The Essential Key to Christian Theology:
BOTH/AND, not either/or
by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.
Consider the following proposition as a key to understanding the proper Christian approach to theology, especially but not only for Catholics:
The best Christian answer to any theological question is always "both/and," rather than "either/or."
At first glance, this proposal might seem ridiculous or contradictory. Isn't God absolute? Isn't there just one truth, as opposed to error? Indeed, this proposal does not imply that a statement and its direct negation are both true ("A is B" and "A is not B"). It would obviously be false to claim, for example, that "God is Love" and "God is not Love," or "Jesus is divine" and "Jesus is not divine." Moreover, this proposal does not apply to questions that are merely historical or factual: In what year was Paul born? What was the name of Peter's wife? How many people lived in Jerusalem?
However, consider these analogies from nature: every coin has both a heads and
a tails side; every battery has both a positive
and a negative terminal; the earth has both
a North Pole and a South Pole; every 24 hours has both day and night.
Similarly, consider these realities of human life: everyone experiences both joys and sorrows, both successes and failures; every person has both strengths and weaknesses; every proposal has both advantages and drawbacks.
So also there are always (at
least) two "sides" or "poles" to the best Christian answer
to any theological question. These opposite poles may seem far apart and difficult
to hold together. It is often difficult to understand and balance both sides of a complex issue,
just as we can't easily see both sides of a coin at the same time (without a mirror,
at least!). Yet the "opposite" sides are seldom really "contradictions,"
even if there may be some strong "tensions" between them.
For example, Christians believe that Jesus is both God and human. To a non-Christian, this might seem ridiculous. Even for a Christian, it is hard to understand or explain. How can anything or anyone be both divine and human? Or how can God be both transcendent and immanent? Or how can the Bible be both the Word of God and human literature? Can both creation and evolution be true somehow? Can both science and religion be reconciled? The Catholic answer to all these questions is YES, both the one side and its opposite not only can, but must be held together in tension, even if they seem to be contradictory, in order to understand the whole truth, the whole of the complex reality.
As early Christians were trying to understand the nature of Jesus and define other theological issues, they usually rejected the opinions (later called "heresies") of those who went too far to one side or the other: for example, those who said Jesus was human, but not fully divine (adoptionists), as well as those who believed he was fully divine, but only appeared to be human (docetists).
On some of these issues, all Christians (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox) today agree: God is transcendent/immanent, Jesus is divine/human, etc. On other important issues, however, some Christians maintain that only one side is true, but not the other. The 16th-century Protestant Reformers emphasized five "solas" (Latin word for "only"): sola scriptura (authority in "Scripture Alone," not also tradition); sola gratia (salvation by "Grace Alone," not also good works); sola fide (justification by "Faith Alone," not also merit); solus Christus (redemption by the saving death of "Christ Alone," not also human action); and solo Dei gloria (live for the "Glory of God Alone," not also ourselves or the world). Catholicism of the 16th century certainly neglected some of these important truths (not always in theory, but at least in practice) and focused too much on their opposite poles (e.g., too much emphasis on tradition, to the neglect of scripture; too much reliance on external works, to the neglect of interior faith, etc.). Yet the Protestants' efforts at reform sometimes moved them too far in the other direction.
