Jay Phillips Center Programs
Comparative Theology as Method
Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
9-30-2026
Sponsoring Department(s)
The Jay Phillips Center
Abstract
The Second Vatican Council was ambiguous on the question of the Catholic relationship to non-Christians. With whom are Catholics called to dialogue? To whom is the church to direct its missionary activity? Lingering colonial maps in conciliar documents and inadequacies in the postconciliar reception of these teachings pit interreligious dialogue and missionary activity in unresolved tension. However, Pope Francis points to an undervalued theological method—comparative theology—that can help the contemporary church navigate this impasse.
Dr. Laurel Potter works between systematic and constructive theology, focusing on the contemporary development of Latin American liberation theologies toward intercultural, interreligious and decolonial expressions. Winner of the prestigious Catherine Mowry LaCugna Award for theological scholarship, Dr. Potter's current project draws on collaborative fieldwork to examine the liturgical expressions of ecclesial base communities in El Salvador. Currently residing in St. Paul, Dr. Potter is a widely published author whose previous work includes the co-authored book Re-membering the Reign of God (2022).
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Conway, Chris and Potter, Laurel, "Comparative Theology as Method" (2026). Jay Phillips Center Programs. 44.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/phillips_lectures/44