What is Action Orientated Theology

Action Orientated Theology is the implementation of theological belief into actual practice. This could be said to be the most direct method of theological reflection, as it attempts to deal with whatever issue has caused the need for theological reflection

Action Orientated Theology developed from the debate between orthodoxy and orthopraxy.  Orthodoxy focuses very much on the notion of right doctrine, right worship and right church order. Orthopraxy, however, is the idea of right action – where the most important thing is to be acting in the correct manner. An example of this would be the recent “occupy” movement, where people who believed that the system of capitalism had to be brought down, and thus occupied areas relating to capitalism. However, the occupy movement in London created even more controversy, due their inability to camp near the London banking centre, and thus setting up their camp outside St Pauls Cathedral.  This then led to an intense debate between the heads of the cathedral, that eventually led to the resignation of the canon who had allowed the campers onto the cathedral’s land. The way that the protestors set up camp due to their beliefs helps to reinforce the view given by Graham, Walton and Ward – “this method of theological reflection has thus never been abstract speculation of timeless truths, but consideration of the obligations of communities of faith in the context of social, economic and political extremities.[1]” This is because the protestors actually believed that they had an obligation to try and protest, thus proving Graham, Walton and Ward’s definition to be true.

Another example of Action Orientated Theology would Paulo Fiere. He was heavily influenced by Marxist theories in relation to education. He was of the opinion that when the learner is passive, they are open to being deceived, and taught things that will reflect the bias of the teacher. He wanted education to be more active for the learner. Again, this is Action Orientated Theology as he is considering his political and social obligations and thus airing his feelings on the matter. A further example would be Gustavo Gutierrez, who was a believer in liberation theology – a style of theology that stemmed from the type of dictatorship that Gutierrez lived under. Again, this is Action Orientated Theology as it reflects both his political and social views.

To conclude, Action Orientated Theology is the process by which people act on their various theological beliefs.

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[1] Graham, Walton and Ward, 170

What is Canonical Narrative Theology

Canonical Narrative Theology is the notion that the identity of a civilisation can be formed from the telling, and interpretation of, biblical stories. Examples of this can be seen throughout both history and Britain as a society, which can be seen throughout the legal system and the “morals of the nation”.

For instance, in the British legal system runs on the basis of the “rule of law”, where all are equal in the eyes of the law, and that no one is above the law. There is a similar idea of equality in the bible, where it says in Galatians 3-26-29 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.[1]” As shown, the British legal system is based around the notion of equality, and it is clearly shown in the bible there is a definite notion of equality running through. There are actually several more examples of equality running throughout the bible, such as in Acts 17:26 “²⁶And He hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth,”[2] Now as Britain is seemingly a Christian country, it should therefore be no surprise that the rule of law in this country is seemingly based on the fundamental Christian text.

Canonical Narrative Theology is also present in the idea of giving to charity. Again, focusing on Britain, one of the major charities that people give to is the Salvation Army, which is a protestant charity that believes “charity demeaned the individual and people should be offered a ‘hand up' and not ‘hand outs' to get them back on their feet.”.[3] Now whilst there is no direct link between chapter and charity, in Matthew’s gospel it does state “³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” As mentioned, whilst there is no clear, defined link between what was said in the gospel and the charity itself, the fact that the aim of the charity matches so closely to the scripture makes it clear that a biblical story has had a great influence on the actions of one group.

Finally, Canonical Narrative theology can be seen to influence people as well. Perhaps the best known example of this would be St. Francis of Assisi. St Francis was a man of considerable wealth in his homeland. However, upon having a religious experience, he proceeded to sell his possessions, took a vow of poverty, and formed his own religious group. When he was creating the rules for his group, he based it on a bible passage “and to follow the teaching and the footprints of our Lord Jesus Christ, who says “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me…”[4] As shown, a biblical story has helped to form the identity of both one person and then an entire group of devotees.

To conclude, Canonical Narrative Theology is the formation of a person, country or set of ideals based on a biblical text or excerpt. It can be seen both in the formation of this countries legal system, and in creation of charitable organisations. Finally, it can be seen in the acts of certain people throughout history, such as the afore mentioned St Francis of Assisi.

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[1] King James Bible – Galatians

[2] Ibid – Acts of the Apostles

[3] http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/aboutus

[4] A reconstruction of the “Primitive” Rule of St Francis from the Regula non Bullata – pg 154

What is Theology by heart?

Theology by heart is one of the methods of theological reflection that is mentioned in Graham, Walton and Ward's "Theological Reflections: Methods". This is a method of Theological Reflection that is deeply personal, as it involves an individual looking at themselves rather than at external factors in an effort to find what they truly believe.

As mentioned, Theology by heart is a personal method of reflection. It tends to be recorded in the forms of journals, diaries and letters. Due to the fact that it is a personal reflection, a doctrinal notion can develop, which will help to change that person's identity. A classic example of this would John Wesley, he founder of the Methodist church. Whilst attending a Moravian meeting in London, Wesley felt his heart being "strangely warmed", and that he later wrote that he had experienced "Grace" and "Salvation". After having these experiences, Wesley was a profoundly different person, and as such, it is fair to say that theology by heart is one way to help to construct an identity, as it leads to one discovering things about themselves that they did not know previously.

