This article comes out of a conversation I had with Johan while driving back from Denver after attending Theology Beer Camp. For several days I’d heard deep discussions from a wide variety of theologies. It was a bit overwhelming and a little confusing for someone who’s never been to seminary. On that drive, Johan broke down the structural theology tree for me and helped me understand the different branches and how it all related. If you’re confused or intimidated like I was, this article might help. If you still have questions after reading, don’t hesitate to raise your hand…we love questions! With that, here we go:
If you’ve ever heard the word “theology” and thought it sounded like something reserved for pastors, academics, or monks in ancient libraries — you’re not alone. But theology is actually a deeply human pursuit. At its core, theology is about asking big questions:
Who or what is God?
Why are we here?
What does it mean to live a good life?
How should we respond to suffering, love, and injustice?
Whether you’re deeply religious, skeptical, spiritual-but-not-religious, or just curious, theology is one of the ways human beings try to make sense of the divine and the meaning of existence.
But what is theology exactly, and how do all the different kinds — like Biblical Theology, Practical Theology, Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology, or Queer Theology — fit together?
Let’s break it down.
Theology, Simply Defined
Theology literally means “the study of God.” But more broadly, it’s the study, or investigation, of religious belief, spiritual practice, divine reality, and the moral and existential questions that flow from it. The specific direction or focus of one’s study can be very different based of their individual lived experience, hence the variety of contextual theologies you’ll see mentioned.
People do theology when they:
- Reflect on what it means to be human in relation to God
- Interpret sacred texts
- Seek justice through faith
- Wrestle with suffering or death
- Imagine what “salvation” or “liberation” could look like
Theology is done in academic settings, in churches, in grassroots communities, and even in art, protest, and poetry. Here’s where I insert a shameless plug for Brew Theology KC. We meet the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month to talk all things “theology”. Come join us!
The Theology Tree: A Map of the Conversation
To help visualize how theology works, imagine it like a tree:
The Trunk: Core Branches of Theology
These are the classical, foundational areas that form the structure of most theological education:
- Biblical Theology
Studies what the Bible says about God, humanity, and the world. Often split between Old and New Testaments. - Systematic Theology
Organizes beliefs into doctrines (e.g., the nature of God, Jesus, salvation, sin, the Church, end times). - Historical Theology
Looks at how Christian thought has developed over time (early church, Reformation, modernity, etc.). - Moral / Ethical Theology
Explores questions of right and wrong, justice, sexuality, war, economics, and more. - Practical Theology
Focuses on lived faith — preaching, worship, pastoral care, community practice. - Philosophical Theology
Uses reason and logic to explore theological questions like: “Does God exist?” or “Why is there evil?”
The Branches: Contextual and Constructive Theologies
These are theologies that arise from specific cultural, political, or social experiences. They critique and expand classical theology by asking:
What happens when we center the voices that have been left out?
Included in these are theologies such as:
- Liberation Theology – Theology from the oppressed and poor.
- Black Theology – From the Black experience, particularly in America.
- Feminist and Womanist Theologies – Theology from women’s and Black women’s experiences.
- Mujerista Theology – From Latina women, often Catholic.
- Indigenous Theology – Centering native traditions, land, and memory.
- Asian and Asian-American Theologies – Often blending Christian and cultural/religious traditions.
- Dalit Theology – From the caste-oppressed in India.
- Queer Theology – From LGBTQ+ experience.
- Disability Theology – Centering the experience of disabled persons.
- Migration & Border Theologies – Exploring theology from exile, crossing, and belonging.
- Postcolonial Theology – Challenging imperial and colonial frameworks in doctrine and mission.
- Eco-Theology – Interpreting faith through climate, ecology, and earth care.
- Working-Class Theology – Rooted in labor, economics, and material struggle.
- Youth & Pop Culture Theologies – Engaging music, media, fandom, and generational identity.
Each of these contextual theologies invites us to reconsider not only what God is like, but also how our understanding of the divine is shaped by lived experience — by race, gender, sexuality, culture, disability, class, and geography. They challenge the idea that theology is the domain of detached experts or dominant voices and insist that those on the margins — the oppressed, the overlooked, the excluded — have sacred insight. In doing so, they expand our imagination of God and open the doors of theology to new storytellers, prophets, and communities.
Understanding How a Contextual Theology Relates to the Whole
Let’s use Queer Theology as an example of how one of these “branches” works and how it relates to the rest of the tree.
