Please read the articles and answer the following questions: 1. What are the important points the authors are making? 2. What are some of the insights that are useful to you and your ministry project? Word limit- 100 words/n How to Think Theogically Stone, Howard W., Duke, James O. Published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theogically. 3 ed. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2013. Project MUSE. muse.jhu.edu/book/25158. m PROJECT MUSE For additional information about this book https://muse.jhu.edu/book/25158 [Access provided at 21 Feb 2023 05:11 GMT from Graduate Theological Union ] HOW TO THINK THEOLOGICALLY THIRD COMON HOWARD W STONE JAMESODANK TWO fashioning Theology FOR MUCH OF HISTORY, craft has been an important function in human culture. The time-honored practice of any craft (like that of garment makers, weavers, stone carvers, or cabinetmakers) involves the fashion- ing of materials into an end product through the exercise of skills that can be learned and perfected. They draw, measure, cut, assemble, glue, nail, stitch, polish, trim. To anyone unskilled in a craft, the results seem almost magical; but its practitioners have developed their skill gradually in some form of apprenticeship until they do it not only well, but with apparent ease. Theological reflection is in many respects comparable to a craft. Like stone carvers or weavers, theologians work and rework raw mate- rials until they fashion a satisfactory end product that is, a theological understanding. The central operations they perform are three: (1) inter- preting the meaning of Christian faith; (2) correlating those interpreta- tions with other interpretations; and (3) assessing the adequacy of the interpretations and their correlations. We will describe these three activities one by one, as tasks in an orderly, cumulative process of reflection. Just as in any craft, however, the operations interrelate and overlap. A woodworker or seamstress measures before and after cutting and assembling, tries and retries the assembly with each cut, resands, rebastes, or trims to fit. Similarly theo- logians, in interpreting, correlating, and assessing, do not proceed in lockstep stages but constantly shift back and forth among the operations, checking and adjusting in an effort to make the whole come together. At the risk of pressing the analogy beyond its limits, we might observe that, while instructions can be given for the basic skills of the 29 30 | HOW TO THINK THEOLOGICALLY craft—woodworking, garment making, or theology-the distinction between a serviceable result and one that is truly superb all but defies prediction. It depends in part on the worker's hands and mind and in part on the eye of the beholder. Our embedded theology usually is ser- viceable... until, that is, our conscientiousness, or a crisis, or some con- flict prompts second thoughts. It is then that the quest for something more satisfying sets us on the path of deliberative theology. Theology as Interpreting At birth we enter a world of meaning-filled relations, and thereafter we make our way through that world by forming and re-forming interpre- tations of what things mean. All of us are ceaseless interpreters; that is, we are finders and givers of meanings. We interpret not only spoken and written words but also sights, sounds, textures, and smells, even tastes. The past and the future go into our interpretative mix as well-relics and memories of bygone times, anticipations of what tomorrow will bring. The interpretations we make become, in simplest terms, our views. Our views arise so naturally in the course of interacting with others and the world around us that at first we take them for granted. As we mature, we discover that people interpret things differently. This realiza- tion dawns on us early-not because we have made a study of herme- neutics (the theory of interpretation) but because of the give-and-take of conversation, teaching and learning, disagreement and conflict. Our awareness of differing interpretations of things is fed by encounters with others, and soon we notice our own interpretations changing over time. Views that seemed beyond question in childhood (or even last year) become less settled, and need to be reconfirmed or modified. We learn that there is more to the world of meaning than we have yet dreamed. Even if we harbor the secret conviction that there is a world of cold, hard facts for which one and only one true, universal, and abiding interpretation can be given, there is no denying that our life journey leads us through varied and often conflicting interpretations of things. A number of views grouped into a more or less distinct set of inter- pretations comprise a viewpoint, a perspective, an angle of vision. Our interpretations of what things mean are tied to our own particular angle of vision, just as other people interpret from angles of their own. Our conversations with others routinely involve trying to grasp their points of view. And ordinarily we are able to do so, shifting back and forth from one perspective to another. Often, too, we try to examine a matter FASHIONING THEOLOGY | 31 of concern from several differing standpoints. The opportunity for a new job in a faraway location, for example, may be considered advan- tageous from a financial standpoint but worrisome when viewed from a family's wish to stay close to friends and familiar places. With time and maturity, we grow more adept at identifying a great many differing viewpoints and taking stock of their relative merits in the course of our daily life. Christian theological reflec- tion interprets the meanings of things from the perspective of the Christian message of faith in God. This perspective is a constella- tion-a set-of many views, each relating in one way or another to the Christian message of God. Christian theological reflection interprets the meanings of things from the perspective of the Christian message of faith in God. It can be called a faith perspective because it develops from living as Christians, as persons of faith. It is also a distinctly theological angle of vision because Christian faith in God is its paramount concern. This most important concern with interpreting things from a standpoint of faith in God is the common point in Christian theological reflection, even among Christians who may use different words to express it. They might speak of it as God's revelation, God's Word, the God-world rela- tionship, God's calling, God's will for our lives, the Christian story, the gospel message, or other such