Contextualization Bibliographies
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Theologies: Western

Biblio Format Annotation
Adams, Daniel J. "From Certainty to Uncertainty: Doing Theology in the Postmodern Era." In From East to West: Essays in Honor of Donald G. Bloesch, ed. Adams, Daniel J., 131-49. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1997. The various cultures of the world are based upon religious traditions and value systems that are very different from the Christianity of the West. Indeed, the secularization of the West is a minority situation among the cultures of the world. The postmodern era will mean a coming to terms with this reality as more and more nations and cultures increase their economic, political and military strength. According to Samuel Huntington, "this will require the West to develop a much more profound understanding of the basic religious and philosophical assumptions. " How shall we understand these basic religious and philosophical assumptions, and how will this understanding contribute to our doing theology in the postmodern age? A good place to begin is to consider several of these assumptions and how they have influenced recent theology. We shall consider the premodern theology of J. Gresham Machen, the modem theology of Edward W. Farley, and the postmodem theology of Chung Hyun-Kyung, and in so doing we shall not only come to a more thorough understanding of ourselves, but hopefully a better understanding of others as well.
Amaya, Ismael E. "A Critique of Western Theological Currents." Theological Fraternity Bulletin (1982:4/1983:1): 40-53. As the title of this paper suggests, the purpose of this paper is not academic, but rather practical; not so much to pursue investigation in order to break new ground, but rather to reflect on the theological situation already in existence in the Western world. In doing so we will touch on certain issues which I believe call for urgent consideration. This will be done not in a destructive critical spirit, but rather with a sincere desire to be objective and to confront reality. Therefore, in line with the realistic approach of our reflection, many quotes and examples given are necessarily taken from books, but rather from the historical reality of our Western world, and from personal reflection.
Amaya, Ismael E. "A Latin American Critique of Western Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 13-27. As the title of this paper suggests, its purpose is not academic, but rather practical; not so much to pursue investigation in order to break new ground, as to reflect on the theological situation already in existence in the Western world. In doing so we will touch on certain issues which I believe call for urgent consideration. This will be done not in a destructive critical spirit, but rather with a sincere desire to be objective and to confront reality. Therefore, in line with the realistic approach of our reflection, many quotes and examples are not necessarily taken from books, but rather from the historical reality of our Western 'World, and from personal reflection.
Anderson, N. P. "Biblical Theology and Cultural Identity in the Anglo-Saxon World." In Let the Earth Hear His Voice: International Congress on World Evangelization Lausanne, Switzerland. Official Reference Volume: Papers and Responses, ed. J. D. Douglas, 1278-93. Minneapolis, MN: World Wide Publications, 1975. Explores recent trends in Western academic theology (demythologizing, secular theologies, cultural relativism, "religionless Christianity," the death of God movement, and ground of being. In the second half, discussion is presented on relating cultural forms to biblical principles by probing the relevance of the Bible in four areas of contemporary life: the church's worship, ethical behavior, evangelism and service in the world.
Baum, Gregory. "The Contextual Theology of Douglas Hall." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 72 (September 1990): 36-47. n this article I wish to introduce South African theologians to the work of Douglas Hall, an important Canadian theologian. Douglas Hall is an English-speaking Canadian; this information is relevant because the British Dominion of Canada also embraces a French-speaking people who have come to refer to themselves as "Ies Quebecois." There are two reasons why I believe Hall's theology is of interest to South African Christians who are wrestling with the meaning of the Gospel for their own republic. First, Hall criticizes traditional, made-in-Europe theology that regarded itself as universal, and he offers a systematic defense of contextual theology. A second reason why I believe Hall's theology is of interest to South Africans is that his message to the United States is to abandon its world-wide imperialist policy and its political support of repressive regimes that protect the capitalist order.
Boyd, R. H. S. "Western Origins of Theological Formulations." In Readings in Dynamic Indigeneity, ed. Charles H. Kraft and Tom N. Wisley, 349-71. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1979. Boyd sees the western origins of theological formulations in history. In this chapter he examines two apologists and the development of the theological conceptualization of the "Trinity." As an illustration of other great doctrines it is important to acknowledge the Latin influence on the theology of the Church in order to grasp the significance of indigenous thought processes. We do not want to adapt to the cultural sphere to the extent that we suffer a "reduction of the Gospel." But we are aided in our further study if we consider the extent to which we are "captives" of another cultural heritage in the development of theology across cultures.
