The interaction of theology and culture is near and dear to my heart. It’s one of the reasons why I have set out on this book project. Scott, a friend over at theopraxis.net has been posting quite a bit on theology and culture. I have to confess that I am insanely jealous that he has his hands on a copy of Doing Local Theology. It’s on my "must read" list that always growns longer and longer over time. I have a list of recommended "contextual theology" books listed on this blog in the left margin. Click on them and give them a look. They may not be for everyone, but everyone should at least look them over.
If it’s anything like Contextual Theology by Bevans, I’m sure that Sedmak has some incredibly relevant things to say to the church. If anything, these kinds of books help remind us about the complexity of our world and give us some tools to keep us honest in our theological ramblings.
Here are some thoughts from Scott and consequently, his quotes of Sedmak:
Sedmak proposes three criteria for "good theology" that I thought were just fascinating. He writes this:
What
is "good theology" according to Jesus? As we have seen, theology is not
exclusively an academic endeavor. It is about personal and communal
transformation, based on a relationship with God….Jesus emphasizes
the practical consequences, the fruits. He emphasizes the spirit with
which theology is done. He emphasizes the need to care for the people
and to be with the people.
He goes on to discuss his three criteria for good theology:
- Realness
- Realness means that the theology is true to life. Reality also serves
as a check to our own thinking, to constructing systems that are
intellectually coherent but practically unworkable. - Fidelity to the founder – In his own words, this means being "faithful and honest to the mission and message and person of Jesus".
- Practical consequences
- What is the fruit? What are the practices that naturally flow from
the theology? Again, in Sedmak’s words, "Theology is a way of following
Jesus."
Thanks for your summary Scott. I almost feel like the book is in my hands right now . . .
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Filed under: Culture
Ed – you absolutely should track this one down. It’s a great read with a lot of practical application. I think Sedmak does a great job of balancing the local and the global / universal. He’s also quite attuned to pastoral concerns, so there’s a great aspect of praxis to it as well. Definitely great stuff.