The Relationship between Theological Prolegomena and Imago Dei: A Reformed Analysis of Evangelical Systematic Theology

Abstract

If the content of theology should align with the method of doing theology, then carefully ensuring consistency between prolegomena and the content of dogmatics is essential for the theological task. Yet for many evangelical theologians, scarcity of prolegomenal considerations has led to systemic problems. Here I investigate how the doctrine of the image of God impinges upon our understanding of the nature of theological language, in order to expose a deep yet tacit inconsistency operative within recent evangelical accounts that affirm the univocity of theological predication. In contrast to these works, my claim is that a robust commitment to a comprehensive doctrine of the imago Dei entails an analogical view of human predications about God. In this regard, works in evangelical systematics that simultaneously affirm univocity and a robust doctrine of imago Dei have not sufficiently synthesized the content of their theology with their theological methodology.