Brown, Robert McAfee. "Liberation Theology: Paralyzing Threat or Creative Challenge?" In Mission Trends No. 4: Liberation Theologies in North America and Europe, ed. Gerald Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, 3-24. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979. A new way of "doing theology" has emerged from Latin America, called liberation theology, that radically challenges traditional concepts and practices of who does theology, of how and where it is done, and what the focus should be. Robert McAfee Brown describes it as an "attempt to look at the world in terms of involvement with the underprivileged and oppressed, and to find within the Christian gospel both the analytic tools and the energizing power to work for radical change in that world." Brown describes here the major features of liberation theology and responds to the charges against it. He concludes with suggestions for those " who are not oppressed ... who are relatively comfortable,, whose daily existence is not seriously threatened," if they are to "play any role in developing a 'theology in the Americas.' "
Brown, Robert McAfee. "Reflections of a North American: The Future of Liberation Theology." In The Future of Liberation Theology: Essays in Honor of Gustavo Gutierrez, ed. Marc H. Ellis and Otto Maduro, 491-501. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1989. The truth of the matter is that in relation to the groups just described, I am an observer; I am not black, female, Amerindian, gay, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, or Filipino. I am (in terms that are descriptive to some and pejorative to others) a white male North American. This is at best a dubious category in which to be cast, for it is a historical fact that with whatever separates all the liberation viewpoints cited above from each other, they agree that the main architects of their oppression have been and continue to be members of the white male North American establishment. In the light of this fact, how can we white, male North Americans relate to the liberation struggle? Is there a liberation message for us as well? Can there be a liberation message from us as well? It is these themes that I propose to examine for the balance of this essay. I shall not attempt anything so grandiose as a full-blown "liberation theology for white male North Americans," particularly in ten pages.'" My more modest agenda will be to try to identify some of the issues we must confront realistically, if we are to come within hailing distance of a meeting place between ourselves and the liberation struggles of others. Out of a massive potential agenda, I arbitrarily choose five themes: 1) on being an oppressor; 2) on being a traitor to one's class; 3) on working within church structures; 4) on speaking truth to power' and 5) on broadening the base.
Brown, Robert McAfee. "What Can North Americans Learn from Minjung Theology?" In An Emerging Theology in World Perspective: Commentary on Korean Minjung Theology, ed. Jung Y. Lee, 35-47. Mystic, CN: Twenty-Third Publications, 1988. There are both negative and positive things for North Americans to learn from an exposure to minjung theology. Negatively, the most important thing is probably to acknowledge that it is not "our" theology; that we are unlikely, for cultural, racial, and class reasons, to be able to understand it fully; that we are not competent to interpret it to others; and that as a result we had better leave its exposition and appropriation to those who have created it. Positively, we can recognize that it is a theology indigenous to the core; that it must remain that way; and that what it can best do for us is to stimulate us to find some new ways of doing our own indigenous theology. How, then, can we learn from the minjung theological experience in ways that will first inform, then challenge, and finally transform the North American theological experience? In dealing with this complex matter, I first engage in the risky venture of trying to highlight four emphases in minjung theology that seem to offer pointers for our own theological re-thinking; secondly, I try to look at our North American theological scene in the light of those emphases; and finally, I offer some brief, concluding reflections on the future of indigenous theologies.
Broz, Ludek. "The Task Facing Theology in Europe." The Ecumenical Review 45:2 (April 1993): 169-72. Overview of European issues in theologizing from an ecumenical perspective.
Bucher, Glenn R. "Toward a Liberation Theology for the 'Oppressor'." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 44 (1976): 517-534.
Chul-ha, Han. "An Asian Critique of Western Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 34-47. Until the modern period the truth of biblical revelation has maintained its integrity in Western theology. It is at the point of this disbelief of modern scientific rationalism that modern western theology came in conflict with biblical faith. Modern western theology, however, made an attempt to escape from this fundamental conflict with the biblical beliefs through abstracting out a certain meaning from the integral faith of the Bible. Instead of taking the literal truth of the Scriptures, the method of abstraction is used, helping the modern western theologian to eliminate most of the stumbling blocks of biblical truth except for certain fundamental truths which vary, in fact, according to the system builder. It is with this background that "hermeneutics" has become a most important factor in recent years. The fundamental message of the Bible is considered to be culturally conditioned.
Cobb, John B. "Minjung Theology and Process Theology." In An Emerging Theology in World Perspective: Commentary on Korean Minjung Theology, ed. Jung Y. Lee, 51-56. Mystic, CN: Twenty-Third Publications, 1988. As minjung theology moves into this later phase, it is my hope that there can be a growing alliance between minjung theology and process theology. Few, if any, process theologians in the United States have paid a price in unemployment or imprisonment for identification with the minjung. In that sense we have not earned the confidence of minjung theologians. But in our very different context, focused on very different issues, we have come to see the world in such a way that we hope to support and encourage those who actively identify with the oppressed and pay the price. As we seek to affect the course of events in our churches and in our government, we need help and guidance from Christians in Korea (and elsewhere) who understand, as we do not, the effect of U.S. policies on the minjung of the world. No more than the minjung theologians are able to determine the policies of Korea are we able to determine those of the United States. But we would like, at least, to be directing our efforts in the right direction. For that we need their moral support as well as their wisdom.
