The science and faith debate is dominated by Western voices. In order to enrich this debate, the authors study the discourses of different groups of Christian academics and master's students in francophone Africa. This article describes the process of reconstructing and analyzing the discourse of a group of master's students from Abidjan (Ivory Coast) with the help of group model building and focus groups. Three characteristic features that emerge from this discourse include the foundational position of faith, the central role of truth, and the ambiguous connotations of the term “science” in this context. The reconstructed discourse is then brought into conversation with the North Atlantic debate, with a special focus on the concept of scientism.

Although US Pentecostalism has traditionally been characterized by unease towards science, due to socio-economic positioning and theological stances, Pentecostals like James Smith and others have recently launched a ‘fresh engagement with the sciences’. The feasibility of his proposal is discussed in this article. Based on the contributions of four Pentecostal participants in the research project “Science and Religion in French-speaking Africa,” the author argues that their perspectives are not coloured by naturalism, which according to Smith is one of the main limiting factors to traditional US Pentecostal engagement with science. Consequently certain expressions of African Pentecostalism would be open to Smith’s proposal. Nevertheless, the author argues that both the African and the US cultural contexts need to be taken into account more seriously. Such an approach reveals that in both contexts the possibilities for a fresh Pentecostal engagement with the sciences are more limited than Smith suggests.

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Uitgaande van het KNAW rapport Klaar om te wenden, presenteert dit artikel de gezamenlijke visie van de vier auteurs (allen verbonden aan de PThU) op de theologie. Zij delen het gevoel van urgentie om de interdisciplinaire studie van religie georganiseerd ter hand te nemen die in het rapport wordt genoemd, maar kunnen zich niet vinden in de reden die daarvoor wordt aangevoerd voor de participatie van de theologie. De theologische bijdrage aan deze interdisciplinaire onderneming is namelijk veel specifieker dan uit dit rapport blijkt. Niet een veronderstelde gezamenlijke focus op wat ‘geleefd geloof’ genoemd wordt of het verwoorden van het ‘insiders perspectief’, maar de wijze waarop de theologie normatieve vragen aan de orde stelt en behandelt biedt de basis voor een zelfstandige bijdrage van de theologie. Deze normativiteit komt aan het licht in de zoektocht van de theologie naar het ware, goede en schone, aldus de auteurs. Deze benadering krijgt weinig aandacht aan de Nederlandse universiteiten ‐ één van de redenen waarom de theologie zich gespecialieerd heeft in het transparant maken van (vaak impliciete) normativiteit. Met deze specifieke inbreng zoekt de theologie de dialoog met andere wetenschappen. Zonder dit verstaan van de theologie en de bijbehorende dialoog is er volgens de schrijvers onvoldoende basis voor een gezamenlijk onderzoeksprogramma over religie. Deze gezamenlijke visie wordt gevolgd door vier artikelen, waarin steeds een casus wordt gepresenteerd die een bepaald onderdeel van deze visie op de interdisciplinaire samenwerking verder uitwerkt.

The concept of 'desire' offers an interesting bridge between cultural phenomena of contemporary society and the theological tradition. The exploration of some key elements of this tradition concerning desire supports the launching of a 'theology of desire'. Although the natural desire for God, as discussed in the socalled 'théologie nouvelle', provides very valuable material for this exploration, 'desire' is conceived here in a somewhat broader sense. Three levels of desire are distinguished. The 'lover's desire' refers to the conscious affirmation of the presence of God's love. The second level, called the 'seeker's desire', concerns a more general desire for happiness. Third, the desire for God as an ontological term refers to the relationship between God and humankind. The desire for God, revealed by Jesus Christ, demonstrates the ultimate capacity of our human nature. Thus christology, and especially the creed of Chalcedon, offers the key to systematic anthropology. Finally, the daily reality of the desire for God is discussed with the help of Gregory of Nyssa's concept of asceticism. The integrating power of the Holy Spirit makes the channelling of our desires possible, so that the desire for God forms a part of daily life. Three challenges to encourage continuation on the way toward a theology of desire form the conclusion. The reconsidering of an ontological approach in theology, the priority to christology in systematic anthropology and the ethical and missionary possibilities of the desire for God are invitations for theologians to further explore the theology of desire.