A Problem with Method in Theological Anthropology: Towards an All-Inclusive Theology *

Abstract

Although most of the theological anthropologies that have been developed in modern times purport to apply to all human beings, recent theologians representing the causes of feminism, the liberation of the poor and oppressed, or those with disabilities, to name just a few examples, have repeatedly complained that mainstream theologies exclude or at least fail to include these causes amongst their concerns. In this paper, I will draw on the work of Thomas Aquinas to outline a possible framework for incorporating into mainstream systematic theology these theologians’ critiques as well as their constructive efforts to account for the image of God in the aforementioned parties. The key to accomplishing this task, I will argue, involves the development of a more differentiated account of sin, which addresses the way that both those included and seemingly excluded from traditional accounts experience and commit sin.