ABSTRACT
Theology is seldom treated by sociologists as anything other than epiphenomenal and the symbols and concepts generated by theology are typically ignored in sociological accounts of religion in Western society. The views of the theologian about religion are of the first importance to the sociology of religion. What the theologians say about religion has considerable impact on the belief and practice of religious bodies, on how their members see their functions, on how religious bodies relate themselves to the outside world, on their programmes of mission, on their attitudes to other religions. In contrast to the neglect of theology by later sociologists of religion, two of the pioneers of the discipline took it more seriously. The theologian and church historian Ernst Troeltsch and the sociologist Max Weber were prepared to treat, not only religion, but also theology, as an independent variable within society: for both, specifically theological symbols and concepts could be socially significant.
