Leadership South: Theology's Polygraph

Monday, January 14, 2008

Theology's Polygraph

The late Alan E. Lewis said: “Ministry is theology’s polygraph” (Jinkins M 2002:ix). QUESTION: Would it not seem that, all too often, it’s a case of: “Theology is ministry’s polygraph”? That there is a tendency to start with ideology at the expense of ministry?

2 comments:

Jenny Hillebrand said...: Are you willing to expand on this? I like the idea that ministry is theology's polygraph.That means that ministry should be a natural outflowing of theology. Sort of 'by their fruit you shall know them'. The other side is the liberation theology thing 'theology as reflection on praxis', I suppose. But I can't quite form in my mind what 'theology as minstry's polygraph' means.
If you have time to expand, I would be interested! Thanks.; January 18, 2008 at 9:25 AM
Thomas O. Scarborough said...: Thanks Jenny, This is how I understood it as I posted: What happens in ministry might give theology the lie -- or with this blog in mind, it might give a leadership model the lie. Here's a brief example. My wife is completing a doctorate which demonstrates powerfully, I think, that a particular theology led to wholesale burnout in the field (but most of the missionaries developed a new theological understanding, and rebounded). I’m away from home at the moment, blogging in a Francophone Internet Café, with limited minutes ticking down -- I think I might try a post on this. As I understand you, there should be a healthy symbiosis between theology and ministry. Yes, absolutely. That’s stating the positive side. There seems to me a strange tendency for theologians to retain their basic tenets no matter what happens in ministry.; January 19, 2008 at 7:27 PM

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Welcome

Again and again I have heard that access to Christian leadership thinking in the Global South is awkward. Not only is it hard to obtain the materials, but they are relatively few, and often they are published in languages other than English. Often, also, seminaries in the Global South will not use home-grown materials, but will import books from the Global North, teaching them in the context of their own Global South ethos. But apart from this, there is a real problem of parochialism in the Global North. If you are a seminary student in the Global North, take a look at your required reading. It is likely that 90-100% originates in the Global North.

I have served in leadership at local, regional, national, and international levels, with varied experience. I recently completed an MTh at the South African Theological Seminary in Johannesburg, and an MA at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California -- both in the fields of Christian leadership. When I started this blog, I considered that, being in the middle of my research, I could share some of the ideas and issues I am working through -- and perhaps engender some discussion.

In my experience, I would consider that the views of this blog are typically Global South. I consider that my colleagues in ministry would share many of these views. However, it stands to reason that this will not be so in every case.

I have used abbreviated references in some posts (e.g. Jinkins M 2002:23), which refers to the author, initial(s), year of publication, and page. In most cases, this should be sufficient for readers to locate the source.