SebastianKim. Theology in the Public Sphere: Public Theology as a Catalyst for Open Debate. London: SCM Press, 2011. 260 pp.

Abstract

The strengths of this book are its wide-ranging resources, global context, and systematic critical analysis. Although much of it has previously been published by the author, the new lens through which it has been analyzed lends itself afresh to the reader. While not groundbreaking, it is innovative in its approach to the topic of “public theology,” which has reached a Eurocentric saturation point. The volume begins with a thorough analysis of existing material on public theology by way of key contributors who shaped the public discourse of theology. In the introduction, Kim helpfully examines the methodology, content, and the process of doing public theology, setting up a platform to look at the purpose and practice of public theology in the global context. The second chapter focuses on the Bible as key for engaging theologically in public issues. Kim surveys a wide-ranging context in which the Bible, as a resource, is contextualized to strengthen local theological reflection. According to the author, Asian, African, and South American hermeneutics not only provide a new context for interpreting the Bible, but also give new life to it. Authority, discernment, and identity are some of the core issues that the Bible offers its public theologians in these global contexts. The third chapter, examining eco-theology as an example of public theology, is a helpful one, particularly to students who are being introduced to this discourse on public theology. Issues of justice, stewardship, and feminism are dealt within this chapter to drive home the point about the place of public theology within the wider social context. Eco-spirituality is identified as the principle that reinvigorates the community. Kim effectively demonstrates that the issue of ecological concern is an issue of livelihood in the global South, unlike the West. In chapter four, the idea of the church as a public body in India touches upon a significant subject in the Asian context. With his grounded knowledge of the Indian church, Kim classifies how the church, both historically and ecclesiologically, engaged with the social context of India. The Ashram model, the secular model, the inculturation model, and the liberation model are the broad categories. Although these categories are inadequate in capturing the complex relationships that exist within the Indian church, it is sufficient to make a case about Indian theology in the public sphere. The fourth chapter, addressing the Korean context, exemplifies the socio-political reconciliation achieved there in the past five decades. The chapter highlights how spiritualizing material wealth and minjung theology were responses to poverty, exclusion, and discrimination. The chapter could have shed more light on the continuing struggles within the Korean church to address discrimination on the back of the North–South divide that often takes ethnic dimensions. Chapter five provides a useful analysis of economic justice as public theology, primarily from the South American context. Kim argues correctly that social inequalities perpetrated by economic injustices should be a core issue for public theology. By analyzing liberation theology, Kim offers fresh insights into how the church could develop alternatives in the face of such harsh lived realities. The next chapter on peace-building ties in neatly with the other chapters that address issues such as multiculturalism and multi-faith issues in the European context, but it refers to more serious consequences for global society. Kim does this primarily through an analysis of the just war theory, examining how it was received in Europe, with special reference to the Iraq War. Consequently it has relevance for the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill introduced in the UK. Interestingly, Kim argues that these issues are about community identity, and he highlights the need for critical dialogue within the various faith communities. Chapters eight and nine, on Rowan William's comment on Sharia Law and the fallout after the Danish Cartoons, clearly capture the ongoing discussion within the British context and Britain's struggle to come to terms with a multicultural and multi-faith society. Most importantly, Kim argues for the churches' need to critically engage in these conversations, especially with regard to the role of media and the overbearing presence of secularism. Particularly in the post–Charlie Hebdo context, the church has a significant role to play in creating a common space of mutual respect and understanding. As the subtitle of this volume suggests, public theology should be seen as a catalyst for open debate on issues that are relevant and central to the lived realities not just of Christians, but of the wider society. By employing the expansive global paradigm, Sebastian Kim makes the point that public theology is not a preserve of European theological fraternity. By following the seismic shift of global Christianity to the South, Kim highlights the issues that shape the lives of millions of Christians and which should be the focus of global public theology. This book is highly recommended to those who want to understand the public discourse of theology in a global context. Revd Dr Anderson H M Jeremiah is a lecturer in world Christianity at Lancaster University, UK. He has published on the heterogeneity and plurality of lived Christian experience in different contexts, thus bringing to focus the interface between culture, worldview, and belief.