"Did God Really Say That?"
Theology in the Age of Reductionism
Theology Study
T. Dave Matsuo
©2013 TDM All rights reserved No part of this manuscript may be reprinted without permission from the author Contact: tdavematsuo@4X12.org |
Preface An Urgent foreWord
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foreWord |
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Theology has occupied human minds from the beginning. Anyone, from old to young, who seeks to sort out their beliefs, gain their meaning or put them into practice has been engaged in the theological task. Yet, theological engagement never takes place in a vacuum, even when isolated from the surrounding context (e.g. as practiced in monastic theology). Theology and the theological task unfold inescapably within a formidable context, that is, in the age of reductionism. And unless we understand this context in which we all live—understand beyond the issue of contextualization as commonly considered—our theology and task are subject to its shaping. Until any and all theological engagement directly address and openly account for this unavoidable context, the theological task and its theology have been and continue to be rendered to a critical condition needing to be made whole. Is this the current condition of theology and theological education that occupies, even preoccupies our minds today? This is an honest conversation overdue—not to be engaged in isolation or just among ourselves but vulnerably with the whole of God who has been ongoingly pursuing us for this vital engagement in the age of reductionism. “Where are you?”
©2013 T. Dave Matsuo |