Theology and Contemporary Culture: Liberation, Postliberal and Revisionary Perspectives

Drawing from postliberal, revisionary and Latin American liberation theological perspectives, David Kamitsuka offers proposals on theological method and doctrine responsive to the intellectual, pastoral and socio-political challenges of contemporary culture. He recasts intermovement polemics in order to forge a theological approach which promotes what are often considered to be competing values among these three theological movements: solidarity with the oppressed (liberationist), redescribing the Christian communal sense of scripture (postliberal), and fully critical reflection (revisionist). The author advocates an apologetic strategy entailing coherentist and consensus elements for justifying Christian claims in the pluralistic public realm. He provides a model for reading scripture theologically which addresses the challenges of poststructuralism and a globally diverse church. Kamitsuka uses rule theory to adjudicate doctrinal disputes on the relationship between salvation and political liberation, and he proposes methodological ‘virtues’ for theological practice rooted in practical judgments concerning the vitality and fidelity of Christian communities.