CONTEXTUAL METHOD OF THEOLOGIZING: BRIEF REFLECTIONS 1. Introduction: Faith Seeking Understanding and/or Transformation? St. Anselm s understanding of theology as fides quaerens intellectum has been accepted down through many centuries as a good definition of what the task of theology is. True, theology is certainly about understanding the understanding of all of Reality in the way God would understand it, so to say. However, as theologians, we know that we will never be able to see things perfectly as God sees them simply because we are not God, not perfect; hence, we must reflect upon the problems that arise from the very act of understanding itself. When we try to understand our understanding, we realize that it is necessarily contextual in the sense that one begins to understand Reality from the lens or prism of one s native, cultural, linguistic, religious, social and regional background. This background is the context that animates one s faith, moulds one s personhood, shapes one s imagination, guides one s dis/likes, informs one s preferences/choices and so on. In this sense, all of our understanding is contextual although very often we might not be conscious of it being so. Hence, we must ask: What then is really contextual about contextual theology? Contextual theology (hereafter abbreviated as CT ) I would say, more consciously seeks to gain an awareness and understanding of the complexity of a particular context with a view not merely to understand it, but also to transform it as integral part of what could be called a Kingdom Project. In this sense it is a dynamic process a yatra (pilgrimage) that seeks to understand Truth not only in terms of propositions and creedal statements that have been revealed from above, so to say, but as a map that provides pointers for living the fullness of Life that Jesus came to give (Jn 10:10). This fullness of Life is not something exclusive to Christians alone; for, if we believe that Jesus Christ is the Universal Lord and Saviour, then his life, mission, death and resurrection must have some bearing on all peoples of other religious faiths, and those with no religious faith whatsoever. In this view, CT can be seen as faith seeking transformation through understanding. 1 2. The Starting Point of Contextual Theology (CT) The starting point of CT is experience. The theologian must be exposed to the realities, issues and problems that communities face today. Since most theologians in the Church belong to religious communities that are, often, isolated from the mainstream of life, there is a danger that s/he may neither understand the harsh realities of life nor be able to propose a Christian vision that will enable these communities to cope with life. Hence, there is need for exposure. The experience that one gains either through having lived in human communities (not merely religious communities ) or through exposure programmes needs to be reflected upon, for, one can look at the same reality in various ways, as follows: Reality can be looked at and reflected upon in various ways because our viewing and reflection is often subjective and shaped by self-interest. For example, someone might look at the poor and feel pity for them and decide to give them some money. A sociologist might look at them for the purposes of research and might collect data and statistics. A politician might see the poor as an ideal vote bank for winning elections, a journalist might want to write about their misery to earn money, and a tourist might look at poverty as something new that one has not seen and click pictures of slums to show one s people in another country. In all these cases, the element of religious faith is absent. By contrast, the theologian must look at reality from God s viewpoint or in the light of her/his faith.
When a theologian approaches Reality with faith, s/he seeks the meaning of life in that particular context in the light of Scripture and Tradition. For instance, when a theologian encounters poverty in a slum or faraway village, s/he will be touched and affected by the experience. Questions will be raised as to whether God desires his children to live in poverty and misery. The questions that arise will lead to a desire to analyze the situation of poverty with the help of the social sciences. The theologian will then co-relate the analyses with the insights that s/he receives from Scripture and Tradition. Finally, s/he will seek to transform the situation of poverty by committed action in favour of the poor and the suffering. This process has come to be known as the Pastoral Theological Cycle, the steps of which are: (a) Experience and Questions; (b) Analysis of Reality and Life; (c) Correlation of Analysis with Scripture and Tradition; (d) Theological Reflection and Discernment; (e) Committed Action in Partnership and Dialogue. Having indicated the starting point of the theological process as exposure and experience, let us briefly reflect upon the steps of this theological process. 