Coleman, John A. "Civil Religion and Liberation Theology in North America." In Theology in the Americas, ed. by Sergio Torres and John Eagleson, 113-38. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1976. Anyone conversant with the literature on civil religion which has grown up since Robert Bellah's celebrated essay on the topic of "Civil Religion in America" knows that to speak of civil religion is to raise a hornet's nest of unresolved problems of definition and evaluation. In debates and colloquies devoted to the subject, questions range from "Does it exist anywhere except in the minds of intellectuals?" or "Is it a purely American phenomenon?" to "Is it anything more than mindless or idolatrous patriotism?" Martin Marty has suggested somewhat flippantly that "Civil religion at least existed once in a speech or two of Abraham Lincoln. He also suggests that it is a sociologist's social construction of reality. It is clear that civil religion is, nonetheless, one of the things we do speak about, if not under that rubric, then in terms of patriotism, the civil heritage, national destiny or purpose, or political and public theology. I will attempt in the following pages to address myself to civil religion under three topics: 1) What is civil religion? Problems of definition and evaluation, 2) America's civil religion; and 3) The relevance of liberation theology for civil religion and of civil religion for understanding liberation theology. The limits both of my competence and time will not allow me more than a brief suggestive analysis of each of these topics. The controversial nature of the term "civil religion "demands that I give, first, some special attention to questions of definition and evaluation.
Conn, Harvie M. "A Contextual Theology of Mission for the City." In The Good News of the Kingdom: Mission Theology for the Third Millennium, ed. Charles van Engen, Dean S. Gilliland, and Paul Pierson, 96-104. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993. Contextualization requires that we connect the normative biblical horizon that provides divine meaning with our contemporary urban horizons. It calls for "a critical discernment of the text's inner meaning and then a translation of it into our own culture" (Stott and Coote 1980, 315). A contextual mission theology then, by definition, adds a third horizon to the task--that of the one to whom we translate the text in gospel witness. Out of this linking of three horizons (message or text, messenger and responder-in-context) comes a theology of mission for urban missiology.
"Contextualization of North American Theology." In Theology in the Americas, ed. by Sergio Torres and John Eagleson, 433-36. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1976. The future of North American theology concerns many people today, especially those who are preoccupied with the concepts of pluralism and the contextualization of theology. We hear about Latin American, African, and Asian theologies. What we call Western theology has been largely, if not exclusively, a European theology. This seems for many Christians the right time to develop more authentic North American theologies. Otherwise Christianity in the United States will lack the prophetic voice required of it by the ecumenical demands of today and the future. The context would include many different aspects and issues, one of which, by itself, is far-reaching. The U. S. dominates a large part of the world in economic and technological power. There must be a critical Christian word addressed to the great human issues that arise just from that fact. The American dream has been increasingly challenged in recent years. For many North Americans, U.S. history expressed in religious symbols is a covenant of freedom and democracy; for some people at home and many in the Third World, it is an enterprise of oppression, domination, and imperialism.
Cook, David. "Significant Trends in Christology in Western Scholarly Debate." In Sharing Jesus in the Two Thirds World: Evangelical Christologies from the Contexts of Poverty, Powerlessness, and Religious Pluralism, ed. Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden, 251-76. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984. An examination of how the forces of secularization, pluralism, and relativism condition Christology in the British context with a critical analysis of "The Myth of God Incarnate" and "Spirit-Christology" in the work of Geoffrey Lampe. The paper highlights the dangers of allowing our context to control our Christological understanding in an uncritical way.
Coppedge, Allan. "How Wesleyans Do Theology." In Doing Theology in Today's World: Essays in Honor of Kenneth S. Kantzer, ed. John D. Woodbridge and Thomas Edward McComiskey, 267-90. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991. There is no understanding of Wesleyan theology without a clear picture of how John Wesley did theology. Not only is Wesley's work the standard for the content by which all subsequent Wesleyan theology must be judged, but it is also the standard with regard to the method by which theology is done. Accordingly, we will focus our primary attention on Wesley's theological method, with only secondary indications as to variations from that standard.
Costas, Orlando. In Struggles for Solidarity: Liberation Theologies in Tension. ed. Ruy O. Costa and Lorine Getz, 63-74. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.
Dyrness, William A. " Vernacular Theology." In The Church between Gospel and Culture: The Emerging Mission in North America, ed. George R. Hunsberger and Craig Van Gelder, 260-269. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.
Echols, James K. "White Theology: A Contrast to Black Theology." Dialog 23:1 (Winter 1984): 27-31. Seeks to expose the defense of traditional theology as in reality an expression of "white" theology (the dominant theology in conservative circles; theology which claims a universal perception of truth).
