Doctrine

Abstract

Abstract This chapter deals with the ontic and epistemic aspects of doctrine, which has important parallels with the development of scientific theories. It explores how Christian doctrine can be seen both as an ontological disclosure, allowing theological reality to be seen in a new way, and as a coordinating framework which holds together multiple aspects of a greater whole. There are clear parallels here with ontic and epistemic approaches to scientific explanation, often expressed in terms of ‘realist’ and ‘instrumentalist’ approaches to reality. After considering how ontic and epistemic approaches are developed in the natural sciences, the chapter explores how two important Christian doctrines—the incarnation and Trinity—can be seen as both securing ontological disclosure and as offering a coordinating framework for a complex reality.