Rather than overemphasizing one pole and neglecting the other, the challenge in Christian theology is always to hold the two poles together, to maintain a proper balance between both seemingly opposite sides of the truth. Another way of phrasing the "catholic" ("all-encompassing" or "universal") position would be to say, "Not Only..., But Also..." Here is a list of only some theological issues and the best Christian answers, which include both poles:
God is | both | Transcendent (beyond) | and | Immanent (within) |
God is | both | One Divine Nature | and | Three Divine Persons (Trinity) |
God is | both | Almighty Creator | and | Loving Father |
Jesus is | both | Fully Human | and | Fully Divine |
Jesus is | both | Son of Mary | and | Son of God |
Jesus is | both | Messiah of the Jews | and | Savior of All Nations |
Mary is | both | Mother of God | and | Mother of (the human) Jesus |
The Christian religion is based on | both | Scripture | and | Tradition |
The Bible is | both | Word of God (divinely inspired) | and | Authored by Humans (language limitations) |
The Bible contains | both | Eternal Truths | and | Contingent Materials |
The Bible must be | both | Read Literally (as literature) | and | Interpreted Spiritually (for theology & ethics) |
The Bible should be | both | Meditated Prayerfully | and | Studied Academically |
The Bible is | both | used by Individuals | and | Proclaimed in Churches/Communities |
The Bible contains | both | one unified Core Message | and | a diversity of Particular Theologies |
The Christian Bible contains | both | Old Testament | and | New Testament |
All four Gospels are | both | historical/biographical | and | spiritual/theological |
The origins of the Church go back to | both | Jesus | and | the Apostles |
The most influential Apostle was | both | Peter | and | Paul |
The early Church included | both | Jewish Christians | and | Gentile Christians |
The Church is | both | a Divine Mystery | and | a Human Institution |
The Church is | both | One Universal "Body of Christ" | and | Many Particular Local Communities |
The Church is | both | Holy (God's Spirit with us) | and | Imperfect (in need of ongoing reform) |
The Church needs | both | Traditionalists who Preserve | and | Visionaries who Innovate |
The Eucharist is | both | the Sacrifice of Christ | and | a Community Meal of Thanksgiving |
The Eucharist is | both | a memorial of Jesus' Last Supper | and | a foretaste of the Messianic Banquet |
The Mass includes | both | Liturgy of the Word (Scripture) | and | Liturgy of the Eucharist (Communion) |
Jesus is considered to be | both | High Priest (offering himself) | and | Sacrificial Victim (dying on the cross) |
Christ's priesthood is the basis of | both | the Priesthood of All Believers | and | the Ministerial Priesthood |
Human nature is | both | Good (created in God's image) | and | Sinful (in need of forgiveness) |
Humans can encounter God through | both | Prayer (meditation, contemplation) | and | Action (work, service) |
Humans are | both | Sinners (in need of forgiveness) | and | Saints (at least in process of becoming) |
All people have | both | Strengths (abilities, talents) | and | Weaknesses (ignorance, blind spots) |
The focus of our lives can be on | both | the Present World (living rightly) | and | the World to Come (going to heaven) |
The Greatest Commandment is | both | to Love God | and | to Love All (neighbors, enemies, self!) |
We can receive forgiveness of our sins | both | directly from God (in prayer) | and | through the Church's Ministers (sacraments) |
As human beings we are | both | Individual Persons | and | Social Beings in families & communities |
As human beings we are | both | Free to make our own choices | and | Obliged to choose what is good/right |
To live ethically, we must follow | both | our own Conscience | and | official Church Teachings |
We are formed and influenced by | both | Nature (heredity/genetics) | and | Nurture (environment/society) |
To be saved we must | both | Believe (have faith) | and | Put Faith into Practice (do good works) |
Our salvation is a result of | both | God's Grace (a free gift) | and | Our Cooperation (accepting the gift) |
Faith is | both | a Gift from God to Us | and | a Human Response to God |
Faith is | both | Trusting Relationship with God/Jesus | and | Obedient Assent to Doctrinal Truths |
We can know God through | both | Faith | and | Reason |
Our religious lives embrace | both | Theology (the mind) | and | Spirituality (the heart) |
The practice of religion includes | both | Faith (personal belief) | and | Justice (social action) |
Prayer includes | both | Speaking to God (vocal prayer) | and | Listening to God (contemplative prayer) |
Our world can be understood through | both | Religion | and | Science |
The world's origin can by explained by | both | Divine Creation | and | Natural Evolution |
Our relationship to the Earth involves | both | Caring for the Environment | and | Using the World's Resources |
God's Reign, as preached by Jesus, is | both | a Present Reality | and | awaiting Future Fulfillment |
Physical death is | both | the End of Mortal life | and | a transition to New/Immortal life |
We respond to loved ones' death with | both | Mourning for our/their loss | and | Rejoicing in their new life with God |
Life after death can be thought of as | both | Resurrection of the Body | and | Immortality of the Soul |
The End of the World may | both | Come Soon | and | Be Far Off |
The Risen Jesus is | both | Present, still with us (cf. Matt 28) | and | Ascended, but coming back again (cf. Luke 24) |
On Judgement Day God will be | both | Merciful | and | Just |
The Final Judgement will be | both | Individual / Particular | and | General / Universal |
Christian Theology embraces | both | the Via Positiva (what we can know) | and | the Via Negativa (what we cannot know) |
The list could go on and on, but I hope you get the point. Just as every coin has two sides, so the Catholic response to any theological question is not satisfied with either/or choices, with answers that consider only one side. An authentic Catholic-Christian theology always attempts to understand both sides of a reality in all its complexity, and tries to avoid overemphasizing one side while neglecting the other, which leads not only to distortions of the truth but also to unfortunate consequences in practice.
