PublicTheology

The article Public Theology: An Open Concept discusses what a public theology should be after the events of September 11th. Theology is often placed in the category of private opinion, so it may seem unusual to associate it with the term public. The constitutional democracies in Eighteenth century made overt efforts to separate the influence of religion from political institutions. These religious divisions had caused great war and human suffering, and still some of the most violent fracas among human beings are generated from religious commitment. It is best portrayed in most circles that the regulation of religion and religious beliefs should be kept to the private, personal realm; the phrase "keep religion out of politics" is widely acknowledged.

The term theology can be defined objectively and has a history

Throughout many different cultures world-wide, humans gather weekly (or at least on holidays) at church to worship. Mainline churches provide spaces for meeting, both "spiritually" when the congregation embraces God and "civically" when various members of the congregation and the larger communities of which they are a part interact with each other. Simply by offering physical spaces, the churches provide "public spaces." From this public space derives the conceptions of public theology. The task of public theology demands the engagement of public dialogue on ethical issues. Awareness is implied when sinfulness is recognized; determining humans and their societies are imperfect. Public theology must arrange and adjust motifs for an emerging global civil society. A serious public theology will have to connect the great religions world-wide to inquire and compare concepts and prospects.

Robert N. Bellah discusses "public theology" in his book Varieties of Civil Religion (1960): "Notions that America is God's country, and that American power in the world is identitical with morality and God's will, have not died even today. Fortunately, these ideas never shaped the normative documents of the American civil religion, nor have they characterized its greates heroes - men like Jefferson, Lincoln, and Martin Luther King - but they have formed an important tradition of interpretation, one carried by nationalistic clergymen more often than by jingoistic politicians. The best antidote to this tendency toward archaic regression is the critical tradition that has characterized American political life from its beginning. This critical tradition has been expressed in what Martin Mary called a public theology and what Walter Lippmann called a public philosophy. A strong public theology opposed our more unjust wars, especially the Mexican-American, Spanish-American, and Vietnamese wars, demanded racial and social justice, and insisted on the fulfillment of our democratic promise in our economic as well as our political life." (Introduction, page xiii)

Note* I plan on having all these ideas discussed in further detail and perhaps in a diferent context throughout my research paper. These are mostly preliminary ideas and an informational foundation block, if anyone can offer ideas and subject matter to play around with, I'm openminded. Thanks, Jessica.