Vol. XXXVIII / 1 - Studia Moralia

52 DENNIS J. BILLY
the genuine insights of specialized research conducted to resolve
particular difficulties. One of the reasons why the hierarchical
model developed as it did in later centuries was precisely to
counteract the lack of precision that the integrative model
brought to bear on specific issues. From this perspective, the
principles of casuistry in moral theology and the various
distinctions concerning the nature and scope of prayer in
spiritual theology are understandable (even expected)
outgrowths of the integrative approach. If these specialized
disciplines eventually lost sight of the underlying unity
sustained by the integrative model, they nevertheless succeeded
in spelling out many of its hidden implications and applying
them to the changing cultural horizons of Western Christianity.
When seen in this light, the hierarchical model presupposes the
integrative – and vice versa. The strengths of each complement
the weaknesses of each and provide a hermeneutical matrix
within which the present fragmented state of the theological
sciences can be understood and responded to.
The Collaborative Model
Summary. Another important model for the interaction
between spirituality and moral theology emerged after the
breakdown of the hierarchical rendering of the theological
disciplines. It considers the two disciplines as autonomous in
their own right (i.e., each with its own methodological concerns
and proper field of scientific inquiry), but capable of
participating in and contributing to the goals of the other.
According to this model, the two disciplines relate to each other
as equal partners in the act of “faith seeking understanding.”
Each respects the boundaries of the other and is deeply
conscious of its own limitations. Each discipline realizes that
many of the questions it must face will also be relevant to the
other, even if from a different perspective. Each discipline
acknowledges that a deeper knowledge of the way the other
discipline deals with these questions can be helpful to its own
concerns. This collaborative model combines the strengths of
both the hierarchical and integrative models without giving vent
to their weaknesses. It recognizes the importance of specialized