Written by: John Woodward on February 14, 2014

I grew up in family that didn’t talk politics and to this day I still feel discomfort when conversations turn political.  For years I silently witnessed the Church’s attempt at political involvement with much sadness and confusion, not quite sure how to respond but knowing that something was missing.  After all its efforts, the Church in the United States today seems to have less influence on national political issues than ever before and the image of the Church is forever besmirched by its past efforts. Where did the Church go wrong and is there is a way forward? The readings this week on public and contextual theology are stunningly insightful in both explaining the political failures of the Church but also in providing a helpful way forward.   The underlying theme in the articles was the need for the Church to listen.  In the North American context, this is most evident in the perceived role of the Church to be God’s defenders of Christian morals and values.  Every hint of movement away from the “dominant Western theological tradition, with its theoretical claims to timeless truth and universal significance”[i] was seen as an attack on God and was loudly condemned.  We saw this in many forms, from prayer in school to the gay marriage, from displaying the Ten Commandments to displaying nativity scenes, but the mode of attack was what Max L. Stackhouse calls “political theology.”  This is a top-down approach that believes that it is government power that shapes society[ii] and so change comes to society by changing government policy.  This was done by protesting, lobbying, and creating national attention.  Over the years, this has resulted in Christians demanding that America maintain laws and policy that were seen as biblically based and God honoring.  The result has been a losing battle, both on the policy front (with most attempts to legislate morality going down in stunning defeat) as well as on the PR front.  Christians frankly have come across looking mean, unkind, unsympathetic and darn right demanding!  (Which is another reason I hated talking politics, as I often felt embarrassed by my side!) What these articles suggest is that public and contextual theology is a better way to influence society and bring positive transformation.  That way forward is through actively listening and engaging in dialogue concerning the needs and issues within society.  However, this demands a genuine openness to being taught by those outside the faith.  Here is what I believe has been missing in political discourse in my lifetime: A humble dialogue between the Church and the community or society.  The Church has acted in recent times like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, who were convinced that they had the corner on the truth and demanded full compliance to their laws (the breaking thereof was seen as an affront to God Himself), that they fail to demonstrate any compassion for those whom the rules were meant to protect and bless.  No wonder that our society views Christians as lacking compassion, homophobic and hypocritical (as demonstrated in the book UnChristian).  What these writers suggest is that “Christian tradition should be prepared to engage in an open exchange of ideas and debate with different cultural disciples, values, images and world–views,” thereby finding both a “critical corrective to the failures and distortions of Christian history”[iii] and a “common ground with other groups in society…to translate Christian insights into the currency of secular discourse.”[iv]  This is doing Christianity from the middle-out, rather than top-down.  It begins by recognizing that we share a common table—that we are in this together.  Instead of talking at people, we now sit down and talk with them.  This allows us the opportunity to honestly listen to needs, learn the language and understand the views of those at the shared table to find a way forward together out of mutual concern.  This approach of listening will provide a way forward in several areas.  First, it will help Christians to learn the language of the society to better translate Christian truths into the context where it can better be heard.  Here Neil Darragh article demonstrates how listening to the language underlying the issues of an urban project might teach the Church to translate “public service language into that more familiar to theology.”[v]  Second, listening will help the Christian to be aware of the “questions, anxieties and challenges” within society, including those shared by Christians, which “the gospel must be seen to respond” in order to actually be welcomed and wanted at the table.[vi]  Finally, by truly listening and sharing at the table, the Christian may find truth—and even Jesus Himself—in unexpected places, which might challenge our theological assumptions and force us to admit that “Christianity is never innocent of other philosophical influences.”[vii] There are many dangers associate with theology going public (syncretism, over-contextualization – where our local theologies no longer communicate with the wider Church, or outright disregard of Christian values).  But, in our modern political situation, we must learn to influence society without pushing our agenda or demanding compliance.  Public theology provides important insights for a way forward that is a “kinder, gentler” way of bringing the Kingdom of God to a world that is hurting and in desperate need of Good News.  But our world will only hear when we come as humble participants in the community, to honestly dialogue with people where they are at; listening to their hearts and seeking solutions together in a language they can understand.  The scary part of this process is that we might find we are the ones transformed and enlightened, because we have allowed God space to work as much in our lives as those we seek to help. John F. Woodward

About the Author

John Woodward

Associate Director of For God's Children International. Member of George Fox Evangelical Seminary's LGP4.

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