Queer Theology:
- Emerges from the experiences of LGBTQ+ people
- Reimagines God, scripture, and faith outside of rigid gender and sexual norms
- Challenges exclusionary doctrines and reframes them through love, justice, and fluidity
- Sees queerness not as something to be tolerated, but as sacred and revelatory
Key Themes in Queer Theology:
- God Beyond Binaries: God is not just male or female — God transcends gender.
- Jesus as Queer: Jesus broke social rules, crossed boundaries, embraced outsiders — radical, fluid, and disruptive.
- Coming Out as Sacred: The act of coming out can mirror resurrection, revelation, or prophetic truth.
- Bodies and Desire: Queer theology affirms bodies, pleasure, and difference as spiritual.
How Queer Theology Relates Back Up the Tree
Here’s how Queer Theology draws from and contributes to the broader theological conversation:
- Biblical Theology – Offers queer readings of scripture, reclaiming stories like David & Jonathan or the Ethiopian eunuch.
- Systematic Theology – Reconsiders doctrines like sin, salvation, and the Trinity through queer experience.
- Moral Theology – Critiques harmful ethical systems and offers new models of love, justice, and community.
- Practical Theology – Shapes affirming worship, pastoral care, and inclusive liturgy.
- Liberation Theology – Shares the same impulse toward justice, but with a focus on disrupting gender/sexual norms.
What About Open and Relational Theology?
We often talk about Open and Relational Theology during our conversations at Brew Theology and you might be thinking, “Hey I didn’t see it listed.” Let’s examine it separately. While contextual theologies are shaped by who you are and where you are, Open and Relational Theology is shaped by how we think God works. It’s a theological framework rather than a social location — but it has radical implications.
What It Teaches:
- The future is open — even to God.
- God doesn’t control everything but relates to the world with love and responsiveness.
- God’s power is non-coercive: God influences creation through relationship, not domination.
- Love is God’s core attribute — not control, perfection, or impassibility.
This theology helps many people wrestle with suffering, trauma, and justice because it offers a God who feels, responds, adapts, and acts in love, not control. This lack of coercive control is a key foundation.
Where It Fits on the Theology Tree:
- Systematic Theology – Challenges and reimagines doctrines about God’s power and knowledge.
- Philosophical Theology – Engages metaphysics, time, and causality.
- Practical Theology – Offers a deeply pastoral view of God who suffers with and empowers us.
- Contextual Theologies – Aligns with liberation, feminist, and queer theologies that reject authoritarian models of God.
So, Why Does This Matter?
Understanding the structure of theology — and how something like Queer Theology or Open and Relational Theology fits into the whole — helps us see that theology isn’t static. It’s alive. It grows. It responds to people’s real lives.
Rather than being a rigid system of beliefs, theology is a conversation — one that spans centuries, cultures, and experiences. And like any good conversation, it evolves when new voices speak up.
Final Thought
Theology is for everyone — not just scholars or clergy. It’s for anyone who’s ever asked, “Where is God in this?” or “What does my life mean?”
Contextual theologies remind us that everyone’s story matters.
Open and Relational Theology reminds us that God is still in relationship with that story.
And theology as a whole reminds us that the journey of faith is never just about answers — it’s about love, justice, and the courage to keep asking better questions.
Want to Explore More?
Here are some Key Voices & Resources for Each Branch of Theology. Are there other resources you’d recommend? Drop a comment!
Biblical Theology
What it’s about: Understanding how the Bible presents theology within its historical, literary, and theological context.
- 📘 The Drama of Scripture – Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen
- 🎙️ N.T. Wright – Anglican scholar; accessible work on Paul, Jesus, and resurrection
- 🎧 The Bible Project (Podcast + Videos) – Free, narrative-focused Bible theology
- 🧠 Walter Brueggemann – Especially The Prophetic Imagination
Systematic Theology
What it’s about: Organizing doctrines into a comprehensive view of Christian belief.
- 📘 Christian Theology – Millard Erickson (Evangelical perspective)
- 📘 Systematic Theology – James Cone (Liberationist perspective)
- 📘 Faith Seeking Understanding – Daniel Migliore (Reformed, accessible)
- 🧠 Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Thomas Aquinas – classical foundations
- 🎧 Homebrewed Christianity (Podcast) – Progressive and postmodern takes
Historical Theology
What it’s about: How Christian beliefs developed over time — councils, creeds, reformations, schisms.
- 📘 Historical Theology: An Introduction – Alister McGrath
- 📘 The Story of Christianity (Vols. 1 & 2) – Justo González
- 🧠 Augustine, Martin Luther, Julian of Norwich, John Calvin, John Wesley – pivotal figures
- 🎙️ Reclaiming My Theology – A podcast that critiques church history from decolonial and anti-oppression lenses
Moral / Ethical Theology
What it’s about: Exploring moral principles, justice, sexuality, war, economics, and more in light of faith.