terms. It is the focus on faith in God that distinguishes the theological view- point from other perspectives such as financial gain/loss or economics, law, psychology, health and medicine, and politics, to name just a few. Consider, for example, the differing perspectives people take on prac- tices like avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol or limiting or abstaining from certain foods, or devoting time each day to a stress-reducing exer- cise like meditation. From an economic perspective, the focus is on how these practices relate to resources, goods, and services-in other words, financial transactions. From a medical perspective, interest focuses on the health benefits of these practices as well as their side-effects. From a political perspective, a reelection campaign leadership team looks at these practices as a possible basis for winning over a particular voting segment of the population. The theological perspective, by contrast, is primarily concerned with how these practices relate to faith in God. Lifestyle practices like giving up meat or abstaining from alcohol are not made-up examples, but have been found among Christian groups 32 HOW TO THINK THEOLOGICALLY for centuries. Fasting, dietary restrictions, prayer, meditation, and con- templation are well-known practices of spiritual devotion. In such cases, the theological perspective often trumps all other perspectives. That is, conscientious Christians may say that these are practices for nur- turing faith in God, irrespective of any of their cost, health, or psycho- logical benefits. The theological perspective that Christians form in the course of the life of faith is a set of views, each relating in one way or another to the Christian message of God. The theological perspective that Christians form in the course of the life of faith is a set of views, each relating in one way or another to the Christian message of God. By the same token, learning the language of faith is of critical importance in forming the set of interpretations that make up a theological perspective. Hence theologians routinely explore the of range meanings opened to them by faith's language, using a vari- ety of approaches. Their theologies articulate what they have come to understand the language of faith to mean. Theology as Correlating Whatever approach theologians may take, the effort to expound the meaning of faith's language entails reckoning with multiple interpreta- tive viewpoints. Theological thinking, therefore, involves correlation- that is, the process of bringing two or more discrete entities into mutual relation with each other. The correlation may occur between questions and their proposed answers, or among a variety of answers to a particular question. Theological thinking involves correlation the process of bringing two or more discrete entities into mutual relation with each other. The term correlation first came into popular use among theologians some decades ago with the writ- ings of Paul Tillich, who urged that theology follow a "method of cor- relation." Tillich maintained that human life and culture raise questions of the ultimate meaning of human existence to which religions and their theologies propose answers, and that the task of theological reflection is to correlate these existential questions with their theological answers./n How to Think Theogically Stone, Howard W., Duke, James O. Published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theogically. 3 ed. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2013. Project MUSE. muse.jhu.edu/book/25158. m PROJECT MUSE For additional information about this book https://muse.jhu.edu/book/25158 [Access provided at 21 Feb 2023 05:07 GMT from Graduate Theological Union ] HOW TO THINK THEOLOGICALLY THIRD COMON HOWARD W STONE JAMESODANK ONE faith, Understanding, and Reflection MURIEL WAS A PROFESSOR of art (now retired) at a major university. She used to leave her office door unlocked so students and colleagues could walk in and leave messages on her mural-sized bulletin board, a collage of clippings, photographs, sketches, and notes. For about a year, two items stood out from the creative clutter. One was a large, carefully let- tered card left by an anonymous visitor: Muriel, everything is really very simple. Just below it, a subsequent (also anonymous) caller had tacked a sheet of notebook paper on which he or she had scrawled in black marker: Muriel, nothing is ever simple. Whenever you ask an expert how to do an unfamiliar task, watch out if the person responds, “It's simple! You just . . ." It isn't going to be simple. A simple-sounding definition of theological reflection is "faith seek- ing understanding." It is a promising staging area from which to start out upon theological reflection. The journey, of course, will not be as uncomplicated as the phrase might imply (Muriel, nothing is ever sim- ple). Each of us does theology at different levels and in different ways. Theology is simple. Theology is complex. To become aware of having any faith at all is to have some idea of its meaning. Christian faith, therefore, carries with it a measure of under- standing at the outset. This understanding of faith's meaning develops within us in much the same way as a language is learned. From what the church says and does, from contact and involvement with others, we first come to understand ourselves as Christian. But that word Christian is itself a highly charged label, and giv- ing an account of its meaning is one of the perennial tasks of theology. 13 14 | HOW TO THINK THEOLOGICALLY Based on what most of the churches have said about it most of the time, we gather that Christian identity has to do with faith in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, with the gospel, with taking part in the life and ministry of the church, with upholding certain ethical prin- ciples and ideals, and so on. To say only this much about the mean- ing of Christian faith, however, is to operate at a broad and abstract level. It leaves us far from either the specific or the full meaning that the faith holds for Christians. Pressing on, we note that what people understand their Christian faith to mean varies from one age to another, from denomination to denomination, from congregation to congrega- tion, and from person to person. Here is an example of the difficulty. Not so long ago, a debate took place in Texas Christian University's student newspaper on the subject of the school's alcohol policy. Letters to the editor argued that if TCU were really "Christian," alcohol would be