Abstract
This paper will discuss how the doctrine of the incarnation informs practices of solidarity in the public and political spheres through the work of two South African activists and theologians, Rev Dr Allan Boesak and Dr Denise Ackermann. I will begin with explicating Ackermann’s task of theology, its ground in praxis and human experience, which will lead to a discussion of stories and theology. As we begin to listen to the stories of those around us, we find we need an account of human agency and the particular stories we are told of the incarnation through the Eucharist . Defining solidarity will be the next task, which will begin with Boesak’s discussion of “critical solidarity”, or solidarity between powerful parties. We will then continue to construct our definition of solidarity through Boesak’s model of black solidarity as explicated in his dissertation, Farewell to Innocence. Finally, I will synthesize a theology of solidarity in conclusion to this conversation.
Highlights
As we begin to listen to the stories of those around us, we find we need an account of human agency and the particular stories we are told of the incarnation through the Eucharist
Allan Boesak rose to prominence during apartheid in South Africa as a prophetic voice against the racism of South African government and the Dutch Reformed Church
I will engage with the work of these two South African theologians to excavate how the incarnation can affect our practices of solidarity
Summary
We will begin with Denise Ackermann’s definition of theology and what a person who does theology, a theologian, is in light of this definition. Ackermann identifies herself as a feminist theologian of praxis She identifies as a feminist because she believes in the equal worth and dignity of both genders, despite the theological, legal, political, and social practices that would aim to say and practice otherwise. She uses the term praxis to draw out a particular implication of the task of theology. Theology demands an engagement of the mind and the heart.” This is another reason Ackermann identifies herself as a feminist theologian; she is naming her pain and how her pain through misogyny illuminates her experiences of and with God. It reveals that the task of theology for her includes the dimension of faith, and proceeding from that, hope
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