Theology and Religious Studies

In lists of recognized academic fields, theology and religious studies tend to be placed in a category of their own. Theology is usually considered to be Christian theology including its historical, exegetic-philological, systematic and practical branches. The field of religious studies, on the other hand, seems to be mainly responsible for religions other than Christianity. In practice, however, the situation is more complicated. For non-Christian religions also treat their histories and religious beliefs theologically - for instance Judaism and Islam. But religious self-perception and religious interpretations may sometimes suffer breaks in content and method when treated in the context of "Religious Studies".

Theology and religious studies - seen in their particular socio-cultural and scholarly milieu - include partly divergent but also partly convergent work on such fields as the phenomena of belief, history, institutions, and the cultural as well as political effects of religions. The current debates on the status of theology and religious studies point to changes and to newly developing patterns of relationships within the scholarly matrix.

The Fritz Thyssen Stiftung accepts applications from all areas of theology and religious studies. The Foundation´s policy of support allows it to include in its programmes a wide range of thematic interests, specialization in the sub-disciplines, and a variety of methodical approaches. Historical projects are welcome, as are studies on the current environments in which religions exist. Of particular interest are projects in areas where theology and religious studies overlap. Cultural change has altered the traditional perceptions of people, nature and society, and the consequences for religions and for their status in society have been considerable. The Foundation therefore encourages projects which, aside from the interdisciplinary structure already inherent in theology and religious studies, aim at synergetic effects with other academic disciplines.