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Tag: public theology

Defining Public Theology for a New Decade (Part II – Moving Outward)

In the previous blog, I described the move inward exploring the first part of the following statement:

Public theology is prayerful reflection flowing out of love of God for the world as a way to instill hope and longing for the good planet.

The “public theology is prayerful reflection flowing out of love of God” section spells out the move inward through contemplation, prayer and reflection. It defines not just what it is but also its motivation, which in this case it is divine love, or charity. In this blog, I want to explore the second portion of the description above that traces a path outward towards our planet.

For the World

One of the most overlooked failures of evangelical (and mainline to a certain extent) theology in the last century is its inability to connect people with the world they live in. For the most part, it has built its main argument on the premise that we live in a fallen world beyond hope of repair. It does that so in the second breath, it can say that God is the only solution. In other words, it exacerbates the problem so it can better sell a solution. After all, a world that is intrinsically good needs no saving.

By building its argument as a sales pitch for the salvation of the soul, Christian theology left a legacy of disengagement. It has often produced disciples as the saying goes: ‘too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.’ It is great for filling stadiums and auditoriums but terrible for producing civic engagement. This is not to say that Christians in general, and evangelicals more in specific, have not engaged in productive action to help the common good. It is, however, to recognize that this came in spite of not because of this prevailing ethos that narrowly focuses on after-life fire insurance.

Oftentimes, civic engagement was a means to the goal of preaching salvation. Hence, public theology for this new decade, must re-define and re-orient this ethos of service away from being a means to being an end. Instead, it should see serving the world as the goal, a tangible incarnated reflection of our worship to the Creator. Because God ‘so loved’ the world, we, in turn, love the world too.

The world here is not just human beings but our whole planet, everything about this rock in our galaxy. Hence, we love this planet enough to work with people from all faiths to address human-generated climate change. We need to include notions of sustainability in our concept of holiness. The righteous person is the one who not only cares for their human neighbor but also for the global neighborhood. If we fail at loving the ground we live on, loving other humans may be a mute point if our planet cannot sustain life.

Of course, turning our gaze to the world also means loving other humans. I believe this we demonstrate this best by how we love both the marginalized and the very people that oppose us. Let’s also be honest: to be opposed for supporting or failing to challenge systems that oppress the poor, the different and the stranger is not the type of persecution we should be after. Yet, regardless of how or why we are opposed, loving our adversaries is at the heart of the Christian faith.

As a Way to Instill Hope and Longing

As I mentioned in the last blog, we do not live out this public theology without expecting to persuade others. Yes, I dare say, we do look for followers. We do seek to evangelize and to persuade those outside our institutional gates to consider their ways. We proclaim a message to build the common good also praying for metanoia – change of minds.

Yet, this is no longer a sales pitch to ask them to make a public confession of allegiance to our savior, nor an appeal for them to join our community and be baptized. If that happens, then we rejoice and receive them with open and hospitable arms. However, we aim for a much more audacious transformation. We dare, and are naive enough to believe that the whole Earth will be filled with the glory of God. That is, we dare believe the world can and will get better. The glory of God is Shalom, all living beings co-existing in mutual love and harmony. All living beings working to preserve, improve and develop this earth towards a better future.

Words are empty and often ineffective conduits to produce hope and longing. That is why this public theology must transcend mere proclamation and translate into concrete actions that in fact instill hope for a better world. It should manifest itself in grand visible gestures that run counter the narrative of death and disillusion propagated by our screens. It also happens in small personal acts of sacrifice. Small but enduring acts that demonstrate that we love those near and far well. Acts that express that we love this earth well.

For the Good Planet

The word “good” is often associated with the inferior option of excellent. That is not what I mean here. Goodness here (with a capital G) has to do with a vision of a planet where life flourishes, justice rolls down like rivers and all creatures live in harmony. To me, that is what it means to work for the common Good. It is not simply a flimsy notion of seeking compromise at all costs. Instead, it entails a vigorous negotiation in which all parties involved come out better than they started. Furthermore, I believe it is inspired in the vision of the Jewish prophet Isaiah as demonstrated in the painting below and in the quote right under it:

Edward Hicks (American, 1780-1849). The Peaceable Kingdom, ca. 1833-1834

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
    the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
    and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
    Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
    for as the waters fill the sea,
    so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord

Isaiah 11:6-9 New Living Translation

Isaiah envisions a world in which reconciliation is not just a human affair but one that encompasses all creatures. The enmity that was the modus operandi for the survival of the fittest gives way to cooperation and solidarity. It is the belief that we do better together than divided; produce more when in peace than in war; and flourish brighter when cooperation replaces domination. That is at the heart of Isaiah’s vision – a world where all creation peacefully coexist.

