Theology ‘In Exit’ for a Better World: Consolidating the Intersecting Features of Public Theology

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 January 2025 | Viewed by 3385

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Faculty of Theology, Salesian Pontifical University, 000139 Rome, Italy
Interests: practical and empirical theology; contextual theology; inculturation and interculturality; interreligious dialogue and conflict; religion, human rights and citizenship; religious education and pedagogy; youth studies and ministry; public theology
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School of Philosophy and Religious Thought, University of Madras, Tamil Nadu 600005, India
Interests: social and political philosophy; religious philosophies; philosophy of religion; Indian religions; comparative religion; hermeneutics; Christian theology; public theology; spiritual therapies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fifty years ago, the expression ‘Public theology’ was introduced into theological debate by Martin E. Marty (1974). Since then, Public theology has evolved in varied ways, progressively engaging numerous intersecting perspectives and methodologies. Since 2007, the Global Network for Public Theology (GNPT) with its associated International Journal of Public Theology (IJPT) has been a propelling force in this endeavour by fostering collaborative research and publication in this area.

The recent document Ad Theologiam Promovendam (To Promote Theology) of Pope Francis (2023) addressed to the Pontifical Academy of Theology (PATH), calling for a Theology ‘in exit’ (Teologia in uscita, in Italian), entails an overall paradigm shift in consonance with what has been emerging as Public theology. In other words, theology is urged to overcome its obsession with self-referential preoccupations and exit into the public square for making its unique contributions for a better world along with others engaged in this venture.

The fact that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 1948), for the last seventy-five years, has been drawing ever-growing attention of Christian and other religious traditions suggests that human dignity, human rights, and human responsibility are crucial ambits of Public theology or Theology ‘in exit’. These ambits would embrace the so-called first generation of human rights, namely, ‘blue rights’, comprising civil liberties besides political and judicial rights; the second generation, referred to as ‘red rights’, incorporating economic, social and cultural rights; and the third generation of collective rights, namely, the ‘green rights’, focusing on the emerging needs, particularly of developing countries, i.e., healthy environment, natural resources, cultural heritage, intergenerational equity and sustainability. In this regard, mention may be made of the Empirical Research in Religion and Human Rights series edited by Johannes A. van der Ven (2010-2015, four volumes, Brill) and Religion and Human Rights series edited by Hans-Georg Ziebertz and Carl Sterkens (2017-2023, ten volumes, Springer).

Instead of being reduced to another sector of theology, Public theology transpires as a paradigm shift in theologizing that necessitates rethinking the entire field of reflection, research and action with reference to diverse realms of human and ecological welfare. Exiting into the public sphere, theology can lay bare its public significance (Francis & Ziebertz 2011).

Generally, theology has been classified into Historical, Philosophical and Practical theology. The paradigm shift that is called for in these interdependent sectors of theology implies acknowledging the glocal (global–local) nature of theologizing and accordingly reviewing the epistemologies and methodologies with reference to the public sphere. Historical theology—with its historical-critical method—traces the development of Christian tradition beginning with the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Western linguistic and cultural resources. Although Philosophical (Systematic/Dogmatic) theology—with its analytical-critical method—aims at the universal understanding of Christian faith, its development is marked by the contribution of contextual linguistic–philosophical traditions in which Christianity has taken root. The question that arises now concerns the extent to which languages, philosophies and the cultural context of contemporary local churches in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania can actually shape or should shape Historical and Philosophical theology. Forming an integral part of the latter are Fundamental theology with its apologetic intent and Moral theology with its ethical concern. Practical (Pastoral) theology—with its inductive or empirical-critical method—seeks to transform ecclesial praxis to its ever-greater authenticity and significance. Correspondingly, the envisioned paradigm shift denotes a theological advancement in terms of Philosophical–Public theology, Historical–Public theology, and Practical–Public theology in the academic domain. Together with the latter, ecclesial and societal domains are recognized as the three domains of public theology.

In the ecclesial domain, theology emerges as the intellectual, emotional and behavioural agency of believers, namely, their lived theology or people’s theology. Likewise, in the societal domain, we can speak of the religio-cultural, socio-political and economic-environmental agency of believers. The underlying question is how theology ‘in exit’ can shape believers’ agency in dialogue with religious, cultural, social, political, economic and environmental studies, and enhance human development and ecological wellbeing.

