Contemporary Creedal Studies and the Problem of Faith Effectiveness - A Critical Methodological Approach

Abstract

This study addresses the problem of faith effectiveness in doctrinal studies. It starts from the premise that the crisis in these studies is not a crisis in the content of the doctrine or its foundational beliefs, but rather it is essentially a methodological and epistemological crisis linked to the dominance of the abstract dialectical approach, the decline in considering the teleological dimension in the functional aspect of the doctrine, and the isolation of the doctrinal field from disciplined methodological interaction with other sciences. The study adopted the descriptive method to observe and diagnose the manifestations of the crisis, and the analytical and critical method to deconstruct the structure of the prevailing doctrinal discourse, reveal the features of stagnation and the reasons for the decline in effectiveness, and then explore possible horizons for renewal.

The study concludes that restoring the faith-based effectiveness of doctrinal studies depends on their ability to combine the authenticity of the source with the effectiveness of its application, thereby expanding its scope to include the issues of contemporary humanity.

This also involves reviving the functional dimension by focusing on the objectives that the creed was revealed to achieve, and by adopting a disciplined, methodological openness to various human sciences and knowledge, without compromising the fundamentals of the creed and the monotheistic source.