Fraser, Ian M. "Theology at the Base." In Theology by the People: Reflections on Doing Theology in Community, ed. Samuel Amirtham and John S. Pobee, 55-64. Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1986. The assignment given me includes the request that I offer some insight into people's theology in Europe. I could fulfill my task by quoting extensively from documents--"markers" which basic Christian communities put down to register the stage they have reached. A second approach would be to study effects. How would we know whether people had been doing their biblical and theological work in Holland some years ago, when illegal immigrants were being hunted down? The immigrants were taken into the homes of members of basic Christian communities, sheltered, protected from the authorities and found work. In such action lies the evidence that Dutch basic Christian communities had been doing their theology. A third approach could relate to processes and methods. We could look at the way in which, over a period, people have wrestled with the scriptures in the Holy Spirit, seeking to make real and deep the approach to the Bible and to life. I choose a different entry point: how the Bible has been used to domesticate and subdue peoples, and how the people are recovering their freedom.
Fuss, Michael. "New Age and Europe: A Challenge for Theology." Mission Studies 8:2 (1991): 190-220. Focusing on the problem of alternative religious movements demands a complementary and multidimensional approach. Far from being able comprehensively to approach the movement and to evaluate the incalculable number of publications by or about this modern consumer religion, and without entering into a discussion of its scientific theories, I shall trace out a few guiding ideas of theological importance which may be summarily characterized as the four tendencies towards millenarianism, syncretism, holistic ecology, and evolutionism. To avoid repetition of widely discussed sociological research, this survey will, in its first part, inquire into the European roots of the New Age, and offer a brief description of its main features. A second part intends to express a few preliminary considerations for a theological encounter with this religious pluralism in the European context.
Garde, Michael. "Irish Theology." In Mission Focus: Current Issues, ed. Wilbert R. Shenk, 200-211. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1980. The main themes of an Irish theology will be to draw out the lines of the movement that God brought into existence at Pentecost. It will be a movement which has continuity with the history in which it finds itself, which is God's history; yet it will point to the culmination of messianic salvation when Christ returns. It will announce that we live in the last days, in the days of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It will declare the need for repentance in order to receive personal and social salvation within the family of God. It will view the Body of Christ as the provisional wing of the kingdom of God which by virtue of Christ's death and resurrection is called to be an alternative people in the world. It will be a meeting place of all races and all backgrounds in which class distinctions will disappear.
Green, Robin and Simpson, Theodore. "A Site of Struggle." Theology 93 (1990): 462-467. The experience of the Church in South Africa has very clear parallels with what is happening in parts of Latin America, in the Philippines, in the basic community and ashram movements in India and in places like the Centre for Society and Religion in Sri Lanka. All those movements are well placed to help the Church in Britain to develop a structural and contextual theology here. The type of theological reflection that we have tried to illustrate out of the South African experience has very close parallels with some of the struggles that Christians in Britain will face once they begin to take seriously the situation of the marginalized in our racially and culturally divided society, and in our broken world. We cannot yet envisage how an experiment such as an Association for Contextual Theology might develop in Britain. Indeed, we are not sure how much energy already exists for such an enterprise. But we are convinced that such an exploration needs to begin so that the kind of theological thinking taking place among lay people and church leaders, professional theologians and pastors in other parts of the world can make a major contribution to the now critical reassessment of the Church's role in this country. We would be very glad to hear whether the readers of this journal share any of our intuitions. We would equally welcome challenges and questions!
Greinacher, Norbert. "Liberation Theology in the 'First World'." In Option for the Poor: Challenge to the Rich Countries, ed. Leonardo Boff, Virgilio P. Elizondo, and Marcus Lefébure, 81-90. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1986. If we advocate a contextual theology as something both legitimate and necessary, we shall not--to be consistent--put forward a 'First World' liberation theology. We still have to learn, particularly in the Catholic Church, that there is no such thing as a single, universal and universally acknowledged theology. Nowadays, much more than heretofore, we have to reckon with a multiplicity of theologies. Having said this, however, I am committed to the view that 'First World' theologians have to implement a prophetic and political theology that very seriously takes account of the challenge posed by liberation theology, reflecting upon God and the 'First World' in terms of the fundamental option for the poor. I would regard this as involving a critical dialogue between different theologies--an absolute necessity--including reciprocal 'fraternal correction'. In what follows I shall attempt to outline a number of what I regard as important elements of a prophetic and political theology in the 'First World'.
