Religious studies sui generis : the role of phenomenology in the religion-theology debate

The close relationship between theology and religious studies persists today in academic institutions, although there have been numerous efforts to dispose of it once and for all. Armin Geertz and Russell McCutcheon attribute this persistence to assumptions inherent within the phenomenology of religion. They argue that 'because many of its earlier practitioners were educated in theology ... the phenomenology of religion became a useful discipline that allowed students of religion to pursue their theological interests'.