Go and Observe the Sower: Seeing Empirical Theology at Work

Abstract

This study explored and operationalised two theological constructs, one concerning the nature of being human (rooted in a theology of individual differences) and one concerning the nature of the church (rooted in ecclesiology). These two operationalised constructs were tested among a sample of 1,418 Anglican clergy resident in England to account for variance in three measures on which there was considerable variability among such clergy (after controlling for sex and age): traditional moral belief, traditional religious belief, and traditional worship. The data demonstrated that both theological constructs (concerning the nature of being human and concerning the nature of the church) explained significant variance in all three measures. The implications of these findings were discussed for ways in which diversity in belief is embraced or rejected within the Anglican Church.