Of course, not everything is best described in complementary pairs, but may also involve triads or more complex combinations. Here is a short list of some triads or "threes" that are important in the Christian religion:
God is One, but also Trinity: | Father, | Son, | and | Holy Spirit |
God has three primary roles: | Creator, | Redeemer, | and | Sanctifier |
Jesus is anointed in three roles: | Priest, | Prophet, | and | King |
The Hebrew Bible has three parts: | Torah/Law | Nevi'im/Prophets | and | Khetuvim/Writings |
Three foundational patriarchs of Israel: | Abraham, | Isaac, | and | Jacob |
Three core disciples of Jesus: | Peter, | James, | and | John |
Three named (arch)angels in the Bible: | Michael, | Gabriel, | and | Raphael |
Three sacraments of initiation: | Baptism, | Confirmation, | and | Eucharist |
Three aspects of human nature: | body, | soul, | and | spirit |
Three traditional modes of prayer: | oratio, | meditatio, | and | contemplatio |
Three theological virtues: | faith, | hope, | and | love |
The communion of saints includes | past, | present, | and | future |
The love commandment includes love of | God, | others, | and | oneself |
Just as groups of four occur frequently in ancient and popular culture (four seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter; four directions: N, S, E, W; four elements: earth, wind, water, fire), some of the most important aspects of biblical and post-biblical Christianity come in groups of four:
Four main sections of the Christian Old Testament: | Pentateuch / Law | Historical Books | Wisdom Books | Prophetic Books |
Four main sections of the Christian New Testament: | Gospels | Acts | Letters/Epistles | Apocalypse |
Four rivers in Paradise (Genesis 2:10-14): | Pishon | Gihon | Tigris | Euphrates |
Four mothers of the 12 Tribes of Israel: | Leah | Rachel | Zilpah | Bilhah |
Four major Prophets in the Old Testament: | Isaiah | Jeremiah | Ezekiel | Daniel |
Four Evangelists and Gospels in the New Testament: | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
Four "living creatures" (Ezekiel 1:1-14 & Revelation 4:7): | Human | Lion | Ox | Eagle |
Four types of soil in the sower/seed pabable (Mark 4): | trodden path | rocky soil | choking weeds | good/rich soil |
Four pairs of beatitudes & woes in Luke 6: | poor/rich | hungry/filled | weeping/laughing | reviled/honored |
Four horsemen & plagues in the Apocalypse (Rev 6:1-8): | white: pestilence | red: war | black: famine | pale green: death |
Four cardinal virtues (post-biblical): | prudence | justice | fortitude | temperance |
Four "notes" describing the Church: | one | holy | catholic | apostolic |
Four main types of prayer (A.C.T.S.): | Adoration/praise | Contrition/penance | Thanksgiving/gratitude | Supplication/petition |
Four main parts to the Mass: | Entrance Rites | Liturgy of the Word | Liturgy of the Eucharist | Concluding Rites |
Four ways Jesus is present during the Mass: | Assembly (body) | Presider (head) | Word (Scripture) | Eucharist (Communion) |
Finally, since the reality of life is often much more complex, one could easily compile much longer lists of attributes, qualities, parts, or other items that describe a certain reality. One need only think of the periodic table of elements in chemistry, or the types of sports competed at the olympics, or the names of all states or provinces within a particular country, and so forth. The Bible contains some significant lists illustrating the greater complexity of certain aspects of divine truth and human life:
If you have suggestions for additions to any of the above,
please email me at fjust--at--jesuits.org (replacing --at-- with the @ symbol).
In his book, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future (Simon & Schuster, 2020), Pope Francis talks in his own words about the same concepts that I have tried to explain above.
Although Pope Francis is primarily discussing inter-personal tensions, his ideas can easily be applied to many other situations involving differences of opinion (including theological differences).
The following section is from pages 78-81 of Let Us Dream (with some emphases added).
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October 15, 2022
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