Abstract
Theology and Ethics for the Public Church is an extraordinary panoply of essays from those who consider the Rev. Dr. Gary Simpson, Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary, a mentor and friend. The essays highlight the intersection of public theology and missiology by advocating a missional vision, rooted in the gospel, for the public church. The book is divided into three parts: drawing context, ethics, and theology into conversation.
Part I: Public Theology in a Specific Global Context, features prominent scholars addressing their particular context, such as Ibrahim S. Bitrus, whose essay, “Public Theology of Abundance: Reclaiming Africa’s Abundance in Public Theological Discourse,” challenges African public theology to ground itself within a trinitarian methodology to reestablish the discourse of God’s abundance rather than scarcity. Part II: Implications for Ethics and Social Responsibility, takes a Lutheran stance on the church’s responsibility to care for its neighbors. Marie-Louise Ström, in her essay “Citizenship as Co-Creation: Theological Foundations for Democratic Renewal,” acknowledges the chaos of democracy while firmly arguing that the church is the solution to bringing clarity and renewal through a new democratic paradigm of co-creation. Part III: Faith and Religion in Contemporary Society, draws the reader to ponder how theology has hindered or, as Guillermo Hansen posits in his essay, “The Sutures of Eason and the Short-Circuit of Faith: Belief in the Light of Contemporary Cognitive Theories,” short-circuits faith. He addresses Lutheran theology of the cross through the relationship of reason and faith, where faith becomes the necessary “counterstrike” against isolation and the terrors of the world.
Overall, the strength of this body of work lies in its multidisciplinary approach, which highlights the interconnection between missiology and global issues, as well as ethics, theology, and the public church, while also advocating for further interdisciplinary dialogue. Theology and Ethics for the Public Church provides the reader with insight into the scope required of a public theology that is conversant in context, ethics, theology, and missiology, to meet the challenges of the global world. As such, it is recommended for graduate-level study for those who are both curious and skeptical of public theology, as well as for those with a mission-focused perspective.
