Vernunft und Religion im Zeitalter knapper Ressourcen. Zur Aktualität theologischer Wissenschaft

The role of academic theology in a pluralistic society is described in this lecture marking the 100th anniversary of the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Unversität in Münster. Because social communication inevitably reproduces the presence of religious language (as Niklas Luhmann suggests), and since social resources, such as solidarity, are limited (as Jürgen Habermas argues), even non-believers may have good reasons for acknowledging the public impact of religion(s). Academic theology bridges the gap between religion and rationality, it fosters their mutual recognition and correlation, and it overall fulfills its function for the churches all the better when taking its social responsibility seriously.