3. Human Experiences and Questioning Human beings are rational and consequently could be called questioning animals. From the various experiences of Life that one has, hardly anyone fails to question: Who am I? Where have I come from? What is happening to me? What is the value of being good, truthful, just, etc.? Why am I happy or sad? Why is society so unequal and unjust? Why do some people suffer and others perhaps the evil ones prosper? What is the meaning of death? Is there something like an afterlife? Does God exist? Who or What is God? Why doesn t God take greater control of the world? The questions that we raise can be of various types: general, religious, theological, moral, anthropological, or pertaining to people s values, religious symbols, their sufferings and problems, joys and celebrations, their happiness, their religious sense and belief in God, their hopes for the future, their sense of solidarity, their answers to the problem of evil, referring to their clan and family relationships and so on. These questions can be raised within a framework of faith. Let us take an example. If the theologian is concerned about the problem of poverty, he can ask many questions pertaining to poverty, the poor, the slums they live in and so on. For example, one could ask: Why are there poor people in the world? What causes poverty? How do the poor manage to survive? How do their living conditions differ from those of others who are well off? Taking the questioning to a deeper level of Christian faith, s/he may ask: How does Jesus look at poverty? What is his teaching in this regard Blessed are the poor? Blessed are the poor in spirit? From the viewpoint of Christian Tradition, is poverty a religious value? What about the questions of so-called freely chosen poverty and imposed poverty? What is the value of the option for the poor? How is one s attitude to the poor determinative of whether one will be saved or not (Mt 25:31ff) No salvation outside the poor? In all this questioning we can take two positions: (a) either we blame everything onto God and wash our hands off our human responsibility and sit back in a passive, defeatist way, or (b) we accept that we are responsible for the sin, evil and misery in the world. Hence, we look for ways to understand the human situations. This leads us to the stage of analysis.
4. Analysis of Reality and Life At the level of analysis, we seek to understand the context with the help of the sciences. Today, all the sciences have developed their tools of analysis and have made great progress in understanding the human reality. For example, if we take any context of lifeexperience, we can examine it from various angles: Science helps us to understand the laws of nature and the material world. It does not provide a why to human problems. Technology helps us to gain mastery over the world, to manipulate and control it. Economics deals with the production and distribution of goods. Today, the field of economics is more complex with the phenomenon of globalization that has repercussions for everyone in our so-called global village. With the swift movement of money, capital, and the dynamics of the market, human beings are affected in various ways, very often adversely. Politics explores the power relations between people and groups. Power determines who makes policy decisions and who controls the limited resources of communities and nations. There is a greater sense of democracy among peoples, today; and yet, even democratically elected governments often use coercion to subjugate communities with their arms and allies like the police and the army. Social relations structure activity in society. There are natural and voluntary groups, racial, religious and ethnic divides, caste and gender discrimination. People often search for identity through exclusion and affirm and defend it even through violence. In the Indian caste system, the religious principle of ritual purity and pollution is also used to put people into hierarchies. At the same time, social movements bring people together in a common effort towards economic, political or social liberation. Psychology ties to understand the human person as a subject and an agent whose behaviour is shaped by needs, values and attitudes. But one s creativity and freedom are often conditioned by various factors. On the one hand, persons experience alienation on account of the choices and conditions of their life; but, on the other, they search for meaning and fulfilment in various ways. Culture consists of the worldviews, attitudes and value systems of a people. It gives meaning to the world and human life. Culture is expressed, lived and internalized through social symbols, myths and rituals. Language is a vehicle of culture. Religion, finally, is the quest for ultimate meaning in the face of harsh realities like sickness, pain, suffering and death. This quest brings people face-to-face with the Ultimate. In their attempt to gain power over people, religionists have often tended to legitimate existing social structures. But in the light of the Ultimate which they experience, many have also been prophetic, seeking to transform life and reality. Thus, prophetic religion is