Public Theology

Akita Suggagaki · Jun 17, 2024

While there is no authoritative definition or corpus of books on public theology, there are several common traits which are observable in varying degrees. Katie
Day and Sebastian Kim note six common "marks" of public theology.

Firstly, public theology is often incarnational. It is not confined to the church but meant to be relevant to people outside of it as well. It is meant to be realistic and concerned with all aspects of societal life.

Secondly, there is often discussion over which public(s) to engage and the nature of the public sphere.

Thirdly, it is interdisciplinary because it draws on other fields of study in order to be more relevant to society.

Fourthly, public theology always involves dialogue and critique from both the church itself and society as well.

Fifthly, it has a global perspective because many issues affect countries across borders, such as immigration, climate change, refugees, etc.

Lastly, public theology is performed, not just printed in books. This field of theology is not theorized first then applied, but it is a theology that develops and evolves while being expressed in society

A common critique of public theology is the overly broad range of issues it is concerned with.
Another critique public theology faces is the inherent difficulty in retaining its Christian distinctiveness while being publicly relevant.

Public theology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Akita Suggagaki · Jul 2, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
Fifthly, it has a global perspective because many issues affect countries across borders, such as immigration, climate change, refugees, etc.

Theology is not just an academic topic for some elite intellectuals. Theology is the foundation of our worldviews and finds concrete expression in our daily lives. It is the leaven of our disagreements. Even atheist who have a negative theology and agnostics who seem neutral come to discussion with a public articulation that extends to each of our social issues.

But we do not often acknowledge this. Except, of course the Religious Right who have laid claim to Christianity and particularly literal hermeneutic.

Since Martin Luther King there have been a few other voices I like to hear more from, like Jimmy Carter and Jim Wallace

Ignatius the Kiwi · Jul 2, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
.

But we do not often acknowledge this. Except, of course the Religious Right who have laid claim to Christianity and particularly literal hermeneutic.

They certainly have a stronger claim to Christian theology publically. The Chrostian left is near indistinguishable from the secular Atheists left. Christianity doesn't inform the theology of the Christian left as much as liberal theory does.

Akita Suggagaki said:
Since Martin Luther King there have been a few other voices I like to hear more from, like Jimmy Carter and Jim Wallace

Is Martin Luther King really the person you want to lay claim to for representing Christianity publically? even that he denied the Trinity and was a serial cheater?

Akita Suggagaki · Jul 2, 2024

Ignatius the Kiwi said:
They certainly have a stronger claim to Christian theology publically. The Chrostian left is near indistinguishable from the secular Atheists left. Christianity doesn't inform the theology of the Christian left as much as liberal theory does.

I disagree. Let us differentiate "The secular Left and Christian Left may share goals but for different reason and motive,.

Ignatius the Kiwi said:
Is Martin Luther King really the person you want to lay claim to for representing Christianity publically? even that he denied the Trinity and was a serial cheater?

Well for putting theology into public action his personal life is not an issue. Certainly as a Trump supporter would agree.

Ignatius the Kiwi · Jul 2, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
I disagree. Let us differentiate "The secular Left and Christian Left may share goals but for different reason and motive,.

The motive is the same. There is no difference. You both adhere to the same ultimate principles which are independent of Christian priorities, though there is an argument to be made that liberalism is a corrupted outgrowth of Christianity.

Akita Suggagaki said:
Well for putting theology into public action his personal life is not an issue. Certainly as a Trump supporter who would agree.

Except he didn't put Christianity into public life. Nor is Trump a good representative of Christian theology in public life. One has to go back to the age of monarchs to see political figures do that.

Akita Suggagaki · Jul 2, 2024

Ignatius the Kiwi said:
The motive is the same. There is no difference. You both adhere to the same ultimate principles which are independent of Christian priorities, though there is an argument to be made that liberalism is a corrupted outgrowth of Christianity.

Except he didn't put Christianity into public life. Nor is Trump a good representative of Christian theology in public life. One has to go back to the age of monarchs to see political figures do that.

