Pope Francis as Public Theologian

Last updated on: September 23, 2015 at 3:13 pm by Kyle Roberts

Pope Francis as Public Theologian 2015-09-23T15:13:21-05:00 Kyle Roberts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In my Public Theology class last night, we discussed–albeit too briefly–Pope Francis as a public theologian and, as an example of public theology, his recently released Laudato Si,’ a 192 page Encyclical on the imperative to address climate change (pleasantly subtitled: “On Care for Our Common Home.”

Image by Agência Brasi, via WikiCommons

When discussion public theology, we academics tend to be drawn to discussing the writings of established academic public theologians (whether Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, or James Cone, Catherine Keller, and Shawn Copeland, or so many others).

It should not be missed that often the most impactful public theologians are not those working and writing within the cloisters of the academy (although those I have mentioned have done theology both for the academy and outside of it), but those who are on the frontline, where Christianity and the Church meets up with the public of the general society.

In this sense, there is no more prominent example I can think of than Pope Francis–who in fact may be the most impactful public theologian in the world today.

While atheism and various expressions of non-institutional religiosity is certainly on rise in the developed world, religion still has a lot of sway. This is why, if we are to address the urgent issues facing society, we need religious leaders to speak into those issues.

As Duncan Forrester, one of the leaders of the contemporary public theology discipline notes,

It is not difficult to see why intelligent, liberal people might wish to exclude religion from public life. Religion has, indeed, often been divisive. Religious views are frequently presented as if their proponents have some privileged access to the truth which exempts them from any need to show how the policies they propose might be for the general benefit. Religion often goes with a kind of naive idealism which pays scant respect to the fact of the case and the constraints within which politics must operate: absolutism in politics can be very destructive; simplistic utopias can be very dangerous. All that may be admitted.

And yet, there is another line of argument that suggests that a public sphere from which religion is excluded is deprived of a great source of determination, hope and the vision ‘without which the people perish.’…

Has secular liberalism shown itself as effective in naming and resisting great evils and appealing to conscience as religious movements, often small minorities, have shown themselves to be? Religion can generate passion in politics but, although passion can be destructive, a politics where ‘the best of all lack conviction’ becomes a very evil thing. (31)

Some might yawn at the image of the Pope and the President conferring about the social problems of the U.S. and the world. They might wonder why, in this day and age, we need religious figures to speak into issues of concern for everyone. And of course the conflation of religion and politics, or the use (or manipulation) of one by the other, can often in fact be problematic. But it’s a necessary problem to work through.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the positions espoused by our religious leaders, if we are going to adequately address the challenges that confront us, we need theology in the public sphere.

Image Source

For more posts and discussions on theology and society, like/follow Unsystematic Theology on Facebook

Previous Post

September 23, 2015

R.I.P. Phyllis Tickle: Prophet of the "Great Emergence"

Next Post

September 24, 2015 The Lies We Need in Order to Live

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2020 November 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 December 2018 July 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz