Theology, BA

Theology is "faith seeking understanding." Theology programs at the University of Dallas strive to faithfully heed and articulate the message of the Word of God. Students explore Scripture, the history of Christian doctrine, systematic theology and moral theology.

Admittedly, our Western civilization cannot be properly understood without some knowledge of Christianity, which is both a basis and an integral part of our cultural heritage. The study of theology, however, is much more than an essential discipline in the liberal arts education; it has a higher and more comprehensive aim. In relating humanity and the world to their absolute origin and end, theology imparts an ultimate unity to our understanding of reality and helps us, as no purely human discipline can, to see and fulfill the meaning of human existence.

Theology Department Mission and Identity

• We offer an intellectually rigorous Catholicism:  "always have your answer ready for the people who ask you the reason for the hope within" (I pt 3:15).  Our task is not primarily a catechetical one, but a theological one.
• Our mission is the recovery and renewal of the Catholic theological tradition in harmony with the Magisterium and in dialogue with contemporary thought.  Since we know who we are, we are especially capable of dealing with the profound questions of modern and contemporary thought.
• We integrate the four fields of theology:  Scripture, History of Christian Doctrine, Systematic Theology, and Moral Theology.  We treat all topics of these four fields within the living Catholic faith.
• We read Scripture, and classic writings from Athanasius, Augustine, Aquinas, Newman, de Lubac, and theological writings from classic thinkers such as John Paul II.  In the "UD Core spirit" we focus on original texts. 
• We are and continually strive to be scripturally and historically rooted, philosophically astute, ecumenical and faithful to Catholic teaching.

Distinctive Features

The Theology program at the University of Dallas has features that distinguish it from other programs.  For example, in their study of theology, UD students read primary theological texts rather than summaries in textbooks.  The theological texts read are foundational to western theological tradition and include such works as the Bible, Augustine's Confessions, the Summa of Thomas Aquinas, and Dei Verbum from the Second Vatican Council.

This engagement with primary and classic writings begins in two courses of the UD core, Understanding the Bible and Western Theological Tradition.  All UD undergraduates take these courses which provide the foundation for further theological study.