Well, we fundamentally disagree. I don't think we will get anywhere.

St_Worm2 · Jul 2, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
Well, we fundamentally disagree. I don't think we will get anywhere.

So much for "public" theology

Hello Akita, kidding aside, I, basically, don't get it. The Wikipedia article was a lot of talk that, in the end, didn't seem to define much of anything, including what "public theology" actually is (something that the article actually admitted to, interestingly), whether in a technical/theoretical manner, or in a rubber meeting the road kind of way (the latter of the two being something that seemed to be a more important aspect of this topic, to the author anyway).

I wish MANY more examples had been used to help define it, as I believe that would have helped.

One question that I have is this, what is the endgame of "public theology", first and foremost in a general sense that all can agree on, but then in the individual sense, as well (e.g. what is the endgame of it for the Christian? For the atheist? etc.).

Thanks!

God bless you!!

--David

Akita Suggagaki · Jul 2, 2024

St_Worm2 said:
So much for "public" theology

Hello Akita, kidding aside, I, basically, don't get it. The Wikipedia article was a lot of talk that, in the end, didn't seem to define much of anything, including what "public theology" actually is (something that the article actually admitted to, interestingly), whether in a technical/theoretical manner, or in a rubber meeting the road kind of way (the latter of the two being something that seemed to be a more important aspect of this topic, to the author anyway).

I wish MANY more examples had been used to help define it, as I believe that would have helped.

One question that I have is this, what is the endgame of "public theology", first and foremost in a general sense that all can agree on, but then in the individual sense, as well (e.g. what is the endgame of it for the Christian? For the atheist? etc.).

Thanks!

God bless you!!

--David

Think of it in contrasts to private theology (me, what I think and my salvation).
Public theology seems to me to be more collective. But I am not sure if it is much different from Political theology.

com7fy8 · Jul 3, 2024

Public theology needs good example to go with it. Or else, children will see it does not work for their parents, and they could throw it out and in desperation for real love they can go to peers who are clueless like they are, then we see how such people have become now.

For a while, I did all I understood I was told to do to make sure I got to Heaven. But I was not warned against beauty discrimination. I could get disgusted, even, against women who were not beautiful the way I wanted them to look. Because of such discrimination I was not loving all people the way Jesus wants. And so I was deeply degraded, right while thinking I was being theologically correct and moral: I was *not* loving!!

Beauty discrimination can spoil someone to not know how to love. And even victims of racial discrimination can be beauty discriminators; I think I have seen how foolish certain minority men can be about more beautiful women whom they don't even know.

So, you might even put an end to racial discrimination, but get nowhere, really, if people still do not know how to love because of their beauty discrimination.

Akita Suggagaki · Jul 3, 2024

I am looking for clarification as well. i will try to get access to this article.

"Identifying and distinguishing the dominant features of civil religion, political theology and public theology is an important aspect of the trans-Atlantic conversation about the role of religion in the common life.

Civil religion is often a form of patriotic self-celebration that in the West, and particularly in the US, has often been expressed in terms of Christianity. Its defect lies in its lack of transcendental and thus critical reference.

Political theology attempts to meet this defect by bringing the disciplines of theology and critical thought to bear on the relation between politics and religion. Political theology, however, too often equates or reduces the public to partisan or governmental policy, and understands the state as the institution that comprehends and guides all other spheres of society.

Public theology seeks to remedy this by insisting that institutions of civil society precede regimes both in order of occurrence and by right, and insists that theology, in dialogue with other fields of thought, carries indispensable resources for forming, ethically ordering and morally guiding the institutions of religion and civil society as well as the vocations of the persons in these various spheres of life.