The effectiveness of Public theology in a specific societal context is determined by Christianity’s majority or minority status. Although Christianity—as every other contemporary world religion—is of Asian origin, it has a minority status in almost all Asian countries, with the exception of the Philippines (88.7%) and East Timor (98%). Christianity’s minority status in the Asian countries, despite the missionary efforts already at its origin, raises serious questions about the role public theology can play in such a context. To assume an effective role, Christianity would have to decolonialize, i.e., shed its colonial features, and delve into the Asian cultures in terms of inculturation, interculturation and conculturation (Anthony 1997). The latter term indicates that in sharing the local culture, Christianity must contribute—together with others—to the development of local culture proffering specific contributions to the literature in the local language, art, music, dance, drama, etc. Given that traditional local cultures have their own religious core, public theology would have to engage in interreligious dialogue as well. In the traditionally Christian Western world, the challenge is to encounter the secular modern or post-modern global culture with its ideological core. In this sense, the historical insertion of Christianity and its status as a majority or minority religion shape the configuration of public theology in diverse geographical milieu.

Furthermore, promoting Public theology in the ecclesial, societal and academic domains necessitates intradisciplinarity, i.e., assuming the methods of other sciences: analytical-critical, historical-critical, empirical-critical and other methods. Such an intradisciplinary approach can ensure proper interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary (meta-disciplinary) engagements with other sciences in promoting a better world (van der Ven 1993).

Thus, this Special Issue seeks to reinforce the paradigm shift in the ongoing development of theology in terms of Public theology or Theology ‘in exit’. In other words, in tune with the scope of the present journal, this Special Issue provides a scholarly platform for consolidating the intersecting theoretical, historical and empirical features of global-contextual Public theology, engaging interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives on human dignity and wellbeing, human rights and responsibility, social justice and peace building, economic and ecological flourishing, as well as contributing to the common good of linguistic, artistic, educational and technological development, etc.

Prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors are invited to submit a title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor at [email protected] and to Religions editorial office ([email protected]); as early as possible, but not beyond the deadline 24 September 2024. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for ensuring its proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts of at least 6000–10,000 words will undergo double-blind peer review.

We await your valuable contributions to endorse a theological paradigm shift in terms of Public theology.

References

Anthony, Francis-Vincent. 1997. Ecclesial Praxis of Inculturation. Toward an Empirical-Theological Theory of Inculturizing Praxis. Roma: LAS.

Francis, Leslie J. & Hans-Georg Ziebertz. (Eds.). 2011. The public Significance of Religion. Leiden/Boston: Brill.

Marty, Martin E. 1974. Reinhold Niebuhr: Public Theology and the American Experience. Journal of Religion 544: 332-359.

Pope Francis. 2023. Ad theologiam promovendam, Lettera Apostolica Motu Proprio. Available online:  https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/motu_proprio/documents/20231101-motu-proprio-ad-theologiam-promovendam.html (access 15 November 2023).

van der Ven, Johannes A. 1993. Practical Theology: An Empirical Approach. Kok Pharos: Peeters.

Prof. Dr. Francis-Vincent Anthony
Prof. Dr. Gnana Patrick
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • public theology
  • historical theology
  • philosophical theology
  • practical theology
  • empirical method
  • intradisciplinarity
  • interdisciplinarity
  • transdiscipinarity
  • common good
  • human rights
  • environmental development

