The Bible and Public Theology

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 282-300

Author(s):

Patrick Kofi Amissah

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Public Sphere ◽

Public Theology ◽

Religious Leaders ◽

The Public ◽

The Bible ◽

Independent Judiciary ◽

The Public Sphere ◽

Miscarriage Of Justice

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to draw upon the condemnation of bribery, corruption and miscarriage of justice to be found in the book of Amos for the sake of a public theology. The occasion for such is a bribery scandal that hit the Ghanaian judiciary. An investigative journalist presented evidence to substantiate the hitherto unsubstantiated perception that some judges in Ghana take bribes to skew judgement. The scandal is deepened through many of the judges being Christian. They attracted widespread criticism from religious leaders, both Christian and others, as well as from the wider society. The public sphere of a fair and independent judiciary was thus compromised. The argument draws upon an assessment of Amos 5:7; 10, 12 and 6:12. These texts are examined in the light of this judicial bribery and corruption scandal and thus provide an example of how the Bible can play a part in a public theology and nurture of social justice.

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Public Theology and Evidence for God

International Journal of Public Theology ◽

10.1163/15697320-12341356 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 344-352

Author(s):

Robert C. Newman

Keyword(s):

Origin Of Life ◽

Life Sciences ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Public Theology ◽

The Bible ◽

Living Things ◽

The Origin Of Life

In a pair of previous articles, it was suggested that a ‘public theology’ approach to the text of the Bible and events of history pointed to a mind behind history that brought about the fulfilment of events predicted in Scripture. This article examines various phenomena of the physical and life sciences which similarly indicate a mind behind nature: first, fine-tuning of nature’s basic forces; secondly, the fitness of Earth’s cosmic environment; thirdly, the fitness of biochemistry for life; fourthly, the origin of life and finally, apparent design in living things.

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Jurgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope and the Task of Public Theology in Ghanaian Context

E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences ◽

10.38159/ehass.2020095 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 165-173

Author(s):

Francis Appiah-Kubi ◽

Isaac Osei Karikari

Keyword(s):

Public Life ◽

Social Ethics ◽

Modern Society ◽

Political Life ◽

Moral Order ◽

Public Theology ◽

The Public ◽

Christian Social Ethics ◽

The Bible ◽

The People

This article examines the relevance of theology in public life particularly from the Ghanaian (African) Christian experience in society. The idea of the public relevance of theology has been ably examined by Jurgen Moltmann in the perspectives of his Theology of Hope and the continuous reflections in the “Ethics of Hope”. The eschatological sacrifice of Christ’s story animates in Moltmann the understanding of what particular transformation one must experience when envisaging what the shape of Christianity is in modern society and the task it has to fulfill in the field of social ethics in the Ghanaian social and political history. Critical to the Ghanaian social- political life is to be encountered with is a sub-culture trend that the task for the socio-political and the economic development of the nation-state is the preserve of politics or political activists. The conversation on the rise to action of the Ghanaian Christian to social ethics is now due to the growing trends of poverty, violence, unemployment, corruption, dwindling social and moral order and failing institutions of state. Jurgen Moltmann develops his thoughts in the Ethics of Hope to deliberately project Christian social ethics that is focused on projecting the Bible as the gospel of hope for the people. This paper evaluates Moltmann’s understanding of modern realities of life and how Christians must relate with and what Christian character brings to bear on the positive change in the life of the people.

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