Akita Suggagaki · Jul 3, 2024

Articles actually freely accessible:

What is Public Theology? — Callid Keefe-Perry

A Note Before Starting The phrase “public theology” is often used in a general way to refer to an intersection where theological and religious reflection bump up against public issues. Sometimes it means making academic theology more accessible to non-academic theologians. It is also the case, thou

callidkeefeperry.com

https://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=jrbe

https://www.scu.edu/media/ignatian-center/santa-clara-lecture/Stackhouse.pdf

Akita Suggagaki · Jul 16, 2024

Martin Marty is often pointed to as the progenitor of the phrase “public theology,” developing it in conversation with Robert Bellah’s ideas about “civil religion” which emerged in the late 1960s. In early writings Marty framed “public theology” as the action of the “public church,” defining that as: A family of apostolic churches with Jesus Christ at the center… that are especially sensitive to the res publica, the public order that surrounds us and includes people of faith.” Public theology, then, was “an effort to interpret the life of a people in the light of a transcendent reference.”

Public Theology:

Draws on disciplines from a number of fields — especially those that examine social and political dynamics — while emphasizing spiritual and religious resources including texts, traditions, and practices;

Consists of critical and constructive theological reflection on culture, policies, and discourses pertaining to ideas of the common good, society, media, and economics;

Communicates to communities that are diverse, intending to generate informed understandings of the theological and religious dimensions of public issues and develop analysis and critique in ways that are accessible and conceivably persuasive across disciplines and faith-traditions;

Promotes the public good, with a goal to concretely support efforts that alleviate suffering and disclose misuses of power that restrict justice, reconciliation, and abundant life, especially for those most affected by oppressive systems;

Resists confessional and authoritarian forms of reasoning and argumentation to be accessible and compelling to people in and beyond religious communities.

So what do we see happening theologically in our culture? in our polity? local , national and global?
What would we want to see?

Stephen3141 · Aug 15, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
While there is no authoritative definition or corpus of books on public theology, there are several common traits which are observable in varying degrees. Katie
Day and Sebastian Kim note six common "marks" of public theology.

Firstly, public theology is often incarnational. It is not confined to the church but meant to be relevant to people outside of it as well. It is meant to be realistic and concerned with all aspects of societal life.

Secondly, there is often discussion over which public(s) to engage and the nature of the public sphere.

Thirdly, it is interdisciplinary because it draws on other fields of study in order to be more relevant to society.

Fourthly, public theology always involves dialogue and critique from both the church itself and society as well.

Fifthly, it has a global perspective because many issues affect countries across borders, such as immigration, climate change, refugees, etc.

Lastly, public theology is performed, not just printed in books. This field of theology is not theorized first then applied, but it is a theology that develops and evolves while being expressed in society

A common critique of public theology is the overly broad range of issues it is concerned with.
Another critique public theology faces is the inherent difficulty in retaining its Christian distinctiveness while being publicly relevant.

Public theology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Public theology" is a modern term, as far as I know.

It is not, as far as I know, a phrase used in the ancient historic Church.

Although it's not necessarity wrong to use terms that are merely modern
terms, those who use these terms should note that they are talking about
modern terms used in English, that appear in modern English dictionaries.
(The term, for example, does not appear in the Concise Oxford English
Dictionary.)

Also, I would not use Wikipedia as any sort of scholarly tool. It's a measure
of popular usage by those who have access to the Internet.

David Lamb · Aug 15, 2024

Stephen3141 said:
"Public theology" is a modern term, as far as I know.

It is not, as far as I know, a phrase used in the ancient historic Church.

Although it's not necessarity wrong to use terms that are merely modern
terms, those who use these terms should note that they are talking about
modern terms used in English, that appear in modern English dictionaries.
(The term, for example, does not appear in the Concise Oxford English
Dictionary.)

Also, I would not use Wikipedia as any sort of scholarly tool. It's a measure
of popular usage by those who have access to the Internet.

I must say I have never come across the term "public theology" before - perhaps it's more common in the USA than here in the UK.

St_Worm2 · Aug 15, 2024

David Lamb said:
I must say I have never come across the term "public theology" before - perhaps it's more common in the USA than here in the UK.

Hi David, I live in the USA and this thread is the first time that I'd heard the term as well.

God bless you!!

--David

zippy2006 · Aug 15, 2024

David Lamb said:
I must say I have never come across the term "public theology" before - perhaps it's more common in the USA than here in the UK.

