Elaine Graham, Heather Walton and Frances Ward, Theological Reflection:
Methods (London: SCM Press, 2005), 247 pp.
The authors’ intention in this volume is to reclaim theological reflection as a
“perennial and indispensable part of Christian doctrine” and discipline.
Graham and Walton bring substantial academic credentials to this work, and
Ward adds her perspective as an Anglican parish priest to the conversation. In
this volume, the authors shape their arguments in response to those who view
theological reflection either as an insufficiently serious undertaking or as a
novel practice lacking substantial roots in Christian tradition. The authors also
aim to address what they consider a lack of sufficient resources and guidance
for those who hope to undertake theological reflection.
In each of the seven main chapters of the book, the authors explore a
particular mode of theological reflection they have identified. For each mode
of reflection, the authors provide an outline of the starting point of that perspective,
historical examples, and an evaluation of that perspective. For example,
in their chapter titled “Writing the Body of Christ,” the authors discuss
historical models for corporate theological reflection, ranging from the Rule of
St. Benedict to Christian base communities, in which scripture passages are discussed
and engaged in light of a community’s daily events and realities. In the
questions for discussion at the end of the chapter, the authors encourage readers
to reflect on the different meanings of “body of Christ” in various texts
discussed previously.
Additional chapters include: “’Theology by Heart’: The Living Human
Document,” “’Speaking in Parables’: Constructive Narrative Theology,” “’Telling
God’s Story’: Canonical Narrative Theology,” “’Speaking of God in Public’:
Correlation,” “’Theology-in-Action’: Praxis,” and “’Theology in the Vernacular’:
Local Theologies.” The authors are to be commended for weaving contemporary
feminist theologies, liberation theologies, and postmodern theologies
throughout these chapters, rather than relegating them to the margins. One of
the most powerful examples of contemporary theological reflection included
in the volume is author Heather Walton’s recounting of a struggle with an unwanted
visitation by an “angel” in her efforts to conceive a child.
In their wide-ranging survey of the historical roots of theological reflection,
the authors offer a creative exploration of the connections between story
and ritual, and the role of ritual as a kind of crystallization of theological reflection.
They also affirm literature as a dialectical partner, and at times a necessary
corrective, to theology. In the authors’ broad definition of theological
reflection, they include the formation of Christian religious orders and emergent
church movements, since they see these as loci for the creation of theology
that is embedded in individuals’ life and practice.
The authors make a convincing case that a rich historical precedent exists
for theological reflection in the Christian tradition. However, their methodology
is at times confusing. For instance, it is not clear what, for the authors, distinguishes
“constructive narrative theology” from theological reflection that draws
on “the living human document.” For a volume that professes concern with the
practical roots of theology, it could be stronger on offering practical guidance for
specific communities outside the academy. With a few welcome exceptions,
readers who expect a series of practical guidelines for actually doing theological
reflection are likely to be left wanting. Key questions are overlooked, such as:
What is the locus of authority in each of these models of theological reflection?
How does culture mediate Christian tradition in each model? By what criteria
should contemporary Christians evaluate methods of theological reflection?
The authors are to be commended for their creative and inclusive approach
to theological reflection methods, and one that will likely pique the interest
of readers wanting more of a rigorously scholarly approach to theological
reflection. The book may be best appreciated as a reference guide, with
annotated bibliographies in each chapter providing helpful jumping-off places
for the practice of reflective theology.
Rev. Susan Conrad
UCSF Medical Center
San Francisco, California