Virtually everybody knows Dr. Phil. He is a clinical psychologist who is on TV five days a week, dealing with human relationships in a rational way and attempting to get people to make proper choices and take responsibility for their actions.
While people in religious vocations draw upon psychological insights for their work, their primary training is in theology. Theology is the study of God; more specifically, it is the study of God within particular religious traditions.
People trained in theology are called "theologians." There are Jewish theologians, Protestant theologians, Roman Catholic theologians, Muslim theologians, etc. They clarify and articulate the convictions of their faith community, and relate these conviction to human problems. Academic theologians do this through books and articles in journals. Parish pastors do this in their teaching, preaching, and pastoral care. People like Martin Luther King, Jr. did this on a national stage through the Civil Rights movement.
Next time people ask me what I do, I'll them I'm a theologist. More specifically, if a person tells me he is a behavoral psychologist, I will tell him that I am a Protestant theologist.
While people in religious vocations draw upon psychological insights for their work, their primary training is in theology. Theology is the study of God; more specifically, it is the study of God within particular religious traditions.
People trained in theology are called "theologians." There are Jewish theologians, Protestant theologians, Roman Catholic theologians, Muslim theologians, etc. They clarify and articulate the convictions of their faith community, and relate these conviction to human problems. Academic theologians do this through books and articles in journals. Parish pastors do this in their teaching, preaching, and pastoral care. People like Martin Luther King, Jr. did this on a national stage through the Civil Rights movement.
Next time people ask me what I do, I'll them I'm a theologist. More specifically, if a person tells me he is a behavoral psychologist, I will tell him that I am a Protestant theologist.
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