This is not a utopian vision of human progress. It is a radical, and even illogical, hope that God can use anything and everything to the flourishing of life in this planet and beyond. It is not only a hope of an event in the distant future but a patient longing that each day we inch closer to this reality.

To me, that is the vision of the good planet: one where life flourishes and love is the rule.

Do we dare believe in the Jewish prophet’s vision?

Defining Public Theology for a New Decade (Part I: Moving Inward)

In the previous two blogs, I cleared the way for defining theology by first explaining what is not and then emphasizing the importance of location. These entries serve as a necessary preamble to the definition provided at the end of the second. In this blog, I will break down this definition to further flesh out what it means. By doing so, I intend to establish some markers of what I think is the key task of public theology for our time.

Let me begin by re-stating the definition:

Public theology is prayerful reflection flowing out of love of God for the world as a way to instill hope and longing for the good planet.

Public Theology

Why add a qualifier to theology? As I demonstrated in the previous blog, the context from which theology emerges is crucial. It will define the audience, concerns and scope of the task. In this case, by calling “public”, it becomes clear that this is speaking beyond the institutional church and even beyond the Christian community. It means that its language must transcend traditional Christian symbols or at least make an attempt to translate them to a common language.

Furthermore, it aims to enhance the common good. In that way, it cannot be sectarian or simply exist to support or strengthen the church’s institutional influence in society. If it extends the Christian church influence as a byproduct, then that is a bonus. It cannot be, however, its primary goal. Yet, it must assume that by working towards the common good, most will benefit, including the Christian community.

Consequently, it should communicate through humble persuasion as one voice in a larger dialogue. The humility means that it must be willing to listen and learn from others believing that God often speaks through those outside the Christian community. That humility should not diminish its desire to persuade. If it is to speak in the public square, the theologian must believe that what they say is worth listening and even following. That is, it must not be void of conviction, but instead should seek to invite others into a new understanding.

Prayerful

Prayer is not a monologue or just speaking to an “imaginary friend”. It is, at its essence, a communal act. While one can pray alone in a room, when the individual prays, they are never alone but are supported by others through a human chain that connects them through time and geography. Beyond that, prayer is about accessing deeper sentiments in silence. It is about a turn inwards and a letting go of thoughts and rationality. It is an invitation to operate below consciousness.

Yet, prayer is not always about quiet reverence. It can also be about pleading loudly with others in lament, protest or even desperation. Many in the North are not accustomed to this type of disruptive prayer yet our brothers and sisters in the South practice that daily. For them, it is simply a way of life.

Moreover, prayer, within the Christian tradition, entails believing in a personal God that is invested in the fate of this world but also transcends it. It is trusting in a God that both suffers with but also rescues his creation. Because of that, prayer also invites us to both suffer with and take action on behalf of the poor, oppressed and the lost. When we act like the God we pray to, we also pray.

Reflection

To develop theology, one must take this prayerful life and engage it in reflection. In age where information flickers in front of us at light speed, reflection is about slowing down and thinking deeply. It is about pondering on intractable questions that plague the community. While it includes personal reflection, it transcends the individual and tends to be others-oriented. Even as we consider our own struggles we do so in the hope that our reflection may help others who are facing similar struggles.

This process of prayerful reflection cannot stay in one’s individual interiority but must flow out through writing, speaking or artistic expression. The reflection is not complete until sincerely and effectively communicated to others in the public commons. The communicator lives in the tension of urgency and limited understanding. There is a constant sense of unfinished task in crafting the message along with a persistent call to speak out. They communicate as they gain clarity and as events call for responses.

Flowing out of Love of God

The animus of the prayerful reflection described above must be love. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, all the work we do without love would be meaningless. Because the word love in English lost its meaning through multiple applications, it is important first to define what it is. Here we borrow the Greek term agape, often translated as charity. Charity is a self-less love that puts other’s benefit before our own. It is actually a higher goal than loving one like oneself. I also believe we humans cannot do this exclusively even as we strive for it continuously. It is, therefore, a transhuman type of love.

Hence why in the definition I speak of “love of God,” using the multiple meanings of the preposition “of” in that sentence. First, it is a love that emanates from God, from a Being that is beyond human limitations. Second, it is love directed to God as a response to God’s love to us humans. It is God loving God in and through us. Just sit and ponder on that. It does not make sense at face value forcing us to go deeper than a logical understanding.

