The Final Word Is God's Alone

To engage in theological reflection is to join in an ongoing conversation with others that began long before we ever came along and will continue long after we have passed away. Realizing that theology is a perpetual conversation is something of a comfort to most theologians. It is not up to you or me or anyone else to invent Christian theology, to control it, or even to perfect it. We are called only to do the best we can, given who and where we are. This is actually the best that theologians ever manage, not only because as humans they are limited and fallible and because times change, but because the final word is God's alone. Until that final word is spoken, each and every Christian has a contribution to make to the conversation-- a duty to listen, and a question to ask.
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Howard W. Stone and James O. Duke, How to Think Theologically, p. 4.