Is Theological Reflection a technique or a virtue?
Listening to "hidden" voices
John Swinton, University of Aberdeen
It is an obvious but nonetheless crucial observation that theological reflection lies at the heart of the practical theological task. Practical theology could be described as:
Critical, theological reflection on the practices of the church as they interact with the practices of the world with a view to ensuring faithful participation in the continuing mission of the triune God[1].
Theological reflection thus lies at the heart, not only of the discipline of practical theology, but also the practice of Christian faithfulness. But what is theological reflection? At a basic level it is a technique used by practical theologians, to examine particular situations and experiences and to enable ways of facilitating faithful action. Yet, in practice, it is much more than a mere technique. Warren Murray and Best offer a definition of theological reflection which will be helpful here:
Theological reflection is a self-conscious, intentional act in which one seeks to know God and be known by God so that one can love God and others as God loves[2].
According to this understanding, theological reflection is not to be understood as technology, but as a form of contemplation. Such an understanding takes us to the heart of the contemplative vocation within which one turns one's whole being towards God, not because of what one can get out of God, but for God's sake[3]. The primary task of theological reflection is to enable human beings and human institutions to love God for God's sake and to love others as God loves us. Warren et al continue:
Theological reflection…is not simply about becoming more adept at theological analysis or gaining a better understanding of Christian history or theology…theological reflection goes beyond analysis, leading the practitioner into a different relationship with God because of the new configuration between them that arises[4].
Theological reflection is therefore not a 'technology' within which theological theory is applied to particular situations. It does not find its value in utility and effectiveness but in faithfulness. At one level we could call it a 'technique,' if we take the term 'technique to mean that theological reflection is a form of skilfulness which derives from practice and familiarity. Such a form of skilfulness is developed as the theologian practise and becomes proficient in the art of theological reflection. However, such skilfulness cannot be understood apart from the development of the type of contemplative character that I have suggested is crucial to our understanding of the nature and intent of theological reflection. If this is so, then theological reflection might best understood as a virtue which contributes to the development of Christian character which in turn enables approaches to exploring the Christian tradition which are faithful and transformative both to the theologian and to the particular situations and experiences she is examining.
Theological reflection and people with disabilities: What difference does it make to have a disability?
One of my main areas of theological reflection relates to the human experience of disability. The understanding of theological reflection I have outlined above is of particular importance for me and for those people experiencing disabilities with whom I work alongside. Warren et al note that theological reflection is "theological because it consciously relates the divine to the human in a way that makes transformation possible." It is reflective, as Killen and De Beer observe, because it entails exploring one's "individual and corporate experience in conversation with the wisdom of a religious heritage[5]." Both of these points are clearly important for the process of theological reflection. However, both raise theological questions that are extremely important for the lives of people with disabilities. At the heart of many theologies of disability are the ideas of transformation and liberation. Disability theologians seek to transform understandings of what it means to be human, what it means to be disabled, and ultimately who God is and the type of character and vision that God has. This transformation leads to liberation from oppressive perspectives, attitudes, values and systems which have a propensity to devalue and indeed dehumanise people with disabilities. Consequently within the field of disability theologies have emerged that argue for such things as the social construction of disability[6]and the 'disabledness of God[7].' As new perspectives emerge from the experience of people with disabilities, so also new questions are raised: does God have Down's syndrome[8]? Can suffering and disability be equated[9]? Should we kill babies who have Down's syndrome[10]. All of this raises significant questions for our understanding of theological reflection as a virtue. If we simply assume that the divine and the human should be understood without any necessary reference to the experiences of people with disabilities then we will develop characters which assume it to be normal to exclude people with disabilities from the theological equation or to assume that the beginning point of reflection is with charity rather than theological and anthropological reconstruction. Similarly, when we look at our religious tradition through the eyes of people with disabilities, we begin to see things very differently and the transformation begins to occur in our lives in radically different and unexpected ways. Not to have this perspective is a serious omission from both personal character and the virtue of theological reflection.
Virtue and community
In closing, it will be helpful to make one final observation. If what I have argued is correct, and if theological reflection is a character building virtue, then we need to think very carefully about how such a skill is learned. Virtues are learned in community. They are learned from mentors and exemplars who teach their 'students' the art of the good life. Theological reflection with people who have disabilities raises the important question of what type of communities we learn the virtue of theological reflection from and within. Theological reflection is always a communal venture. We learn it in community, we carry it out in community and we hope that the outcome of our reflection will feed constructively in to the community. Yet, as one explores the literature on theological reflection, it is clear that much of it is done without reference to the voice of people with disabilities. This is despite the fact that theological reflection on the experiences of people with disabilities raises profound questions about what it means to be human and to live humanly, what it means to do politics, what it means to live in a just society and ultimately what it means to profess faith in God. Why then is this not a major area of theological reflection? Perhaps, corporately, we have not put ourselves in the position where we can develop the types of character that notices those whose voices are significantly inhibited by the type of society we live in and the types of communities (religious and secular) that we build and use to make sense of our world an out place within it. Perhaps we need to think again and reflect on what theological reflection might mean within a community where there is: 'neither [DKW1] Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female … black nor white, able bodied and handicapped,'[11] only people striving to love God and to love others in the way that God loves us.
Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care
School of Divinity, History and Philosophy
King's College
University of Aberdeen
ABERDEEN
AB24 3UB
United Kingdom
Notes
- Swinton and Mowat Practical Theology and Qualitative Research Methods. London: SCM (In Press)
- Heather A. Warren, Joan L. Murray and Mildred M. Best (2002) 'The discipline and habit of theological reflection.' Journal of Religion and Health Vol. 41, No. 4. Winter p. 324
- Ford, David (2002) What is the Wisdom of L'Arche? Unpublished paper presented at a conference for theologians held at 'La Ferme' in the community of L'Arche in Trosly-Breuil, France in December of 2002. (Quoted with permission from the author)
- Ibid. p. 324
- Killen. P. O and J. De Beer. The Art of theological reflection New York: The Crossroads Publishing Company, 1995. p. viii.
- Webb-Mitchell, B. (1996). Dancing with disabilities: pening the church to
all God's children. Cleveland, Ohio: United Church Press. - Eiesland, N. L. (1994). The Disabled God : toward a liberatory theology of disability. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
- 'The Body of Christ has Down's Syndrome: Theological reflections on disability, vulnerability and Graceful Communities.' (2004) Journal of Pastoral Theology. Pages 66-79
- Hauerwas, Stanley. Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped, and the Church. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986.
- Kuhse, Helga and Singer, Peter. Should the Baby Live? The Problem of Handicapped . Newborns (NY: Oxford University Press, 1985).
- F. Young, Face to Face: A narrative essay in the theology of suffering. T & T Clark, Edinburgh 1990, p.192.
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