- 📘 The Moral Vision of the New Testament – Richard B. Hays
- 📘 Justice in Love – Nicholas Wolterstorff
- 📘 Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins – Miguel A. De La Torre
- 🧠 Stanley Hauerwas – Focus on virtue and narrative ethics
- 🎧 The Confessional Podcast (Nadia Bolz-Weber) – Real stories of moral complexity and grace
Practical Theology
What it’s about: Theology applied to real life — preaching, community, pastoral care, spiritual formation.
- 📘 Pastoral Theology – Andrew Purves
- 📘 The Practice of Theology – Kelly M. Kapic
- 📘 From What Is to What If – Rob Hopkins (imaginative community formation)
- 🧠 Howard Thurman – Jesus and the Disinherited
- 🎧 Everything Happens with Kate Bowler – Living theology through suffering and joy
Philosophical Theology
What it’s about: Using philosophy and logic to explore God, reality, suffering, and metaphysics.
- 📘 Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology – Louis Pojman & Michael Rea
- 📘 God, Freedom, and Evil – Alvin Plantinga
- 📘 The Experience of God – David Bentley Hart
- 🧠 Simone Weil, Søren Kierkegaard, Paul Ricoeur – existential and mystical streams
- 🎧 Closer to Truth – YouTube interviews with theologians and philosophers of religion
Contextual Theologies
(These branches often overlap and interact)
Queer Theology
- 📘 Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology – Patrick Cheng
- 📘 The Queer God – Marcella Althaus-Reid
- 📘 Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Trans Christians – Austen Hartke
- 🎧 Queer Theology Podcast – Brian G. Murphy & Shay Kearns
- 🎙️ Broderick Greer, James Alison
Liberation Theology
- 📘 A Theology of Liberation – Gustavo Gutiérrez
- 📘 Jesus and the Disinherited – Howard Thurman
- 📘 The Cross and the Lynching Tree – James Cone
- 📘 God of the Oppressed – James Cone
- 🎧 The Prophetic Resistance Podcast
Feminist, Womanist & Mujerista Theology
- 📘 In Memory of Her – Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
- 📘 A Womanist Theology – Emilie M. Townes
- 📘 Mujerista Theology – Ada María Isasi-Díaz
- 🎙️ Wil Gafney, Delores S. Williams, Katie Cannon
Postcolonial & Indigenous Theology
- 📘 Decolonizing Theology – Orlando O. Espín
- 📘 The Land Cries Out – Palestinian liberation theology collection
- 📘 Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry – Indigenous Christian perspectives
- 🎧 Theologies from the Global South – Various platforms
Eco-Theology / Earth-Centered Theology
- 📘 The Sacred Universe – Thomas Berry
- 📘 Ask the Beasts – Elizabeth A. Johnson
- 🎙️ Laudato Si’ – Pope Francis’s encyclical on climate and justice
- 🎧 For the Wild Podcast
Disability Theology
- 📘 The Disabled God – Nancy L. Eiesland
- 📘 Theology and Down Syndrome – Amos Yong
- 🎧 Crip Theology episodes on various progressive faith podcasts
Migration / Border Theology
- 📘 A Theology of Migration – M. Daniel Carroll R.
- 📘 Globalization, Spirituality, and Justice – Daniel G. Groody
African, Afro-Caribbean, and Dalit Theology
- 📘 African Religions and Philosophy – John Mbiti
- 📘 Introducing Dalit Theology – James Massey
- 📘 African Theology en Route – Mercy Amba Oduyoye
Open and Relational Theology
What it’s about: God is not a distant, all-controlling being, but deeply engaged, responsive, and loving. The future is open — not fixed — and God works in relationship, not coercion.
Beginner-Friendly Books
- 📘 Open and Relational Theology: An Introduction to Life-Changing Ideas About God – Thomas Jay Oord
- 📘 The Uncontrolling Love of God – Thomas Jay Oord
- 📘 Theology of Consent – Jonathan Foster
- 📘 The God Who Risks – John Sanders
- 📘 God Can’t – Thomas Jay Oord (trauma-focused and pastoral)
Podcasts & Resources
- 🎙️ Open and Relational Theology Podcast – Hosted by Tom Oord
- 🎧 Homebrewed Christianity – Features many related thinkers
- 🌐 openandrelationaltheology.com
- 🌐 Center for Open and Relational Theology (C4ORT)