RT Article
T1 Exploring Local Church Praxis of Public Theology
JF International journal of public theology
VO 14
IS 1
SP 68
OP 96
A1 Cronshaw, Darren
LA English
PB Brill
YR 2020
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1698289839
AB The Baptist Union of Victoria (BUV) encourages local churches to give priority to contributing to the well-being of their local neighbourhoods through community engagement and advocacy. This commitment to holistic mission and local community development is an integral part of the public theology of local churches, given Elaine Graham’s argument that ‘practical care and service constitutes the essential praxis of public theology’. But to what extent does the reality of BUV local church mission match this rhetoric? The 2016 National Church Life Survey (NCLS) helps identify what community service BUV churches and their members are involved in. This article discusses the statistical state-wide responses of Victorian Baptists from NCLS 2016, together with interview responses from church leaders. It explores aspects of community development most valued by attenders, where church members are volunteering, and how and where churches are providing social services, prophetic advocacy and environmental care. This denominational case study illustrates that churches offering social services and fostering advocacy and creation care are functioning as the local praxis of public theology.
K1 Advocacy
K1 Community Development
K1 environmental care
K1 Public Theology
K1 Social Justice
DO 10.1163/15697320-12341601