Читать книгу The Craft of Innovative Theology. Argument and Process онлайн

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Pluralistic theology never loses sight of the fact that it is a human response to the needs of the day, relying on human creativity, energy, and improvisation. Given the wide and varied needs of communities across the world, a genuinely pluralistic theology must make use of every source of insight available in order to “humbly follow truth wherever we find it.”¹⁹ In order to take advantage of the sheer wealth of creative thinking about God, pluralistic theology must remain open to all sources at hand, eschewing comfortable closure. The metaphorical dynamic at the heart of pluralistic theology allows it thus to be characterized as a form of bricolage, that is, a construction out of many, ready-to-hand, diverse sources – continuously being built, torn apart, and rebuilt toward a more useful form.

As I stated at the outset, I contend that all theology is inherently hybrid. Pluralistic theology reveals this feature more clearly in order to better use this creative source. As bricolage, pluralistic theology draws attention to the contingent, diverse nature of its components and contexts, while at the same time celebrating the metaphorical, expansive, and revelatory power of its compilation. Married to this centrifugal force, however, is the centripetal, particularizing, and poetic force which gives shape to pluralistic theology’s eventual results. The workings of this force can be seen through the issues of criteria and poesis, that is, if metaphorical predication gives rise to a plethora of possible forms of bricolage, how is one to choose which possibility is excellent and worth pursuing? Are all such instances of hybrid bricolage equally valid, valuable or effective? By what criteria is the centripetal force guided? Moreover, what is the role and responsibility of the theologian in creating a thoroughly pluralistic theology?