transformative. In sum, we can say that human Reality or Life can be looked at from seven different angles: (1) Science, (2) Economics, (3) Politics, (4) Social structure, (5) Psychology, (6) Culture, and (7) Religion. These are not disparate and unrelated, but interrelated. Each affects the other in various degrees and in diverse ways, and each throws light on the human reality. Traditionally, the only discipline which mattered for theology was philosophy, the handmaid of theology. But, today, we realize that all the disciplines assist theologians in seeking for Truth and understanding Life more deeply. This is well attested by Gaudium et Spes no. 62 of VC II which suggested the interdisciplinary theological method in the following words: Theologians are invited to seek continually for more suitable ways of communicating doctrine to people of their times In pastoral care, appropriate use must be made not only of theological principles, but also of the findings of the secular sciences, especially of psychology and sociology. Thus the faithful can be brought to live the faith in a more thorough and mature way. (Italics mine)
Theological research must integrate the perspectives and findings of the other sciences. In our religious studies, philosophy and theology are normally taught as separate disciplines. Perhaps we must attempt not only to integrate them as part of a single search for meaning in Life, but also integrate with them the perspectives of the other human and social sciences mentioned above. This will make our search less abstractly rational, but more holistic. 5. Correlation of Analysis with Scripture and Tradition After analyzing the situation, we look at it in the light of the faith contained in the word of God: the Scriptures. This is the stage of correlation and mutual interpretation or hermeneutics. Taking the abovementioned example of the poor, when we read the Gospels, we come to understand how Jesus makes a special option not only for the poor, but also for the marginalized of his time like the publicans, sinners and prostitutes. He recognizes their dignity and equality. He holds up a Samaritan as a model of neighbourly love. He chooses poor Galileans as his disciples and makes them agents for social transformation. He attacks the hierarchical order by showing through his own examples that leaders must be servants. He proclaims a new commandment of mutual love that will show itself in sharing and selfgiving even unto death. His miracles liberate the oppressed poor from their economic, political, personal, physiological and social oppressions. He bequeaths to us the Eucharist a communitarian meal that celebrates love, equality and fellowship as his lasting memorial. Such a reflection on the gospels will make us, Christians as individuals and as Church to re-examine our own values, attitudes and structures, which are often based on worldly power and profit rather than on love and service that Jesus preached and practised. Moreover, we will also find new meanings in the Gospel. For example, in the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus is not only giving an example of neighbourly love, but he is also presenting a defiling and despised outsider as a model for the Jews. Jesus questions prevailing notions of social and religious status by comparing the Samaritan with a priest and a Levite who meticulously uphold a hierarchical order based on birth and ritual purity. Basing ourselves on such a correlation we can develop a theological discourse on community which also addresses other factors of inequality and discrimination in society. CT offers a critique to social factors and challenges the theologian to be prophetic in the light of our faith in the Ultimate, for whom we are all children. It remains contextual precisely by being in constant transformative relationship with the other elements that constitute society. Besides the correlation with Scripture, the theologian must also bring the experiences and analyses into the light of Tradition, with the beliefs, worship and action the lex credendi, lex orandi and lex vivendi or, in Indian terms, the jnana, bhakti and karma margas of the believing community. 6. Theological Reflection and Discernment It is neither enough merely to analyze human situations to get a better understanding of them, nor to correlate them to Scripture and Tradition. What we must aim at is to theologically reflect upon the corollaries and the consequences of such analysis and correlation. In other words, we must strive to deepen the insights from Scripture and Tradition so that theology might lead to committed action. For instance, our analysis on the poor and the reality of poverty might bring to light the many economic, political and social factors that play a role in perpetuating the situation of poverty. We could also look at the way in which various religions address this issue of poverty: for instance, it can be seen as a consequence of one s karma and thus one must endure poverty with a spirit of resignation. Such legitimization of the status quo by religion must be critiqued in CT.
