Pillay, JerryWomack, Jonathan Michael2019-08-082019-08-082018Pillay, J. & Womack, J. 2018, 'The correlation and separation of academic theology and the local church', Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 1-16.1017-0499 (print)2412-4265 (online)10.25159/2412-4265/3403http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70930This article provides an overview of the historical correlation between the church and academic theology as well as a brief account of its demise. In assessing the correlation it is demonstrated how, for the first 1 500 years of Christian history, a correlation between academic learning and the church was the norm. A brief outline of the demise of this tradition is shown to allow the reader to comprehend how the correlation faded. At a time when the future of academic theology is under great discussion, this article provides a somewhat forgotten history that can add great weight to the current debate on church and the academy.en© The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Theological educationAcademicsChurchHistorical overviewPastor-theologianArticle