The joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. Gaudium et Spes 1, 1965

Metz Moltmann

Gutierrez Boffs

Context

Analysis ofCulture

Questions

Issues

EngagingtheTradition

Praxis

Context

Analysis ofCulture

Questions

Issues

EngagingBiblicalstory

Praxis

GenderPowerDifference

Herm. Of Suspicion

Herm. Of Reclamation

Context

Analysis ofCulture

Questions

Issues

Engagingthe Tradition

Praxis

VoiceInterconnectednessWorth

Herm. Of Suspicion

Herm. Of Reclamation

Context

Analysis ofCulture/Context

Engagingthe Tradition

Praxis

*Hybridity* Diaspora* Native

*Sources/Resources* Critical Tools

Is it possible that theology may have a modest butconstructive and questioning contribution to makeboth to the theoretical discussions which undergirdpolicy and to policy-making itself? Forrester, 1997, 31

What does theology have to contribute to the de-christianising of society:

post-christian/religiously plural/secular state in a globalised world?

Public Spirit:

God and Society

Professor William StorrarNew College - University of Edinburgh[Director of Centre for Theology and Public Issues]

Setting the Context:

• Political Prisoners - Who?

• Emancipatory Theologies of second half of 20th century

• 21st century - new challenge - Connection between citizenship & discipleship

Task:

To map the 2 spaces:

Citizenship

Discipleship

Theorist - Habermas

Civil SocietyLife World

[Citizens]

Market EconomyGovernment

Public Sphere

Co-habitants

Gary Simpson’s Categories:

1. Sectarian - Christian movements in the publicsphere - conflictual/aonistic model

2. Liberal - Religion does not belong in the publicsphere

3. Communicative - Thick moral traditions havetheir place - articulated in a way which recognises that others are listening. Respectful and open dialogue.

Theorist - Habermas

Civil SocietyLife World

[Citizens]

Market EconomyGovernment

Public Sphere

Co-habitantsAgonistic

Liberal Communicative

Citizenship:1. Legal and Political status - rights and duties [Exclusive

and contested status]

2. Centuries of Struggle toward: civil citzenship, politicalcitizenship and social citizenship

3. Contested and contingent nature---> a practice

4. Citizenship and sense of identity can be in conflict andtension - multiple and hyphenated identities

5. Citizenship always includes the excluded other, theco-habitant

Civil SocietyLife World

[Citizens]

Market EconomyGovernment

Public Sphere

Co-habitantsAgonistic

Liberal Communicative

[practice of citizenship]

[with multiple identities]

[rights & duties]

Trade UnionsChurchesOrganisationsFriendships

Civic Globalisation

Economic GlobalisationCommunicationsGlobalisation

PoliticalGlobalisation

Ecological/Environmental Globalisation

Civil SocietyLife World

[Citizens]

Market EconomyGovernment

Public Sphere

Co-habitantsAgonistic

Liberal Communicative

[practice of citizenship]

[with multiple identities]

[rights & duties]

Trade UnionsChurchesOrganisationsFriendships

Civic Globalisation

Economic GlobalisationCommunicationsGlobalisation

PoliticalGlobalisation

Ecological/Environmental Globalisation

Discipleship?

Discipleship?

* Pentecost Story - wait for Spirit, speak in tongues,heard in own language - bilingual

* Model/s of discipleship in public sphere:

- resident alien - Hauerwas

- neighbourhood saint - Storrar

* Binary identities and bilinguals - co-habitingcitizens and neighbourhood saints - how?

- middle axioms? Contextualize in the local.

Civil SocietyLife World

[Citizens]

Market EconomyGovernment

Public Sphere

Co-habitantsAgonistic

Liberal Communicative

Some strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths:•Public theology in the academy can address the poor theology

represented in church and society. •May help raise the tone or style of debate in the public sphere

if theoretical and ‘apologetic’ done well•Can keep the church from talking to itself•Potential to be proactive rather than reactive. Prepared to be

there in a sustained way•Restoration of role of theology - right to be there: in relation to

economy and political - common good [include marginal]

•New but not new. Doing it in a different context. Refocussingreclaiming of place of religion in society

•Developing new communcative strategies. •Interdisciplinarity. Requires humility. No one discipline.

•Assumes a particular understanding of theology•Language of challenge and respect - society and christian community•Assumption - moving away from dualism of 2-world. Holistic•Is citizenship and discipleship dualistic or holistic? - 2 interconnected•Multidimensionality - who do we engage with? Why? Do own

work as well as public theology. Engagement and dis-engagement

•Definition of ‘public’ or publics. Is it only the domain of theacademy? How to access the voices of the ‘excluded others’?

•Must move to praxis •Nothing beyond our/God’s concern - need to listen much more than

speaking.•Need to listen within the christian communities as well as outside•Intentionally bringing theology into the public debate - distinct

public partner without lapsing into other discourses

Weaknesses:•Use of the term ‘excluded other’•Theology being done from point of power. Danger of tokenism•What is the nature of the ‘spirituality’ that will undergird or

motivate public theology - realist/non-realist? Is itChristian?

•Might it dissolve theology into socio-political agenda?•Label problematic - a strategy, an agenda, an intentional

communicative strategy.•Languaging - who defines ‘public’. How is the language being

accessible to the public. •Place where public theology is located - variety of places? •Different arenas. Formulation of a language in the political arena.•Challenge - need to undertake the political engagement in the

ongoing conversation. Engagement with the various disciplines.

•Challenge - care with which we do this. What do we expect ourrole to be in the public arena?

•This is demanding - interdisciplinary, listening and long-term•Conflict of interest - theologian/academy - PBRF, compliance

ethical responsibility to represent Christian theology•Critical conscience of the society, serving the public etc.•Compliance and its challenge - how are we participating? Do

we teach our students that? Taking a stand is difficult?•Two-sided aspect of both strengths and weaknesses

What are some of the implications of the rise of Public Theology for Aotearoa New Zealand/for doing theology in New Zealand?Public Sphere?•If it is not done in a systematic way it will be done in a

reactive way•Places where it is happening: Social and Parliamentary Unit

Disciplined Conversation. Where are some of the models?•Don’t assume it is not being done•Need to be done at a variety of levels - public theologies•Importance of the interfacing with the local context - local

church communities learning to do the theology in NZrather than done by academy and specialist units

•Communication demands - academy, networking with theologianswith congregations, public policy makers etc.

•How to keep citizenship and discipleship as central for the churchesof NZ? Keeps in the arena.

•Working at a variety of levels and variety of languages•NZ churches- common language but different dialects! How to do that?•One of cares - agreed base [who works at it and where?] - Is it a

challenge to NZATS?•Concerns come from individuals - who initiates what and how? -

indiv? Passion and priority?•What is it about NZ context that makes public theologising from

other contexts: people, history, identity, land, treaty etc.Migrant/OE

•Networks. With whom? How? At parish level, who is interested?•Parish/theological networks•“Glocalisation?”•Identity and theology - an important coming together in public theology•Importance of voice, of speaking, of saying where they come from….

Theological Colleges?•Partnership between theological colleges and the public•Academies trapped by the bureaucracy•Consciously need to train theologians and others so that it impacts

back into the churches•Where is the engagement? Who is the public?

•Implications for theological training - to think in terms of publictheology. How will we relate to ‘this’ community?

•Not just ways of thinking but ways of being•This is more than just a course. It is an approach. •Using the language of mission - part of mission is to the/in the

world. Context of discipleship is the world. •Public theology not just another subject to be studied!!