Another point I want to make is that how we do theology matters. We must be often vigilant of our motivations and passions animating our action. This does not mean we must “feel” love every time we do theology only that we often remember why we do what we do. Losing sight of motivations that do not flow out of love is often where we get lost. The how and the what are important in this activity.

Conclusion

Let me end here for part 1. So far, I have reviewed how public theology is prayerful reflection flowing out of love of God. There is so much more that could be said but the paragraphs above act as a starting point to this definition. In the next blog, I’ll go over the remaining parts, summing up a complete sketch of a vision for a non-clerical, Christian, earthly-grounded theology for our time.

What is Theology? (Part II: Location Matters)

In my previous blog, I started on this path to define theology by first outlining what is not. In short, while associated with ministry, biblical studies and doctrine, theology cannot be confined to any of these. You would think I would be ready to define it but there are few more items to clear before getting to that. Before I risk losing you with a long preamble, let me jump right into it.

The Question of Context

For many centuries, the underwriting assumption was that theology was absolute and universal. That is, it spoke of a timeless truth that could be expressed uniformly in every context. In the late 19th century, there was even an attempt to make theology an exact science based on facts. The idea was to paint theology in a frame of objectivity in order to prove its legitimacy. While this eventually proved to be a misguided enterprise, some segments of the Christian church especially the more conservative parts of evangelicalism, still hold on to that notion. In part this stemmed from the need to defend theology from the challenges coming from science and historical criticism.

if theology is not Bible interpretation, or doctrine, then it no longer needs that rigid legitimacy that these theologians sought. In other words, because theology is a solidly human endeavor it has the freedom to make mistakes, postulate tentative ideas and even push the boundaries of Christian knowledge into what in the past would be classified as heretical. By dissociating itself from institutional obligations, theology can be a rigorous but free pursuit of knowledge and understanding of God, humanity and all of creation.

Under this new terms, theology does not aim to be objective but instead to start with an awareness of its preconceived assumptions. Hence, there is a “where and a “who” behind every theological proposal. Throughout history, theology was mostly done by middle-aged Euro-descendant clergy. Inevitably, that shaped and formed the content and transmission of theological thinking. For one, it often meant that theologians were writing for their peers who were male clergy like them. This theology was then transmitted as divine knowledge and often times used as a tool to legitimize the authority of the group that created it.

This who and where (and when) of theology can be aggregated under the term of location. All theology is developed in a milieu of culture, geography, socio-economic and political factors, namely, its location. Theological thinking, pursuing the knowledge of God, occurs in the theater of human existence. Inevitably that experience shapes, guides and forms the message.

This earthiness of theology is not a reason for concern but joy. It celebrates the gift of incarnation, when God decided to make a home among us, sanctifying all of the material world. That gives us the confidence that even our human thoughts about God can somehow be divinely inspired.

If in the 19th century, the aim was to achieve a pure truth the emanated from a perfect God, a 21st century planet steeped in ecological crisis yearns for a theology made of star dust, sweat and blood.

Introducing Public Theology

What is the location from which theology emerges from today? While the institutional church will continue to influence and nurture theological thinking, I believe the location of theology is moving to the public square. For one, even pastor theologians, developing thinking for their congregation will no longer be free of outside scrutiny. That is, they won’t be able to afford preaching a worldview that is shielded from the societies and communities surrounding that congregation.

In a globally connected age, all theology is public theology.

Public theology happens outside of church walls. Now, that does not mean that it loses its commitment to the Christian faith and its traditions but developed for the human community. That includes but is not limited to the church community. It is not done in opposition of church theology but as a dialogue partner who listens but also speaks truth to it. It proclaim its message in the public square as an invitation to all who are willing to listen.

It does not impose itself as the only legitimate source of truth. However, it is also not afraid to speak truth. It is committed to the Creator and to creation. It is open to science, technology and other religious thinking while still rooted in a Christian foundation.

Above all, it cannot count on legitimacy from the patronage of political power, the longevity of tradition or even by economic value. Instead, it must prove its relevancy by the merits of its claims and also by how it responds to criticism. It is by default open to scrutiny, and must always flow out of love. The last point is crucial. Without love, public theology is a pointless exercise in speculative knowledge.

A Working Definition

After a long preamble that began in the previous blog, I am now ready to finally answer the question: what is (public) theology? More specifically, how do I define it and use it here in this blog. I don’t claim that it is the authoritative definition but a working definition nonetheless. So here it goes:

Public theology is prayerful reflection flowing out of love of God for the world as a way to instill hope and longing for the good planet.

I submit this definition for consideration as a starting point. In the next blogs, I’ll break down this definition to expand on each part.