Public Theology In Law And Life

'Public theology' involves the application of biblical and theological principles outside the confines of the church and assesses their implications for wider society. It examines both the theoretical structures of society (the nature of secularity, government, globalisation, pluralism and so forth) and the myriad specific issues involved in daily life (everything from sport to work-place relations to economics). Public theology is also, very importantly, a discipline that is practiced by the 'ordinary' Christian as well as the academic, and it is done in public (with all the scrutiny that entails) and in such a way that it communicates to non-Christians (although it remains a theological endeavour). In a real sense it is theology for the world, from the Word, by the people of God. The volume has a variety of contributors and includes an article on the role of public theology in Islam.

'Public theology' involves the application of biblical and theological principles outside the confines of the church and assesses their implications for wider society. It examines both the theoretical structures of society (the nature of secularity, government, globalisation, pluralism and so forth) and the myriad specific issues involved in daily life (everything from sport to work-place relations to economics). Public theology is also, very importantly, a discipline that is practiced by the 'ordinary' Christian as well as the academic, and it is done in public (with all the scrutiny that entails) and in such a way that it communicates to non-Christians (although it remains a theological endeavour). In a real sense it is theology for the world, from the Word, by the people of God. The volume has a variety of contributors and includes an article on the role of public theology in Islam.

Through an elaboration of public theology with an ethical project of life-world, Paul S. Chung employs the sociological work of civil society, public moral reasoning, and bio-political inquiry, while undertaking a social scientific analysis of a capitalist revolution in the global empire. Chung’s approach to public theology and ethical deliberation of the life-world opens up avenues for the postcolonial significance of the theology of nature and gene-ethics engaged in biomedical technology and bio-political governance in the time of the pandemic. Public Theology discloses creative new facets of sociological, ethical investigation into cultural justice (race, gender, and sexuality) through discourse clarification of power relations and construction of the life-world. “Engaging in an expansive conversation with the thought of major figures in philosophy, political economy, and theology, Paul Chung articulates a compelling argument for a public theology that takes seriously our postcolonial context.” — Craig L. Nessan, Professor of Contextual Theology and Ethics, Wartburg Theological Seminary. Dubuque, Iowa “What does political and emancipatory public theology look like and does it function in a post-colonial reality? Interrogating foundational sources in ethics, theology, sociology, and epistemology, Dr. Chung makes a resounding case for Christian public theology as explicitly ethical theology. He demonstrates the profound importance of religiously articulated ethical guidance - for individuals, and the Church - to promote true solidarity and democracy, and justice-oriented mutual responsibility in Civil Society. Dr. Chung’s excavation of some of the root causes and frameworks of oppression invites deep and theologically informed engagement in the affairs of the world.” — Kirsi Stjerna, First Lutheran, Los Angeles/Southwest California Synod Professor of Lutheran History and Theology, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University.

The Reformed tradition in the twenty-first century is increasingly diverse, dynamic, and deeply engaged in a wide variety of global and public issues, from the arts and business to immigration and race to poetry and politics. This book brings together the insights of a diverse group of leading Reformed thinkers--including Nicholas Wolterstorff, Makoto Fujimura, Bruce Ashford, John Witvliet, Ruben Rosario Rodriguez, and James K. A. Smith--to offer a contemporary vision of the depth and diversity of the Reformed faith and its global public impact.

This study commends the public theology of the English Reformation as a fruitful though neglected resource for a critical analysis of the contradictions of freedom that riddle late-modern liberal democracies and a constructive response to them. Drawn from the key legal, liturgical, homiletic and confessional elements of the English Reformation, this foundational Anglican tradition provides a theological vantage point for understanding current moral and political impasses in the western legacy of natural rights. The extensive development of natural rights in pre-modern scholastic theory and practice and its continuity with theoretical development from the 17th century onward make the Reformers' criticisms of scholastic moral, political, and ecclesial thought germane to identifying the problematic features of the prevailing modern tradition and to furnishing a theological alternative to them. These features are: an individualistic and voluntarist conception of moral agency, a regulative and juridical orientation to human relationships, and an anthropocentric concentration on human rather than on divine right, judgement, and freedom. The humanity they portray is detached from its created ordering to Christological perfection and bound within a self-enclosed ethical and political self-understanding. This is effectively countered by the English reformers' presentation of the salvation of creation in Christ, faith working through love, the spiritual fellowship of the church, and the provisional character of political jurisdiction.

The practice of a public theology is to identify issues that require attention for the sake of a civil society and the flourishing of all. In diverse ways the writers of Enacting a Public Theology recognise that the present is a volatile moment in time. The publication explores the loss of confidence in the contemporary expressions of democracy; the climate emergency accompanies the dawn of the Anthropocene; the migration of people raises concerns to do with identity, belonging and where is home; the invasion of land wrongly described as terra nullius and then invaded demands a deepened praxis of reconciliation between first and second peoples; and lastly there is an urgent need to speak into the situation of those pushed to the margins because of HIV/Aids. Enacting a Public Theology represents the thinking of writers from Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand. It is both local and global in its concern. Each one of the contributors participated in the triennial gathering of the Global Network of Public Theology held in Stellenbosch in 2016.

Max L. Stackhouse is one of the most prolific and influential American theologians of the last half century, and he has been widely recognized for his contributions to the emerging field of public theology. This volume compiles some of Stackhouse's most significant shorter writings. These selections make clear his central role in the development of public theology as a distinct disciplinary perspective in the fields of Christian theology and theological ethics. Shaping Public Theology serves as an introduction to Stackhouse's extensive corpus; readers will see the depth and breadth of his comprehensive public theology while also gaining insight into his singular importance for the field.

A substantial and definitive introduction to public theology by one of the leading experts in the field.A key text for third year undergraduate modules and MA courses in Social Ethics, Political Theology and Public Theology.