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 260 KiB  
Article
Vox populi (Dei), vox Dei: Pope Francis’ Theology of the People of God, the Priesthood of All Believers and Democracy
by Rudolf von Sinner
Religions 2024, 15(11), 1347; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111347 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1019
Abstract
The Holy See is an absolute monarchy, both as a political and as a spiritual entity. The Second Vatican Council indicated, retrieving biblical terms and metaphors, a new way of giving value to the whole people of God, the laity (laos theou [...] Read more.
The Holy See is an absolute monarchy, both as a political and as a spiritual entity. The Second Vatican Council indicated, retrieving biblical terms and metaphors, a new way of giving value to the whole people of God, the laity (laos theou), constituted by baptism. Rather than a societas perfecta in a pyramidal system, the intention was to declericalise and in this sense democratise the church and its decision-making, not least seeking to secure its witness in an ever more secular world. Even if a sacramental and ontological difference is maintained, this indicates clergy are no longer a first class of believers against which the laity would be a second class; rather, they are rooted and stand with and within the whole people of God with their specific vocation and ordination. The notion of the royal and universal priesthood of believers, taken from 1 Peter 2:9 and emphasised by Luther and other reformers as they distributed power between ordained and not ordained leaders, was visible in the Second Vatican Council and finds new enactment in the synodality process which culminated in the Ordinary Synod in Rome, in October 2024. Based on his own theology of the people of God, developed during the dictatorship and economic oppression in Argentina, with strong cultural and religious connotations, Pope Francis seeks to further major involvement of the laity and especially of women in the church’s administration and transformation processes. Not surprisingly, this process has been receiving criticism both from those who find it is not going far enough and from those who believe the process has already gone far too far. Based on bibliographical and documental research, the intention of this article is to describe and analyse the notion of the people of God as proposed by Pope Francis and its forms of concretisation including its deficiencies, as well as, in dialogue with ongoing debates on populism, highlight the precariousness of any “people” as a concept and as a reality. A dynamic notion of “people” and a theological accountability of the people and the clergy towards each other, towards God and towards the world can do justice to both the ambiguities and the irreplaceability of the people as citizens of the church as well as the world. Full article
16 pages, 509 KiB  
Article
Measuring Muslim Lifestyle Using a Halal Scale
by Ulrich Riegel, Daniel Engel, Marcus Penthin and Manfred L. Pirner
Religions 2024, 15(11), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111346 - 4 Nov 2024
Viewed by 794
Abstract
The background and motivation of the research presented in this article is the obligation of Public Theology to do justice to young Muslim refugees as a minority group in German society regarding the role of religiosity in the way they are coping with [...] Read more.
The background and motivation of the research presented in this article is the obligation of Public Theology to do justice to young Muslim refugees as a minority group in German society regarding the role of religiosity in the way they are coping with life. In the research process, the authors became increasingly aware that most instruments to measure religiosity have a Western and/or Protestant bias in that they are more interested in religious attitude than in religious practice and/or religious lifestyle, which is very important for Muslim religiosity. Therefore, this article focuses on the distinction between halal and haram as indicators of religious practice according to Muslim benchmarks. Both the concept and the operationalization of a two-dimensional instrument of living a halal life are described. The instrument distinguishes between the individual importance of halal goods (food, medicine, cosmetics) and services (doctors) and their availability in the local environment. Each of the two dimensions comprises four items. Construct validity is shown by confirmatory factor analysis (CFIrobust = 0.934, TLIrobust = 0.902, RMSEArobust = 0.114 [0.073; 0.156]) of a sample of N = 155 Muslim adolescents who have fled to Germany from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. External validity is tested by analyzing the correlation of the measurement instrument developed by the authors with the Centrality of Religiosity Scale. The presented halal instrument offers an approach to Muslim lifestyle that meets the orthopractic character of this religion. At the same time, it addresses the consequential dimension of religion within quantitative research. Full article
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15 pages, 464 KiB  
Article
Unveiling the Inner World: Exploring Emotional Intelligence, Faith, and Time Perspective among Italian Nuns
by Cecilia Collazos Ugarte, Giuseppe Crea and Joseph Jeyaraj Swaminathan
Religions 2024, 15(7), 796; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070796 - 29 Jun 2024
Viewed by 681
Abstract
The aim of this study was to verify whether emotional intelligence and intrinsic religious orientation have a positive influence on a balanced time perspective (BTP) in the lives of Italian consecrated women. A positive, balanced time perspective, together with the ability to recognize [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to verify whether emotional intelligence and intrinsic religious orientation have a positive influence on a balanced time perspective (BTP) in the lives of Italian consecrated women. A positive, balanced time perspective, together with the ability to recognize one’s own emotions and those of others, is integral to people’s experience of religiosity in their lives. In this way, a balanced time perspective can open the experience of religiosity, contributing to a better world, along with all those who are engaged in a religious sentiment that is no longer limited to single segments of self-interest. In this study, we provided evidence that religious beliefs (not just participation in corporate religious life) can provide an alternative source of understanding emotions and perceiving time, for the religious people who live their consecrated life together. We tested whether this phenomenon was specific to the potential associations between various aspects of religious belief, emotional intelligence, and time perspective. This research was conducted on a sample of 283 Italian nuns, and it was verified that both emotional intelligence and intrinsic religiosity contribute significantly to a BTP. Furthermore, the fact that emotional intelligence is mediated by intrinsic religious orientation increases the benefits of emotional intelligence on the BTP of Italian nuns. Altogether, our results suggest that religiosity is linked to a balanced temporal profile and to a positive way of understanding emotions. More specifically, the pattern of relationships between religion, emotions, and time can influence and deepen both the individual and collective understanding of humanity among these religious women and create space for mutual engagement despite obvious differences. These results are in line with the requisites of Public Theology, as they allow us to specify selectively the developments on a more secure and empirical basis of how religiosity can affect the life of people, by exposing the submerged theological assumptions that characterize the internal beliefs of religiosity. Moreover, the research data indicate that the deep aspects of religiosity influence greatly the day-to-day living of religious women. This practical influence of religiosity confirms the urgency of opening up theological reflection in the public sphere of life. In fact, as long as the religiosity of the nuns is not reduced to private practice, theological reflection will also be opened to its public significance in the different fields of their apostolic mission. Full article
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