The article looks into the possibility of rapprochement between theology and utilitarian philosophies. The first part reviews the relationship between North American pragmatism and the Chri-stian faith: Peirce, James and Dewey, together with other contemporaries. It continúes by attempting to interpret from an apologetic point of view the significance of pragmatic thought, which has some áreas of agreement with revealed scripture. Finally, the article proposes some methodological consequences in the elaboration of theological work, which ought to pay attention to the conditions of relevance and to practical results in an ecclesial and religious setting.