Book: Living samong the Breakage: Contextual Theology-making and ex-Muslim Christians. Shoki Coe, 1973 and 1974, two articles in Theological Education.
Really good stuff. "Wrestle with God's world and wrestle with God's word." A video talking a bit more about how to do contextualization correctly and avoid pitfalls would be helpful. In reading Francis, it's hard for me to not see it as a backdoor way to abandon traditional Christian ethics and come more into line with modern/postmodern norms.
Hi Kurt. Good points. Can you point me to three or four phrases from the Pope's recent motto prop that are concerning to you? It is quite hard to read what all of this is really about. As you can tell I think contextual theology can really make a contribution to the Church's life. But as with so many things in Christianity, it can easily become dumbed down and just used as an excuse to say, "This is part of my context, I'm going to be nice and do X, Y or Z." Without really thinking through the World or the Word.
@@drduanemiller Let's look at point 8, quoted below: 8. It is a matter of the pastoral “stamp” that theology as a whole, and not only in one of its particular spheres, must assume: without opposing theory and practice, theological reflection is urged to develop with an inductive method, which starts from the different contexts and concrete situations in which peoples are inserted, allowing itself to be seriously challenged by reality, in order to become discernment of the “signs of the times” in the proclamation of the salvific event of the God-agape, communicated in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is necessary that the knowledge of people’s common sense, which is in fact a theological place in which so many images of God dwell, often not corresponding to the Christian face of God, only and always love, be privileged first of all. Theology is at the service of the Church’s evangelization and transmission of faith, so that faith becomes culture, that is, the wise ethos of God’s people, a proposal of human and humanizing beauty for all. I believe that in the wrestling with God's world and God's word, the world and word are not equal "combatants." God's word is primary. If the incarnation is our template, the Fathers are very clear that the Word never changed, but rather humanity changed when the Word took on flesh and dwelt among us. The Word is eternal and immutable. Humanity is not. It seems that Francis goes even further than seeing word and world as equals, but actually begins his theology by giving preference to the world and then works backward to the word. This in effect will make theology a pragmatic tool to get conversions or buy-in from "the world". He says as much, "Theology is at the service of the Church's evangelization..." There is much more I could say, but perhaps we should do that offline. Also, could you pls email me the articles mentioned in your video? Thanks.
Indeed. This is an important issue for Europe today, as I point out later in the talk. I wish Pope Francis would actually think about this and speak to it with something more than platitudes and anecdotes.
There are several visions of this theology already at play, including liberation theologies of Palestine and others. For a liberation theology see the work of Naim Ateek, an anglican priest. I'm not sure if he's alive anymore but he was very active in his day and I had the chance of meeting him. What are other visions? There are Arab dispensationalists, which I don't find convincing personally. My guess is there is no political solution at all for the Holy Land, where I lived for years, and that this is a great testimony against the ambitious political idols erected in the 20th Century.
Really good stuff. "Wrestle with God's world and wrestle with God's word." A video talking a bit more about how to do contextualization correctly and avoid pitfalls would be helpful. In reading Francis, it's hard for me to not see it as a backdoor way to abandon traditional Christian ethics and come more into line with modern/postmodern norms.
Hi Kurt. Good points. Can you point me to three or four phrases from the Pope's recent motto prop that are concerning to you? It is quite hard to read what all of this is really about. As you can tell I think contextual theology can really make a contribution to the Church's life. But as with so many things in Christianity, it can easily become dumbed down and just used as an excuse to say, "This is part of my context, I'm going to be nice and do X, Y or Z." Without really thinking through the World or the Word.
@@drduanemiller Let's look at point 8, quoted below:
8. It is a matter of the pastoral “stamp” that theology as a whole, and not only in one of its particular spheres, must assume: without opposing theory and practice, theological reflection is urged to develop with an inductive method, which starts from the different contexts and concrete situations in which peoples are inserted, allowing itself to be seriously challenged by reality, in order to become discernment of the “signs of the times” in the proclamation of the salvific event of the God-agape, communicated in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is necessary that the knowledge of people’s common sense, which is in fact a theological place in which so many images of God dwell, often not corresponding to the Christian face of God, only and always love, be privileged first of all. Theology is at the service of the Church’s evangelization and transmission of faith, so that faith becomes culture, that is, the wise ethos of God’s people, a proposal of human and humanizing beauty for all.
I believe that in the wrestling with God's world and God's word, the world and word are not equal "combatants." God's word is primary. If the incarnation is our template, the Fathers are very clear that the Word never changed, but rather humanity changed when the Word took on flesh and dwelt among us. The Word is eternal and immutable. Humanity is not.
It seems that Francis goes even further than seeing word and world as equals, but actually begins his theology by giving preference to the world and then works backward to the word. This in effect will make theology a pragmatic tool to get conversions or buy-in from "the world". He says as much, "Theology is at the service of the Church's evangelization..." There is much more I could say, but perhaps we should do that offline.
Also, could you pls email me the articles mentioned in your video? Thanks.
"The future belongs to them that procreate."
Indeed. This is an important issue for Europe today, as I point out later in the talk. I wish Pope Francis would actually think about this and speak to it with something more than platitudes and anecdotes.
What about contextual theology for the Holy Land?
There are several visions of this theology already at play, including liberation theologies of Palestine and others. For a liberation theology see the work of Naim Ateek, an anglican priest. I'm not sure if he's alive anymore but he was very active in his day and I had the chance of meeting him. What are other visions? There are Arab dispensationalists, which I don't find convincing personally. My guess is there is no political solution at all for the Holy Land, where I lived for years, and that this is a great testimony against the ambitious political idols erected in the 20th Century.