Hamar, Anna Karin. "Some Understanding of Power in Feminist Liberation Theologies." Feminist Theology 12 (1996): 10-20. Feminist liberation theologies challenge traditional Western understandings of power in two major ways: first, by a change of perspective from those who dominate and are in control to those who are experiencing domination-more explicitly, by shifting the perspective from point of view of the oppressors to the perspective and comprehension of the oppressed; secondly, by a redefinition of power from 'power over', domination and coercion, to a notion of power characterized by mutuality, reciprocity and 'power with': a redefinition of power from domination and coercion to 'co-powering' and cooperation. The purpose of this paper is to describe these two challenges. I am also aiming at a partial comparison of these two contributions of feminist liberation theologies and their discourse on power with social science and philosophy, and an investigation of their influences and their relationships to one another.
Herzog, Frederick. "Birth Pangs: Liberation Theology in North America." In Mission Trends No. 4: Liberation Theologies in North America and Europe, ed. Gerald Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, 25-36. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979. Many North American Christians have difficulty identifying with two fundamental emphases of liberation theology: God's commitment to the poor; and praxis comes first, then theology. The reason for the difficulty, Frederick Herzog explains, is that "systematic theology [has] systematically ignored the poor as its hermeneutical starting point," and "all of us have been brainwashed by the model of theological education we grew up with. It was theory first, then application. Herzog complains that North American theological schools "are enclaves of self-perpetuating intellectual elites reversing the order of God's priorities. Thought gives rise to thought-world without end. In the New Testament it is the opposite. Praxis gives rise to thought, action/reflection including acknowledgment of the claims of the poor." Herzog's article originally appeared in the December 15, 1976 issue of The Christian Century.
Hulsether, Mark D. "Jesus and Madonna: North American Liberation Theologies and Secular Popular Music." Black Sacred Music 8 (1994): 239-253.
Hunsinger, George. "Karl Barth and Liberation Theology." Journal of Religion 63 (1983): 247-263.
Kahl, Brigitte "Doing Theology in the Context of Eastern Europe." Ministerial Formation 43 (1988): 4-9. Several main headings comprise the assertions made: Doing theology in the context of Eastern Europe: 1) involves repentance, 2) means liberation from the ties of the 'Christian West', 3) means cooperation and dialogue with marxists within a secular society; 4) means witness towards coexistence with the West in solidarity with the South.
Kantzer, Kenneth S. "A Systematic Biblical Dogmatics: What Is It and How Is It Done?" In Doing Theology in Today's World: Essays in Honor of Kenneth S. Kantzer, ed. John D. Woodbridge and Thomas Edward McComiskey, 463-94. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991. Systematic biblical dogmatics is an eminently practical science. It is practical because it seeks to help me as a sinner and other sinners like me, come to know God, find acceptance with him, learn how we can please the One we love supremely and find usefulness in his great kingdom. It seeks to answer the question, What must I think and say and do about God, human beings, and the created universe in their interrelationships? The discipline of systematic theology goes by many names. Until modem times it was most frequently called Christian doctrine or teaching. Calvin called it "instruction." My favorite term for it is systematic biblical dogmatics. It is systematic because it organizes the material in whatever way win be most helpful and readily usable to set forth the whole of the instruction God has given to his church to enable his church collectively and in its individual members to be obedient and useful in his kingdom. It is biblical because it is derived from the Bible. And it is dogmatics because it seeks to understand and communicate the commands of the sovereign God--commands that we are to accept, believe, and obey.
Klooster, Fred H. "How Reformed Theologians 'Do Theology' in Today's World." In Doing Theology in Today's World: Essays in Honor of Kenneth S. Kantzer, ed. John D. Woodbridge and Thomas Edward McComiskey, 227-50. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991. My description of how Reformed theologians do theology in today's world follows these seven steps: (1) survey the history and literature of systematic theology; (2) distinguish the main types of theology and note their chief characteristics; (3) become aware of the two main options for beginning theology within the Reformed camp; (4) examine the nature of scientific activity to understand the nature of theology as a science; (5) identify theology's field of investigation and its norm; (6) recognize Scripture as the final norm, seek to understand the entire Scripture in light of biblical history, biblical theology, careful exegesis, and attention to hermeneutical questions; finally, (7) draw out the implications of Reformed theology for both personal and communal faith and life.
Loades, Ann. "Feminist Theology." In The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology in the Twentieth Century, ed. David F. Ford, 235-52. Oxford: Blackwell, 1989. Feminism challenges the identity of Christianity fundamentally, and the first representative thinker illustrates this: Mary Daly is no longer a Christian. Ann Loades makes clear in other ways too the profundity of the crisis that this movement has provoked in only twenty years, and describes the critical and constructive theologies of Phyllis Trible, Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza and Rosemary Radford Ruether. Must Christianity be 'a male-identified project of redemption'?
