by Vonnie Elisha James
In 2021, the Grenada Institute for Theological Education (GITE) organised 13 Caricom nationals who travelled to St Vincent and the Grenadines from 12–22 July to help St Vincent and the Grenadines in its ongoing recovery process in light of the impact of the Soufrière Hills Volcano, earlier that year.
This writer coordinated and briefed the team before they headed out.
Several years earlier while in Jamaica, a spur of crimes and violence against women and girls (VAWG) had threatened to engulf the country. This writer along with other students at the United Theological College of The West Indies (UTCWI) joined with leaders including Jamaica Member of Parliament for St Ann South East, Hon. Lisa Hanna (UN DP Goodwill Ambassador), and we marched the streets of Jamaica publicly denouncing violence, especially violence against women and girls. Some programmes evolved to address the VAWG.
What did these 2 actions have in common? They are actions by faith-based higher educational institutions addressing specific public issues and social needs. What was different between these two actions? GITE did it as a “mission” outreach activity — occasionally stepping away from theological education to address a community or social need. UTCWI on the other hand, did it as a natural outworking of a public theology class “putting its money where its mouth is” — seeing itself as an agent of community transformation.
In Arley Gill’s recent article, (NOW Grenada 7, June 2024) he posited that “Recent homicides in Grenada have left Grenadians at home and in the Diaspora asking questions about public safety.” He said, “This gun violence must stop!” He argues that “it will take a community effort to interrupt and cure this problem.” My position is not to debate but to add to his important piece, that public theology will make a significant positive difference toward that goal.
What is Public Theology? Several definitions exist. Public Theology, understood as theologically informed interdisciplinary discourse on public issues and the scholarly reflection thereof, involves the plural perspectives of faith in public debates and allows for a critical reflection of those perspectives (BIPT, 2024). Public theology brings fresh insights to bear on issues of current concern — issues like the economy, crime, and punishment, community cohesion, climate change, international development, and peacemaking (Tombs, 2022).
Why Public Theology? Suppose the faith-based community speaks intelligently and prophetically on the violence and gun crimes happening in Grenada. In that case, it must do so from a place of informed scholarship and evidence-based based discourse. However, it must do so publicly. By public, we mean outside the walls of the church. And yet, public theology takes this a step further.
Public theology does not only allow the faith-based community in Grenada to have these intellectual discourses about crime and violence, but as I mentioned with the UTCWI public theology class, it goes to meet those who are involved in behaviours that undermine community flourishing and thriving, recognised them as valuable human people in society, deserving of dignity, honour, and worth and acknowledges that they are from among us and deserves attention like any other people. Thus, public theology works for the good of the community, the faith-based community’s gift or responsibility to society.
But here is a warning; the faith-based community cannot isolate itself from the rest of the community — especially young people — and then simultaneously wish to have authority and credibility with them. It simply has not worked and will not work.
Therefore, as the faith-based community engages in the tasks of public theology, our responsibility is to engage in the collaborative community effort for us to have a better and safer community per the Grenada Sustainable Development Plan.
As a faith-based leader, I confess we have been slow to address domestic violence, family violence, and intimate partner violence. We have been slow to address economic violence and “political violence.” Let us act now to address gun violence and all those forms of crimes and violence that we ignored in the past or continue to look the other way now.
Public theologians recognise that regardless of what we think about young people who commit heinous crimes, remember all of us are victims in one way or the other. All of us must unite to fight this “Dis-Ease” (Perkins, 2013). And like it or not, public theology acknowledges that this “Dis-Ease” came out from among us. Therefore, public theology understands that all of us bear some responsibility and is willing to work towards common community flushing.
Public Theology speaks the truth in love, and it leads the faith-based community to take evidence-based actions to transform our communities. And we need this for our social nutrition.
This commenter agrees with the writer of this article that “this ‘Dis-Ease’ came out from among us.” While almost all or most of the followers of Christianity might be well-meaning and while it is an indisputable fact that GOD (The COSMIC ONE) is real, it might be said that the Judeo-Christian religion is “a false positive” as far as spirituality and righteousness are concerned. Judaism posits the “existence” of a biased God who has singled out a particular “people” as his own and who continues to favor that segment of humanity despite their horrendous deeds. Christianity, on the other hand, has incorporated all of the doctrinal tenets of Judaism and has made matters worse by engaging in the idolatrous worship of a reputed Jewish rabbi called Jesus (the god/man) based on the connivance of another Jewish rabbi called Saul of Tarsus (aka “The Apostle Paul”). Such practices could never be pleasing to the COSMIC ONE and the ANGELIC HOST. The minds of Black people have been successively enslaved by Judeo-Christianity for generations. Learning about Daniel in the Lions’ den, or about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego does very little to teach young Grenadians about their authentic past as an AFRICAN People. And neither does Paul’s teachings which were spawned in a milieu of subservience to Roman Emperors like Constantine I who founded the ROMAN Catholic Church (Romans 13: 5; 1 Peter 2: 13-25). The only cure for the ills facing BLACK People today is a genuine investigation into our COLLECTIVE existence which must involve an examination of how religion and theology (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and others) have been used and still are used to keep our race subjugated – with black people mindlessly killing black people. This is the kernel of the fledgling Philosophy of RASTAFARI. We must tell our own story. Anything less will be tantamount to spinning top in mud. And, God forbid, things will only get worse if we continue to ignore the urgency of the moment.
There is a root cause for the crime epidemic in the region. There is also an undeniable acceptance that our governments have continually failed us by catering to foreigners as they take away our land and other natural resources, leaving us no other option than to become chamber maids and bartenders. Better schools and open avenues to success will reduce crime.
Well said.
I’ve never heard the term Public Theology before. At first I thought you were going to talk about proselytizing, street preaching, etc.
But instead you’re calling for, in my opinion, something much more important. To act like Christ and to go out to those who are hurting, to love and support the marginalized and rid ourselves of fear-based dogma that keeps us in our silos from where we judge others. At least I think this is what you’re saying…
I’m sure the solutions will spring from grass roots love and community building.