The theology essay is in many respects an exercise in reading. It is measuring how well and how widely you can read in the area of the question.
Because theology is an invitation to engage in a discussion that has been developing for two millennia, it would be arrogant AND daft to ignore the work of people who have gone before you. Now this can sound a little intimidating - there's so much to read! And what can I possibly say that hasn't been said already? Part of me wants to say 'good - be intimidated!' If you haven't grasped this, you are flirting with danger. But I would also want to say that entering this conversation gives you the benefit of all those who have gone before you. You can 'stand on the shoulders of giants' as they say, and see just a little bit further than them perhaps.
The thing here is not to get swamped - especially in your first round of reading. The idea of this first lot of reading is to get into the topic and see what it looks like - to get your bearings.
Visiting a new city is a bit like this. I visited Skopje in Macedonia recently, and I decided to go for a run early in the morning. I was afraid of getting lost amongst the blocks of 1960s flats. But Skopje has very visible orientation points: the river Vardar that courses through the city; a large mountain range on one side, with a 64 metre cross on its crown; and a city centre out from which the main roads radiate. In the end it was fairly simple, once these great landmarks had been located. 'Keep the river on your right and the mountain on your left' I said to myself as I sweated my way home. (I got a few strange looks from the locals, too: I don't think early morning exercise is what Skopjans do.)
That's what you are trying to locate in the question you are attempting: what are the great mountains and rivers in the discussion that will help you find where you are? Who are the great thinkers? What are the great issues that have arisen?
Your focus in the first instance should be broad. You should be reading quickly - for sketch information, not detail. You want to maximise your efforts by reading intensively in the things most worth reading - not getting bogged down on day one in irrelevant material. If you start reading something and it isn't what you need, move on.
Preliminary investigations should take you to one or more of the dictionaries of theology that are available. I use the New Dictionary of Theology (IVP), for example. Inevitably, the articles in these dictionaries have bibliographies which will give you a sense of what is most worth reading in this area. This is an important tip for research as a matter of fact: check the bibliographies of the things you are reading for further items to read.
But I also have in mind that I will check what some of the true greats in the tradition of Christian thought have said on a particular subject - almost no matter what subject that is. Augustine, for example, is such an important figure for all subsequent theology in the West - and he usually has something relevant to say. The Cappadocian Fathers are also worth visiting on many topics. As a Protestant, I am always interested in what Calvin and Luther had to say in the 16th century. In the middle ages, Thomas Aquinas is the mightiest figure. I am also interested in picking up from the seventeenth century the way in which the Protestant tradition systematised their thinking in the work of people like Francois Turretin. Moving forward, it is worth checking Friedrich Schleiermacher, the Father of modern liberalism - even if just to disagree with him. Then in the twentieth century, I always check Karl Barth, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jurgen Moltmann and more conservative figures like Herman Bavinck and the recent work of Reformed thinkers like say, Michael Horton and Kevin Vanhoozer.
Each of these writers are well indexed - and that's crucial. Use indexes to minimise the amount of irrelevant reading you have to do. Pinpoint exactly the right spot, and quickly get a sense of what is being said. Make short notes, file them carefully and move on.
Oh, and just a point about working on your computer. In these early stages, as you read, it is tempting to cut and past into a word file chunks of material that you are reading - and very easy to forget to attribute it. Then, as you come to write up your essay, you forget that that chunk of writing actually was written by someone else, you and just paste it into your essay unattributed. It's an easy mistake to make, but careful note taking will remedy it as you go.
(to be continued)
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