Correlating these analyses with the insights from Scripture and Tradition, we could bring in the many words and works of Jesus pertaining to the poor: First, we could think of Jesus Programmatic Summary, his Beatitudes and the Parable of the Last Judgement (Lk 4:18; Mt 5:3; Lk 6:20; Mt 25:31ff, etc.). We will see that although Jesus speaks of a blessedness of the poor, this is in the context of God s preferential love for them. However, second, Jesus clearly condemns the rich because attachment to wealth dehumanizes them (Lk 12:13-21; Mt 6:21). Third, riches also make it difficult, if not impossible, to be open and generous to God. This is seen in the youth who wanted to follow Jesus (Mk 10:17-22): He was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions (v. 22). Fourth, in the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31), Jesus puts a causal relationship between the rich and the poor, meaning, the fate of the poor man depends on the rich man: [He] longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man s table (v. 21). Fifth, Jesus not only analyzes the evil of riches in relation to the poor it produces, but also presents it in absolutely antagonistic relation to God: You cannot serve God and wealth (Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13). Finally, Jesus asks the rich to be converted. The rich tax-collector Zacchaeus is saved because he is converted and promises to give back four-fold what he has stolen (Lk 19:1-10). Putting together, and reflecting upon, the many references of Jesus to the poor and the suffering, we realize that Jesus makes an option for the poor since, just as a family intends that all its resources be equally made available to all the family members, so must the earth s resources be made available and be enjoyed by all the children of Abba-God. In the light of these reflections, undue appropriation and accumulation of wealth is sinful and immoral. Thus, the theologian must work for the realization of a community that fosters equality, justice, freedom and fellowship. At this stage of theological reflection, we must begin to assess what options are available at the economic-political, the personal-social and the cultural-religious levels for the realization of the Kingdom ideal. 7. Committed Action in Partnership and Dialogue Since religion is for life and its transformation, theological reflection and discernment will lead to plans for transformative action. The Gospel gives us a new vision and values for life-in-society. It can challenge religion and culture to a conversion. But it cannot tell us concretely what we need to do at the economic, political, social and personal levels. For this it will need again the help of the human and social sciences, which will have to spell out various possibilities according to their theories so that we can choose from them. It is possible that different people make different choices depending upon perspectives and circumstances. We note that the choices and options we make at this stage are not purely human choices based on reason and emotion alone, but they must be founded upon faith. Thus, in a faith context we must ask ourselves: What does God want me/us to do in this particular situation and for this particular problem? Here, the theologian must listen to the Spirit of God. Moments of silence, prayer and contemplation are indispensible to the process of CT, which becomes a spiritual experience. God is experienced in the other as the other finds his/her identity, mission and fullness in God. In a multi-religious country like India wherein Christians are only approximately 2.5% of the national population, there is need to work with people of other faiths who are deeply committed to social transformation. CT thus becomes an inter-religious project. There can be joint exploration of problems and analysis. At the level of correlation and reflection each
religious group tries to reflect in the context of its own faith. Even at this level, depending on the nature of the group a mutual interaction and enrichment can take place. Mahatma Gandhi used to have inter-religious prayer services for the pursuit of Truth in his ashram for all his action projects involving liberation of individuals and the nation. 8. Conclusion We have briefly seen the steps and stages of CT. Accentuating an approach that seeks inspiration from God s Incarnation in Jesus Christ, CT begins from below, so to say. Launching out from exposure and experience, it then seeks astute analyses of the ground realities. Correlating these analyses with the insights that one derives from Scripture and Tradition, CT requires that one comprehensively reflects on the many theological issues involved, with a view to transform anti-kingdom situations according to what is revealed in and through Jesus life, message, mission, death-resurrection. If we wish to transform society, it is not enough to relate only to the poor. In India, CT is an attempt not only to be in solidarity with, and at the service of, the poor, but it also involves dialogue with India s rich cultures and living religions. The aim of CT is to build community, not to get embroiled in class conflict. So, we speak of levels of theologizing ; for instance, (a) with the poor, especially in the BCCs [Basic Christian Communities], (b) with the nonpoor: intellectuals, writers, social activists, leaders and media personnel who wield great power and influence in society, and (c) with all people of goodwill belonging to all faiths based on a common belief in human and spiritual values. Finally, as a process, CT aims at a threefold personal integration: 1. Theological integration of experience reflection action. 2. Personal integration so that the whole process is a spiritual experience. 3. Interdisciplinary integration of the physical, human and social sciences with theology: an integration of knowledge. These integrations will enable theology not only to be an exercise seeking understanding, but also one that seeks dialogue, relationship and community (dialogum, relationem et communitatem). CT will truly be transformative when the theologian strives not only to transform community out there which is always a difficult enterprise but when each of us truthfully tries transforming ourselves, for that is perhaps the most difficult theological task at hand! ********** 1 I am deeply indebted to Prof. Michael Amaladoss, S.J., for his contribution to the main points of this paper.