Postcolonial Public Theology

Postcolonial Public Theology is a tour de force--theological reflection transformed by encounter with the most compelling intellectual discourses of our time. It offers prophetic challenge to the hegemony of economic globalization. Evolutionary science's encounter with life's limit questions requires an ethically responsible practice of scientific rationality, measured by sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all. Interreligious engagement compels us to take seriously the realities of cultural hybridity and social location in reimagining a polycentric Christianity. Postcolonial Public Theology makes the case for public theology to turn toward postcolonial imagination, demonstrating a fresh rethinking of public and global issues that continue to emerge in the aftermath of colonialism. This book provides students and scholars in these various fields an interesting framework from which to continue to dialogue about the relevance of this literature and, in particular, the continuing importance of Christian theology in the public arena. ""It's time for a book on postcolonial public theology by an author who knows two cultures: both the colonial and the colonized. The Christian gospel is universal in the abstract, yet contextual in the concrete; and Paul Chung vividly and thoughtfully concretizes our theological agenda."" --Ted Peters, author, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Graduate Theological Union and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary ""Boldly articulating the centrality of the Christian confession of Jesus Christ as the living voice of God, Chung insists that only an appropriation of Christian tradition as public theology in the sense of a prophetic diakonia can address the crises of our present age. Bringing interpretations of major figures in Christian thought (Luther, Bonhoeffer) into dialogue with secular prophets (Darwin, Foucault), Chung demonstrates how his archeological hermeneutics and 'ana-lectical' method lead us to an urgently needed transformative praxis."" --Craig L. Nessan, Academic Dean and Professor of Contextual Theology and Ethics, Wartburg Theological Seminary ""Postcolonial Public Theology is an exciting and very instructive approach to current research in the area of postcolonial Christian theology. An important value of Chung's proposal is his interdisciplinary and critical approach that invites scholars from a variety of fields of research to engage in further conversation about his claims and constructive argument. This book is an excellent resource for seminary students and church leaders preparing for public ministry."" --Jose D. Rodriguez, Augustana Heritage Chair of Global Mission and World Christianity and Professor of Systematic Theology at Lutheran School of Theology ""In the situation of imperial capitalism . . . much of what is sold as 'public theology' is a bourgeois attempt to undo liberation theology by co-opting it. However, Chung succeeds in saving the concept for emancipatory and justice purposes."" --Ulrich Duchrow, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Heidelberg Paul S. Chung is visiting professor at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He is the author of Church and Ethical Responsibility in the Midst of World Economy (2013).