banned on campus. To this, other writers responded that a Christian school ought to respect the right of each student to decide whether or not to drink a beer. Both groups of writers seemed to assume that once they had explained what being a Christian university meant, university officials would act accordingly. It is impossible to gauge how ultimate a concern this was to the debaters, but in stat- What people understand their Christian faith to mean varies from one age to another, from denomination to denomination, from congregation to congregation, and from person to person. ing their understandings of what Christianity means in one particular instance, they were (perhaps unwittingly) acting as theologians. The controversy stemmed from differing understandings of faith-that is, differing theologies. In the debate on drinking, differing theologies are at odds, and because of these differences, neither view can be taken for granted. Such debates, especially when their topics may appear to be of far greater con- sequence than this example, remind us that for Christians, understand- ing what the faith means is both a given and a continuing task. There are initial understandings that we have more or less grown into and that we take for granted. And there are efforts to seek increased understand- ing. The following comments will look at the theological interplay of our faith: our initial or implicit understandings and our quest for greater understanding. FAITH, UNDERSTANDING, AND REFLECTION | Embedded Theology Christians learn what faith is all about from countless daily encounters with their Christianity-formal and informal, planned and unplanned. This understanding of faith, disseminated by the church and assimilated by its members in their daily lives, will be called embedded theology. The phrase points to the theology that is deeply in place and at work as we live as Christians in our homes, churches, and the world. Other terms would surely work as well. In religious language, what we are calling embedded theology is often known as first-order theology or the language of witness, being made up of the most immediate and direct tes- timonies to the meaning of faith. It is rooted (embedded) in the preach- ing and practices of the church and its members. It is the implicit theology that Christians live out in their daily lives. Every church community sees itself to be conducting its affairs in accord with Christian faith. What it says and does is intended to fulfill the church's 15 Embedded theology is the implicit theology that Christians live out in their daily lives. mission of bearing witness to God's gospel in Jesus Christ and imple- menting God's will in the world. Its words and deeds reflect what these Christians understand to be called for by their faith. How well they may have thought about or studied the Christian message is in one sense beside the point. Testimony of this sort is the outcome of theological reflection, and the messages arising from such theological reflection comprise embedded theology. The theological messages intrinsic in and communicated by praying, preaching, hymn singing, personal conduct, liturgy, social action or inaction, and virtually everything else people say and do in the name of their Christian faith, fall into this category. The meaning of Christian faithfulness is conveyed in many and var- ied ways. It is communicated by teaching and learning the language of faith-a symbolic language, inasmuch as it deals in images, metaphors, analogies, and stories whose plain meanings serve to point beyond them- selves to other matters relating to God, faith, and spiritual life. The role that the language of faith plays in passing on an embedded theology can hardly be overestimated. Christian practices also communicate the meaning of Christian faith. Children learn, for example, that being Christian means going to church for worship and knowing how to behave there when to stand, sit, or 16 | HOW TO THINK THEOLOGICALLY kneel, and when to listen, pray, or sing. From words and action together comes familiarity with an entire set of meanings associated with the faith: good and bad; rituals and customs; and organizations, programs, and activities. Theological understandings are embedded in these actions, no less than in the grammar and vocabulary of the language of faith. These theological messages from the church have been bred into the hearts and minds of the faithful since our entry into the church. Many of us were born and raised in this theology. It began in us before we could speak, developed during years of Sunday worship, church school, and youth groups, and was reinforced by the life example of our par- ents, friends, and ministers. As we grew older and began to think for ourselves, this theology was reshaped and became very much our own, in some ways like and in other respects unlike the theology we encoun- tered in our homes and churches. The development may have unfolded as a slow, steady, trouble-free growth; or it may have been stormy, as we questioned or even rejected our childhood understanding of faith in favor of another understanding. Some of us find it easy to articulate the embedded theology that we carry with us. But many do not. Ask any of us: What is your concept of God, your understanding of sin or salvation, your account of the nature and purpose of the church, or your Christian view of right and wrong? Caught short by the question, we may come up with a pat answer. This is understandable. Or we may hesitate and stammer, unless we have stopped at some earlier point to consider the matter. And yet our day- to-day decisions are based upon this embedded theology. We pray to the God of this theology. This is the God we love or fear-and serve and sin against. We make decisions at work and play, in our families and in society, according to our embedded understanding of God's message. Embedded theology is what devoted Christians have in mind when they say things like, "My faith and my church mean a lot to me." Wrapped up in such simple statements is a host of associated elements - We make decisions at work and play, in our families and in society, according to our embedded understanding of God's message. memories, beliefs, feelings, values, and hopes not necessarily stated, and perhaps not at all clear. Embedded theology is also the stuff that makes for a great deal of real-world skepticism and indiffer- ence. It is unlikely that many people shy away from Christianity because they have thoroughly examined all

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