Maimela, Simon. "Man in 'White' Theology." Missionalia 9:2 (August 1981): 64-77. (Written from a South African context.) Nothing perhaps is more difficult for a Black theologian than to be asked to present a paper on White anthropology. For the concept of "man" in White theology is one of the most difficult for an outsider, that is, one who is not White, to analyze and to try to make sense of. This is because the portrait or construal of what is constitutive of the human that White theology offers its readers strikes a Black person as a creature with which he cannot identify himself. For human self ("man") as portrayed in White theology is an incurably dangerous monster. If I am not altogether wrong, it seems at least two major principles: one theoretical and the other practical have contributed to the formation of this composite White anthropology. See also Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 36 (September 1981): 27-42.
Maimela, Simon S. "Man in 'White' Theology." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 36 (September 1981): 27-42. (Written from a South African context.) Nothing perhaps is more difficult for a Black theologian than to be asked to present a paper on White anthropology. For the concept of "man" in White theology is one of the most difficult for an outsider, that is, one who is not White, to analyze and to try to make sense of. This is because the portrait or construal of what is constitutive of the human that White theology offers its readers strikes a Black person as a creature with which he cannot identify himself. For human self ("man") as portrayed in White theology is an incurably dangerous monster. If I am not altogether wrong, it seems at least two major principles: one theoretical and the other practical have contributed to the formation of this composite White anthropology. See also Missionalia 9:2 (August 1981): 64-77.
Mate-Toth, Andras. "The 'Second World' as Context for Theology." In Popular Religion, Liberation and Contextual Theology: Papers from a Congress (January 3-7, 1990, Nijmegen, the Netherlands) Dedicated to Arnulf Camps OFM, ed. Jacques Van Nieuwenhove and Berma Klein Goldewijk, 183-87. Kampen, Netherlands: J. H. Kok, 1991. The theologians of liberation developed their reflections and options in relation to the characteristics of the social environment of their particular regions, and, consequently, of the third world. Theologians from the "first world" reacted to this fundamental position of third world theologians with similar reflections on their own context on the social, historical and political level. This theologically reflected contextuality became one of the sources and conditions for the option for the "people of God". The characteristics of the (real-existing) socialist world, i.e. the "second world", have not been theologically analyzed, a fact, which makes a new kind of option for the churches impossible, or at least difficult. Such an analysis could only be achieved through a collegiality which still has to be brought to life and through the collaboration of "second world theologians". This article should be seen as a small contribution, like a small stone in a mosaic.
Myhre-Nielsen, Dag. "Life Forms and 'Folk Church': Some Aspects of Norwegian Ecclesiology." Studia Theologica 44 (1990): 85-94. The Scandinavian specialty in the field of church characteristics is the 'Folk Church', created through several hundred years of symbiotic coexistence between church and state. Already in the first part of the 19th century, this symbiosis created a growing uneasiness among groups of clergymen and laity, an uneasiness that grew to a movement for church reform as the century went by. The movement has continued its quest into the present century and has, step by step, transferred legislative and administrative authority from the political to the ecclesial institutions. The aim of this article is to point out some characteristics of the Norwegian 'Folk Church' concept and to delineate some basic questions worth considering if this concept should still play a part in the theological construction of church reality in Norway. In doing this I shall not use the movement for church reform mentioned above, but turn to another movement of considerable importance in this century: the so called 'Small-Church Movement'. The ecclesiological thinking and strategy of this movement have played a decisive part in the development of church ideology and practice in Norway throughout the century.
Ovecka, Libor and Ryskova, Mireille. "Theology and Liberation in the Context of Czechoslovakia Today." In Popular Religion, Liberation and Contextual Theology: Papers from a Congress (January 3-7, 1990, Nijmegen, the Netherlands) Dedicated to Arnulf Camps OFM, ed. Jacques Van Nieuwenhove and Berma Klein Goldewijk, 177-82. Kampen, Netherlands: J. H. Kok, 1991. Examines the recent history of Czechoslovakia and the implications for theology which liberates. Concludes: Theology, which is now beginning to develop freely in our country again, enjoys the environment it needs to develop, as such, a theology of the church which kill be the mediator of Christ's liberation to our nations, and in this sense to be a theology of liberation. If it is to be realized, then what we need, in many respects, is a liberation of theology. The conditions necessary for it are created by the fact that it is a theology developing in the situation of liberation.
