double prophetic consciousness. This type of consciousness calls for a dual approach of discerning the signs of the times that affect social realities as well as having the courage to prune the tools, methodologies, and focus of the discipline itself so that its insights are truly relevant for the age we live in.