today we stand in the company of one who thundered across Galilee with a heart aflame and finished his journey as the first among the Apostles to lay down his life in martyrdom: St James the Greater, son of Zebedee, brother of John, and beloved companion of Christ.

With the Feast of the Transfiguration quickly approaching on the 6th of August 2025, the Church draws us upward to the mountaintop, where the glory of the Lord breaks through veil and shadow. It is a feast of light, not the gentle shimmer of dawn but the blazing brilliance of unveiled divinity.

Theology, in its broadest sense, is the study of God, creation, and the divine-human relationship. Yet within this vast domain, distinct branches emerge—each offering a particular lens through which the mystery of faith is explored and articulated. These theological disciplines have developed over centuries through dialogue, reflection, scripture, and lived experience. What follows is a guided introduction to nine key branches, each bearing its own insights, questions, and contributions to the Church’s understanding of divine truth.

Christianity promises the radical love of Christ to every human being. Yet many churches perpetuate condemnation toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals—turning a blind eye to what both science and a Christ-centred theology reveal: that sexual orientation is not a moral fault, cultural rebellion, or choice. It is a biologically shaped aspect of human identity, deeply interwoven with how a person is formed in the womb and matures across life.

In the half-century since Pope Paul VI issued Sacerdotalis Caelibatus, its portrait of priestly celibacy as a “brilliant jewel” has defined the Latin Church’s discipline without ever quite grappling with the complexities beneath the surface. Written as the Second Vatican Council’s fresh winds still blew through ecclesial corridors, the encyclical cast celibacy in exalted, almost mystical terms: a definitive sign of a priest’s total self-gift, a foretaste of heavenly communion and a service rendered unencumbered by earthly ties.