Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 14:23:51 +0100 (BST)
From: RICHARD FITCH <r.fitch-AT-lancaster.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Theology and Democracy


Sounds great. However I find the title somewhat problematic as it appears 
to exclude areas such as post-secular philosophy, atheology, study of 
religious ideas from an RS perspective etc as well as the obvious 
christocentrism.  

" and Democracy" is ironically equally exclusionary. I agree that the 
interface between the religious and the political is crucial but in the 
debates over the persistence of political theology the place of the 
political is rarely democratic. 

In my experience the debates over method and theory in RS and the role of 
theology are radically different in North America and the uk with often 
little overlap and even less communication between the two discourses.
Such a list might help remedy this situation.

It seems my qualms boil down to the question as to whether the list would 
seek to explore the issues you raise in a purely NorthAmerican context or 
in a global context? I think the latter would be infinitely more fruitful.

Richard Fitch
Dept. of Religious Studies
Lancaster University
Lancaster 
LA1 4YW
U.K.

On Mon, 20 Apr 1998, Kenneth wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I "manage" the method-and-theory list.  I'm a Religious 
> Studies (grad) student at the U of Toronto.  I was wondering if 
> anyone thought that a theology list would be a good idea.
> 
> The list would be oriented by a the role of theology today.  I'm 
> not real happy with the name "theology and democracy" but 
> I'm not sure what a better title would be.  As an RS student the 
> debate between the study of religion and the theology 
> continues in virtually every single RS or THEO department. 
> All the conferences I've been to hit on this debate at one point 
> or another.  Also - my experience on spoon lists indicate that a 
> great many people have (strong) feelings about the distinction.
> 
> The purpose of the list would be to engage such debates - 
> what is the nature of theology today, what is the role of 
> theology in public discourses, what is the role of theology in 
> education etc.  Obviously the term "theology" is fairly 
> Christian-Centric - but then again - so are the debates.
> 
> I'm not a theologian by any stretch of the imagination.  But I 
> am very interested in these debates since I am involved in 
> method and theory in the study of religion - and theology 
> continues to be an issue taken up in a variety of forms.
> 
> Of particular interest to me is the distinction between feminist, 
> political, liberation, and critical theology and public, 
> communicative, postmodern, and process theology and the 
> "public" claims that each make in regards to politics, 
> education, democracy, and theory.
> 
> I would be willing to "manage" the list in the same way that I 
> "manage" the M&T list.
> 
> kenneth mackendrick
> 
> 
>