Sample Theological Reflection Papers

Killen and deBeer state that “theological reflection involves bringing our religious heritage, in this case the Christian heritage, into our reflection on experience done from the standpoint of exploration.” (Killen pg. 52) My ability to reflect upon my personal experiences, good and bad, as an African American woman in ministry have helped develop my interpretation of the study of the nature of God and religion. These same experiences help to shape my understanding of theology, my methods, norms and sources for theology.
Theological sources can be derived from a number of places. The sources that I use are a reflection of my experiences. Naturally, for any Christian or anyone attempting to engage in theological thought, the Bible is valid source of reflection. It is the guidebook that leads us to the truth, …show more content…
Cone mentions that “there are many factors which shape the perspective of black theology.” (Cone pg 23). They are listed as: black experience, black history, black culture, revelation, scripture, and tradition. It is evident in today’s society that black people experience the world differently than other people. Black history shows that these differences have been existence a long time. As far back as slavery, and even before, black people have been oppressed. Today’s society is no different as black people continue face attacks based on the fact that they are black. The very culture of “being black” is under attack. Black culture, “strongly related to black experience and black history”, is under attack and some of the attacks are hitting close to home. (Cone pg. 27) Men, women, and children are dying for senseless reasons. The experiences of black people, even in the twenty-first century, have not all been good. There have been good experiences, but other experiences have been painful. Those are the experiences that prove to be most difficult sources for me to