theologian

noun theo·lo·gian \ ˌthē-ə-ˈlō-jən \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of theologian

: a specialist in theology

See theologian defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of theologian from the Web

The Black Catholic Movement also inspired unprecedented liturgical innovation as musicians, theologians, and local congregations integrated African American and Afro-Diasporic religious practices into Catholic worship.

— Smithsonian, "The History of Black Catholics in America," 8 June 2018
Patterson will not receive compensation or be the theologian in residence and is no longer president emeritus, the statement said.

— roger pinckney, star-telegram, "Southwestern Baptist seminary cuts all ties with Paige Patterson," 30 May 2018
Many waters cannot quench love iii The late French Jesuit, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, was at once a scientist, a Roman Catholic priest, a theologian, a true mystic.

— Fox News, "Meghan Markle, Prince Harry hear address from US Bishop Michael Curry at wedding," 19 May 2018
Albert Mohler, a theologian who is president of Southern seminary noted that the number of women studying at his school has doubled in the past 25 years (as a percentage of the student body, the number has remained the same, about a quarter).

— michelle boorstein, Washington Post, "Amid a Southern Baptist scandal, some evangelical women say the Bible’s gender roles are being distorted to promote sexism," 22 May 2018
The theologian, who hailed from what is now Algeria, had an immense influence on Western Christianity, particularly Catholicism—though whether or not this dictum has had a direct impact on the dress codes of religious schools is debatable.

— celia ellenberg, Vogue, "Kim Kardashian West Was Once a Catholic School Student Who Couldn't Wear Makeup—Except on the Weekends," 17 May 2018
Although more conservative Christian theologians were threatened by these developments, they were also wrapped up in the scientific zeitgeist.

— liya rechtman, BostonGlobe.com, "When the apocalypse is a feature, not a bug," 12 May 2018
And the white church and its theologians hated him for it.

— eboni marshall turman, The Root, "‘If God Is White, Kill God’: Why Dr. James Cone Was Once the Most Hated Theologian in America," 7 May 2018
The keynote speaker this evening was a major Sunni theologian, Mohammed Al-Issa, the secretary general of the Muslim World League in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

— harry bruinius, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why these Muslims are fighting anti-Semitism," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'theologian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.