Fine-Tuning the Sources of Theology

In this chapter I argue that progress in theology can be attained by improving the use of the sources of knowledge which theologians have at their disposal. Traditionally the sources of theology include Scripture, tradition, reason, nature/creation, and religious experience. I argue that all these sources can be improved or fine-tuned by various innovations. Examples of innovations are increased knowledge from other disciplines, like knowledge of Hebrew and history for the study of Scripture; linguistic and historical analysis for the study of tradition; increased knowledge of biology for nature/creation; and insights from cognitive (neuro)science for religious experience. All such innovations can be put into practice to make better use of theological sources and thereby achieve more knowledge of God. After laying out the overall argument, I zoom in on how insights from cognitive (neuro)science can enhance the use of religious experience for theology. I discuss how contemporary theories shed light on how human minds process information during religious experiences. Special attention will be given to how religious experiences can suffer from distorting influences from social pressures or anthropomorphism.