ABSTRACT
In describing the processes of theological action research, the ARCS researchers came to speak of reflecting on data in terms of ‘the four voices of theology’. They began to see an inter-penetration of different types of theological authority form practices – with operant and espoused theologies – and the academies formal theology, together with ecclesial and traditional normative voices. This framework for understanding the ways in which theology was being heard in the reflective conversations around data has become a notable characteristic of theological action research as it has been received and developed. The following chapter elaborates on both the origins and understanding of the four voices account of theology, giving proper complexification and nuance to the very brief outline offered in earlier publications. Questions and problems regarding the voices – their relative authority and interrelation – are discussed, before concluding with the suggestion that the four voices can be best understood as a diagrammatic account of a practical fundamental theology.
