theology- public, private, shared, done

It has been an interesting week. A week ago, we gathered in a park with some friends from neighboring faith communities to raise awareness (and money) around the issue of hunger in our local and global community. We did it because Jesus asks us to care for those who are hungry. We did it because to do so gave us life and connected us to something much larger than ourselves. Last Wednesday, we visited our friends at Redeemer in north Minneapolis for their annual block party and shared music, food, and rockin’ 'Jesus is king hip hop' in the empty lot behind the church with a few hundred new friends. The folks at Redeemer engaged their entire neighborhood (and us) because Jesus asks them to welcome strangers. It connected them (and us) to something bigger, brighter, and more alive.

This week was also marked by the church wide assembly of the ELCA and deliberation around issues related to human sexuality and the ordination of clergy. Without going into the details of the decisions that were reached, (you can click here to visit the ELCA website for results and social statements adopted) the assembly voted and adopted statements related to theological opinion around a number of issues. The assembly was marked by great debate (most of which was quite civil), prayer and thoughtful deliberation, joy for some and sadness for others. Even with such a heated topic, people behaved like, well, like Lutherans.

Such public declaration of theological position is what we would probably imagine if someone asked us the question ‘what is public theology?” Yes it is a geeky pastor type question I know. But an important one. We might imagine that public theology is what happens when we stand and say a creed during worship, or what a pastor does when he/she preaches a sermon. Within such a framework, public theology is an exercise in reasoning about God and proclaiming our beliefs publicly, either as an individual or collectively.

And here is where I am stuck. See I am not sure about this thinking and speaking framework for defining public theology. I am coming to believe that such a framework largely misses the point. Thinking is overrated and talk is cheap.

Over the last few years I have come to understand that public theology is not wholly about what we think or what we say but is rather about what we do. Not because our doing saves us or makes us better than anyone else, but rather because our doing extends and gives life and motion to our theology.

We do theology. Publicly. Everyday.

I am leaving later today to do theology as an extension of a community of public theology doers. I invite you to travel along for the next few days as I extend our doing into one of the poorest countries in the world. Do pray for me this week as I go. And know that your hands are extended in life giving doing this week.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being stained by the world.” James 1:27