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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