Theology by heart also seeks to answer several questions. Firstly, it seeks to answer the question of "Who am I?" As theology by heart involves looking inwards, it will mean that people will be able to realise exactly what kind of person they are. It also seeks to answer "How do I want to live?” As people look inwards, they may see things that they do not like about themselves or their life, and as a result of theology by heart, they will be able to recognize these things and go about changing them. It will also answer "Why did I respond that way?", as people will realise what they have done, and will wonder whether or not it was the right thing to do, and it will answer "What counts as important?" as people will be able to understand what matters the most to them upon personal reflection.

There have been criticisms of theology by heart. Some people see it as self-centred and overly pious, as it refuses to look at major, potentially world-wide issues, but instead only concentrates on the individual, thus making theology by heart seem self-obsessed, due to the importance of the individual. Another issue with theology by heart is that there is no room for critical comments, as theology by heart can just boil down to a matter of opinion.

To conclude, Theology by heart is a method of reflection that involves searching one's inner-self for answers as to what kind of person they are and how they live their lives. It also helps to build an individual's character and identity as they search for ideas as to who they are. However, it is not a method that is without fault, as it seems to be self-centred and is a method can draw only minimal critical analysis of its findings.

Theological ideas

The study of theology will be shaped by certain elements, be it the thoughts and presumptions of the time, or due to personal experience. As theology can be shaped around people's own experience, the term "practical theology" has been coined, as people's theological views will be based around incidents that have already occurred.

As experiences/beliefs change or are re-examined, this means that "theological reflection" also occurs. This is the process by which theological ideas are created. As past events are re-examined a different conclusion can be drawn from them, which will lead to a whole new set of theological ideas being created. For instance, the Catholic Church has changed its view point on what happens to children who die without being baptised, from previously (and dogmatically) believing that children who died without baptism were unable to enter heaven to now believing that “there are reasons to hope that God will save these infants precisely because it was not possible to do for them that what would have been most desirable— to baptize them in the faith of the Church and incorporate them visibly into the Body of Christ.”[1] Therefore, it is clear that theological ideas can and do change if the viewpoints that they are based on are re-evaluated.

A further way of examining theology is contextually. This takes into account the situation when the theological ideas where created. For instance, the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote whilst in a Nazi prison “What is bothering me increasingly is the question... who Christ really is for us today” and “We are moving towards a completely religion less time”[2] Of course, Bonhoeffer was living in what must have seemed like a Godless society at the time, and as such his work must be treated with a degree of caution, but clearly Bonhoeffer believes that the world is moving towards an increasingly atheist/secular society. Furthermore, after looking at theology contextually, a variety of new types of theology have emerged, such as feminist theology, which examines how women were treated in the Bible and challenging how women were portrayed in the bible.[3] It could be argued therefore, that contextual theology can often be combined with theological reflection. This is because people will examine the times when an idea was created, and ma challenge it as it does not agree with what they believe in

To conclude, all theology is practical, as it is based on the experiences of certain people. Theological ideas can also be changed due to theological reflection, as the times and ideas may change. Finally, theological notions can be examined contextually, which will shed some light on both the writer and the time in which the writer was working in.

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[1] http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html

[2] Letter of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Eberhard Bethge

[3] http://www.theologynetwork.org/theology-of-everything/getting-stuck-in/an-overview-of-feminist-theology.htm

What is theology?

In the past, there have been several attempts to define what is meant by the term "theology". This article will attempt to dissect these definitions and to add some clarity as to what is meant by theology.

To begin with, Professor Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical theology at Oxford University, defines theology as "talk about god", and Christian Theology as "talk about God from a Christian perspective". He then goes onto say "It begins by recognizing that Christians have quite distinct ideas about who God is and What God is Like. We find these expressed in the Bible." This definition clearly takes an evangelical route, as it works on the basis that the things that Christians believe about God stem from biblical teachings. Whilst these would seem a logical assumption, it rules out the notion that Christians have the capacity to form their own views on who God is, but must instead be almost forced fed views from the bible.

A second definition of what theology is comes from Professor David Ford, who is a professor of Divinity at Cambridge University. He states that theology is the process of thinking about questions that religion can raise, such as the question as to why people will suffer, fight and die for religion. He then goes onto note the roles that the major religions have had on previous civilisations, certain nations cultures and political systems. Furthermore, he also wrote about how religions can help mould people's thoughts and actions. Professor Ford is therefore taking a liberal attitude to the question as to what theology actually is, as he is using the term theology as a way of showing how religion and "works of God" can influence both people and countries.

Finally, there have been several "definitions" of theology that take a far more critical role. For instance, American revolutionary Thomas Paine wrote "The study of theology, as it stands in Christian churches, is the study of nothing...", and the 19th century philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach claimed that theology was a "web of contradictions and delusions". Whilst they are, of course, entitled to their opinions, it must be noted that these men were famed as atheists, which means that their writings must be treated with a degree of suspicion, as they will be writing with a certain degree of bias.

To conclude, there have been several attempts to give a concrete definition as to what theology is.  Based on the above examples, it would seem that theology is either a study of lies, mistakes and falsehoods, or a study of what God is, how it can affect society as a whole, and where specific beliefs can stem from.