Packer, J. I. "Is Systematic Theology a Mirage? An Introductory Discussion." In Doing Theology in Today's World: Essays in Honor of Kenneth S. Kantzer, ed. John D. Woodbridge and Thomas Edward McComiskey, 17-38. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991. Today spokesmen for a certain type of Protestantism, one that emerged out of the self-styled Enlightenment and that its critics refer to as liberal, radical, modernist, or revisionist, challenge this confidence. They allege that the ordered knowledge of God that Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Reformational Protestant teachers have set forth with (be it said) striking agreement at most points is like the oasis mirage in a desert. Because it is dear and coherent and claims to be absolute and final truth, coming from God himself, it cannot but allure the wayfaring mind. But, say the challengers, it is in fact an illusion, a mirage, an illegitimate objectifying of opinions-in plain words, a fantasy, an unreality, a vast mistake, a giant fraud. Theology (so they say) cannot relay to us revealed truth, for there is no such thing; it can only describe, correlate, interpret, and criticize or justify intuitions and guesses about God that are found in the churches; and it is high time that, by facing this fact realistically, we cut theology down to size. Are the critics right? This chapter attempts to weigh their claim.
Pobee, John. "Europe as a Locus Theologicus." The Ecumenical Review 45:2 (April 1993): 194-201. An African ecumenical perspective on Europe and theology in the European context.
Roberts, J. Deotis and Herzog, Frederick. "Contextualization of Theology in the New South." Journal of Religious Thought 36 (1979): 54-60. At the 1976 American Academy of Religion meeting in St. Louis there was initial agreement that we would try to do a piece together on our theological efforts in the South, finally sharing them with the AAR Liberation Theology Group. By January 1977 we decided to proceed in tried and tested Southern "round robin" style. The actual correspondence took place from January 31 through May 25, 1977, resulting in nineteen single-spaced pages of text. Dr. Roberts coordinated the black experience, and Dr. Herzog was responsible for the white--as represented by these letters. We agreed that the final paper should be brief enough to be manageable in the AAR discussion group. By August 15 the black section was circulated; by September 15 the white. This represents the edited version contributed to by the whole group.
Rutschman, Laverne A. "Anabaptism and Liberation Theology." In Freedom and Discipleship, ed. Daniel S. Schipani, 51-65. New York: Orbis Books, 1989. In order to study areas of interaction between Latin American liberation theology and radical Anabaptism, common concerns and interpretations as well as disagreements, it will be necessary to consider briefly certain characteristics of liberation thought. The bulk of this chapter is be devoted to a study of the interaction between liberation theology and Anabaptism in four areas: the source and nature of authority, the identification and role of the people of God in the liberation struggle, the place of Christology in Christian thought and action, and the question of final goals or eschatology.
Scaer, David P. "How Do Lutheran Theologians Approach the Doing of Theology Today?" In Doing Theology in Today's World: Essays in Honor of Kenneth S. Kantzer, ed. John D. Woodbridge and Thomas Edward McComiskey, 197-226. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991. This approach to theology, which provides definite points of historical reference in the creedal and confessional documents in addition to the biblical ones, presupposes the unity of the Bible and its doctrine and the possibility of doctrinal consensus among Christians even before the theological task begins. The content of the church's doctrine is a given, and not a goal. Theology may be discovered in what is already present, but it is not created nor can it result from new revelations. The Holy Spirit works only through the biblical witness. The experience of theologians is not a factor for theology. Theology does not go beyond this biblical and confessional core to produce new doctrines but strives to explicate this core in new and different situations. The confessions do not possess an independent theological authority apart from the Scriptures; their authority springs from their faithfulness to the Scriptures.
Sider, Ronald J. "Mennonites and the Poor: Toward an Anabaptist Theology of Liberation." In Freedom and Discipleship, ed. Daniel S. Schipani, 85-100. New York: Orbis Books, 1989. A serious dialogue between Anabaptism and liberation theology must focus major attention on at least two crucial areas: the question of violence, and the question of God's attitude toward the poor. This essay treats only the second. On the question of God's and therefore the church's attitude toward the poor, Anabaptism and liberation theology pose an important question for each other. Liberation theology rightly wants to know if the wealthy Mennonite church in North America and Western Europe has any intention of living what the Bible teaches about the poor. And Mennonites want to ask whether liberation theologians are willing to let the Bible, rather than Karl Marx, provide the decisive definition of the proper Christian attitude toward the oppressed. This dialogue between Mennonites and liberation theologians will also be significant for pressing internal debate within the Mennonite church in North America. Some more conservative folk fear that the Mennonite social activists are developing an unbiblical agenda for the church. They fear secular thought, perhaps even Marxist analysis, is becoming dominant in activist Mennonite circles. These conservative questioners want to know whether the Scriptures are really still the norm for those who talk loudly about justice for the poor.
Sider, Ronald J. "Miracles, Methodology, and Modern Western Christology." In Sharing Jesus in the Two Thirds World: Evangelical Christologies from the Contexts of Poverty, Powerlessness, and Religious Pluralism, ed. Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden, 237-250. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984. One of the most detrimental influences on modern western Christology has been the widespread notion which emerged in the Enlightenment that miracles and scientific thought were incompatible. Convinced that modern scientific thinkers must reject a super natural world view, liberal theologians abandoned the deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Similarly, modern historical-critical methodology assumed that the critical historian must reject all instances of alleged miracles. There is no philosophical necessity for this widespread assumption. A historical methodology which assumes that alleged miracles must be rejected as legend carries major unwarranted philosophical baggage. This mistake of Western Christology reveals a misplaced contextualization which is also present in evangelical theology that ignores Christ's concern for liberation and in liberation theology that ignores Christ's concern for personal forgiveness grounded in the substitutionary atonement.
