Christianity Why Should Christian Theology Be Contextual?

Christianity

Why should Christian theology be contextual? Explore this by referring to four important issues such as culture, liberation theology, feminist theology, and queer theology.

Christian theology should be contextual because religious expression is dependent on culture. Historical and cultural context have continually impacted the development of Christian theology. Biblical allegories and the gospels are contextual in that they refer to the life and times of Christ, with additional references to Hebraic culture and values. Paul's subsequent neoplatonic stamp on Christianity likewise must be appreciated within its cultural and historical context. The artifice of papal doctrine is in the preposterous assumption that Christian theology is somehow absolute. In fact, theology shifts according to the semiotics of culture and the language used to cloak the Christian vision in terms understandable to the audience.

Christian theology has essential, core elements, which do not lend themselves to contextualization. For example, fundamental issues like monotheism and concepts of salvation and grace remain central to Christian worldview regardless of historical epoch or culture. However, Christian theology is both malleable and meaningful in a variety of contexts. The majority of growth within the religion currently takes place outside of the European continent. The prevailing assumption that Christianity is immutably rooted in Church doctrine is understandable given that centuries of gestation in Europe has formed and shaped Christian theology into a uniquely European product. However, the presence of the Eastern traditions in Christianity testifies to its already enduring diversity. One of the central challenges now for Christian theologians is recognizing the power and strength inherent in non-European Christian theology.

Liberation theology has provided some of the most meaningful methods by which Christian theology can be viewed in fresh contexts. By incorporating political ideals into Christian doctrine, liberation theology has a clear social and political context every bit as meaningful and accurate as the papacy. Solidarity with the poor, which is a core component of liberation theology, returns Christianity to its Biblical roots. As Boff & Boff (2004) point out, the key themes of liberation theology are grounded in scripture and yet cannot be distinguished from the socio-cultural context in which they arose. For example, stories of oppression abound in the Old Testament. These same stories bear parallels in the realities of post-colonial South America. The spiritual liberation promised in Christ is therefore directly pertinent to the daily lives of South American believers. "The kingdom is God's project in history and eternity. Jesus Christ, second person of the blessed trinity, incarnated in our misery, revealed the divine plan that is to be realized through the course of history," (Boff & Boff, 2004, p. 52). Thus, historical context is direct and implicit in Christian theology.

Feminist theology also offers clues to the ways Christian theology must necessarily be contextual. Unlike liberation theology, feminist theology often asks for a re-vision of the Christian gospel. The gospel itself is to be taken as a historical artifact that has been interpreted via patriarchal social institutions. There is a vast range of ways gender bias influences the interpretation of Biblical allegories and themes. The allegories and themes are also influenced by the culture and epoch in which they were first codified. As Rosemary Radford Ruether (1993) points out, "What have been called the objective sources of theology; Scripture and tradition, are themselves codified collective human experience," (p. 12).

Codified tradition is in turn "constantly renewed or discarded through the test of experience," (Reuther, 1993, p. 12). Christian theology does not happen in a vacuum; its development depends directly on historical, cultural, and even psychological and sociological contexts. Queer theology, which is loosely defined as "the place where Christian theology and queer theory meet," also proves the need for context when discussing doctrine and hermeneutics (Cheng, 2011, p. 3). As Cheng (2011) points out, matters of sexuality and gender identity are "social constructions" that are "not essentialist, or fixed, concepts," (Cheng, 2011, p. 3). The values and social norms communicated via theology are themselves contextual, which is why Christian theology has never been, and never will be, static. The very term "queer" imparts the notion of opposition and context: a rethinking of established social norms and a challenge to all types of hegemony.