I'm from the USA and I have never heard of it. It strikes me as a non-entity that will not gain traction. If we are to take this thread as evidence of what "public theology" is, then it is something that tries to be everything at once, and solve all problems at once. Meh.

2PhiloVoid · Aug 16, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
While there is no authoritative definition or corpus of books on public theology, there are several common traits which are observable in varying degrees. Katie
Day and Sebastian Kim note six common "marks" of public theology.

Firstly, public theology is often incarnational. It is not confined to the church but meant to be relevant to people outside of it as well. It is meant to be realistic and concerned with all aspects of societal life.

Secondly, there is often discussion over which public(s) to engage and the nature of the public sphere.

Thirdly, it is interdisciplinary because it draws on other fields of study in order to be more relevant to society.

Fourthly, public theology always involves dialogue and critique from both the church itself and society as well.

Fifthly, it has a global perspective because many issues affect countries across borders, such as immigration, climate change, refugees, etc.

Lastly, public theology is performed, not just printed in books. This field of theology is not theorized first then applied, but it is a theology that develops and evolves while being expressed in society

A common critique of public theology is the overly broad range of issues it is concerned with.
Another critique public theology faces is the inherent difficulty in retaining its Christian distinctiveness while being publicly relevant.

Public theology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I've never heard the term, "public theology," until now, and I'm not quite sure whether or not to place it on my working taxonomy of comparative Christian theologies.

Do we want to compare this with the already diversified field of Christian Apologetics? Or, do we want to perhaps think of this newly coined notion of Public Theology as a tactical choice within apologetics, applying to perhaps to what Paul undertook atop Mars Hill in Athens? I don't know. I'm just throwing out some notions for inquiry.

2PhiloVoid · Aug 16, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
While there is no authoritative definition or corpus of books on public theology, there are several common traits which are observable in varying degrees. Katie
Day and Sebastian Kim note six common "marks" of public theology.

Firstly, public theology is often incarnational. It is not confined to the church but meant to be relevant to people outside of it as well. It is meant to be realistic and concerned with all aspects of societal life.

Secondly, there is often discussion over which public(s) to engage and the nature of the public sphere.

Thirdly, it is interdisciplinary because it draws on other fields of study in order to be more relevant to society.

Fourthly, public theology always involves dialogue and critique from both the church itself and society as well.

Fifthly, it has a global perspective because many issues affect countries across borders, such as immigration, climate change, refugees, etc.

Lastly, public theology is performed, not just printed in books. This field of theology is not theorized first then applied, but it is a theology that develops and evolves while being expressed in society

A common critique of public theology is the overly broad range of issues it is concerned with.
Another critique public theology faces is the inherent difficulty in retaining its Christian distinctiveness while being publicly relevant.

Public theology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

From my cursory exploration of this topic, it appears there is a more or less core public theology that emanates from Liberalism, and there is another more Conservative form of public theology that exists as a sort of evangelical counter to the Liberal form. The Liberal form seems to be another permutation of the Social Gospel and the Conservative form seems to be a kind of evangelical think tank that promotes a "Lite" version of Christian Nationalism or a weakening of the Church/State divide.

Akita Suggagaki · Aug 16, 2024

2PhiloVoid said:
From my cursory exploration of this topic, it appears there is a more or less core public theology that emanates from Liberalism, and there is another more Conservative form of public theology that exists as a sort of evangelical counter to the Liberal form. The Liberal form seems to be another permutation of the Social Gospel and the Conservative form seems to be a kind of evangelical think tank that promotes a "Lite" version of Christian Nationalism or a weakening of the Church/State divide.

That is pretty good in a nutshell. And I suppose there is a spectrum in between.

2PhiloVoid · Aug 16, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
That is pretty good in a nutshell. And I suppose there is a spectrum in between.

Yes, and in looking a little bit further, there also seems to be smaller, more "Purple Politics" middle-stance where Public Theology is addressed by Post-modern(ish) Christian Philosophers, like James K.A. Smith.

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