Simbo, Billy. "An African Critique of Western Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 28-33. The topic under consideration is very extensive and challenging. One could pursue many possible angles of approach and points of emphasis, but time and space do not allow for a detailed, technical study. I have, therefore, chosen to give a non-technical, brief analysis. I will examine western theology purely from the perspective of a Third World person from Africa. By western theology we mean the western Christian's beliefs and formulations concerning God and man's relationship with Him. We shall treat the subject under two headings. Under the first we will examine the origins and background of Western Theology. Under the second heading we will examine what we see as the outcome of this Theology.
Simpson, Theo. "Theology in Context." Theology 95 (September/October 1992): 343-353. Explores theology in a secularized, post-modern context and specifically Great Britain. The general orientation: It is generally recognized now that we can no longer regard a Western theology shaped by Western society and Western culture as normative for the rest of the world. The next step is to acknowledge that the rest of the world may have something to teach us, and that this may turn out to be very important for the recovery of the dynamism and vitality of theology in the West.
Swartley, Willard M. "Liberation Theology, Anabaptist Pacifism and Munsterie Violence: Hermeneutical Comparisons and Evaluation." In Freedom and Discipleship, ed. Daniel S. Schipani, 66-75. New York: Orbis Books, 1989. The aim of this chapter is to challenge the pacifist tradition with the hermeneutical contributions of liberation theology and to similarly challenge liberation theology with the hermeneutical contributions of the Anabaptist pacifist tradition. An additional goal is to show two forms of hermeneutic within sixteenth-century Anabaptism, thus providing a third hermeneutical perspective which, while not to be espoused, might stimulate a better understanding of the two main alternatives under comparison in this essay. I shall thus summarize and analyze the similarities and differences among the three historical forces denoted in the title of this article.
van Rooy, J. A. "The Image of Man in White Theology: Calvinist, Biblical, or Self-Centered?" Missionalia 9:2 (August 1981): 78-85. Response to Maimela's article (see Missionalia 9:2 (August 1981): 64-77). Concludes: White Theology is a theological heresy. It is as distorted a view of Christianity as the ideas of Christianity that the prophet Mohammed picked up from the Christian sects which he encountered. It is a man-centred, self-centred theology, and no more scriptural than the worst forms of Black Theology.
Vanhoozer, Kevin J. "Mapping Evangelical Theology in a Post-modern World." Evangelical Review of Theology 22:1 (January 1998): 5-27. This article, given as part of a lecture series at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, analyzes how evangelicals should respond to post-modernity. It is a lucid account of the role of biblical authority and literal meaning in interpreting the Good News in our pluralistic society and modeling it in 'communities of faith'. The author has a passion for a Christocentric faith, tolerance of others, a humble culture-critical spirit and a commitment to joyously practicing the truth.
Wingeier, Douglas E. "A Theology for the Third Wave." The East Asia Journal of Theology 4:1 (1986): 14-28. Building on Toffler's "Third Wave" the implications for theology in contemporary society are discussed.
Yoder, John H. "Withdrawal and Diaspora: The Two Faces of Liberation." In Freedom and Discipleship, ed. Daniel S. Schipani, 76-84. New York: Orbis Books, 1989. In summary, the seriousness with which we should take the centrality of Exodus in the Hebrew Canon forbids our distilling from it a timeless idea of liberation that we would then use to ratify all kinds of liberation projects in all places and forms. God does not merely "act in history." God acts in history in particular ways. It would be a denial of the history to separate an abstract project label like liberation from the specific meaning of the liberation God has brought. The form of liberation in the biblical witness is not the guerrilla campaign against an oppressor culminating in his assassination and military defeat, but the creation of a confessing community, that is viable without or against the force of the state and that, does not glorify that power structure even by the effort to topple. it. The content of liberation in the biblical witness is not the "nation-state" brotherhood engineered after the takeover but the covenantal peoplehood already-existing because God has given it, and sure of its future because of the Name ("identity") of God, not because of trust in the success of a coming campaign. The means of liberation in the biblical witness is not prudentially justified, tactically guided violence, but "mighty Acts," which may come through the destruction at the Red Sea-but may also come when the king is moved to be gracious to Esther, or to Daniel, or to Nehemiah. The atmosphere of liberation is not compulsive management of events, not calculation of effects in proportion to effort, but wonderment and praise, doxology.