The Mission of Public Theology in an Age of Empire

Abstract

In the midst of empire, the American church finds itself deeply divided between those who have embraced a new Constantinianism and those who are seeking to live out of a first century understanding of the Beatitudes. Within this context the urban church has a particular calling from God to speak out on behalf of those people and communities who are marginalized by empire. This calling has led some urban churches into public engagement on behalf of social justice. Active civic engagement by local faith institutions can give voice to groups of people in our society whose interests are otherwise largely unrepresented because congregations are one of the few remaining mass membership organizations in America that still draw a large share of their membership from the non-elite. This work is particularly critical at a time when many other organizations that once served as vehicles of social reform have become consumed with their own self-preservation.