Theology and Ethics for the Public Church: Mission in the 21st Century World

How might the Christian church effectively engage today's politically charged, profit-motivated world while remaining faithful to its biblical and theological roots? The contributors in this book argue that public theology provides a promising pathway forward. The public theology emerging from these pages has been influenced by the theological interests and commitments of Gary M. Simpson, Lutheran pastor and systematic theologian. His approach to public theology is intersectional and global; he artfully weaves together Lutheran theology and the civil society arena of Critical Social Theory. These essays provide three angles of vision on faith active in twenty-first century public contexts: contextual, ethical, and theological. While not mutually exclusive, these distinct strands of thought engage and challenge the church to substantial reflection on the challenging and often bewildering circumstances of the twenty-first century social world. Some reflect on God's activity within particular global contexts, others offer new perspectives on Lutheran confessional traditions, still others step boldly into innovative theological assertions. As the Christian church is ever forming and reforming, this book urges it to grapple with the "publicness" of its timely and timeless mission.