Thesis advisor: Dominic Doyle / Moral, aesthetic, and religious pluralism has become a source of disagreement and friction in the modern world. Within the context of modernity and precipitated by the American and French revolutions, liberal democracy has aimed to organize the social and political life of societies in which their inhabitants sustain different, distant, and sometimes contradictory conceptions of the good life. Liberal secular principles have been the framework used to protect fundamental values such us freedom, equality, and mutual respect. In order to preserve the stability of a plural society, liberalism insists that moral and religious convictions must remain a private matter. Democracy and tolerance, it was argued, would be best preserved if religious convictions were removed from the public/political conversation. Yet the debate about the appropriate relationship between religion and politics regularly resurfaces among political and moral philosophers, social theorists, and theologians. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Thesis advisor: Kenneth R. Himes / This project constructs a public theology of Laudato Si' with which Catholics in the United States might shape climate change discourse, policy, and action. Chapter 1 outlines anthropogenic climate change and reviews magisterial Catholic teaching about this issue. Chapter 2 argues that the Christian church should engage with the world through both secular and faith-based language in the forms of public philosophy and public theology. Chapter 3 considers Catholic public theology in the contemporary U.S. Chapter 4 considers LS as a document of public theology and demonstrates how this document both develops Catholic public theology in the social encyclical tradition and is organized according to a modified Pastoral Circle. Chapter 5 analyzes a nationally representative public opinion survey of American adults to discern the likelihood that messages based on LS might move Americans’ climate change opinions more in line with Pope Francis’s ecological vision. Chapter 6 combines these insights with the reflections in Chapter 3 to construct an American Catholic public theology of LS that might help accordingly shape American climate change discourse, policy and action. The project thus combines theological ethics and social science to engage in applied ecological theological ethics and constructively suggest the contents of an evidence-based American Catholic public theology of LS with which the church might advance Pope Francis’s ecological vision. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

A dissertação oferece um estudo panorâmico sobre os conceitos de teologia pública e de esfera pública, com destaque para o contexto brasileiro. No primeiro capítulo, são identificadas diferentes compreensões de teologia pública, classificadas segundo modelos de fundamentação e modelos de atuação. Com base nos exemplos norte-americano e sul- africano, argumenta-se que a diversidade conceitual relativa ao tema é um reflexo de preocupações específicas a cada contexto, de maneira a ser possível presumir que uma teologia pública no Brasil igualmente assuma uma feição teórica própria. No segundo capítulo, são descritas três importantes concepções de esfera pública presentes no pensamento filosófico contemporâneo: a liberal, com representantes como John Rawls e Bruce Ackerman; a republicana (e comunitarista), aqui representada por Hannah Arendt e Charles Taylor; e a discursiva, especialmente desenvolvida por Jürgen Habermas. O referencial teórico habermasiano o mais recorrente em análises sociológicas sobre a esfera pública no Brasil, tema do terceiro capítulo. Procura-se demonstrar que, apesar de uma forte tradição patrimonialista que caracteriza a história política do país, importantes transformações sociais têm concorrido para a constituição de uma esfera pública discursiva. No último capítulo, tendo em vista esse contexto de reconstrução democrática, é apresentado um breve esboço de um modelo de teologia pública ancorada no mundo da vida e pautada pelo diálogo conceitos explorados com base, especialmente, na concepção discursiva de esfera pública e em contribuições dos diversos modelos de teologia pública, desde uma perspectiva latino- americana de Teologia. / This essay offers a panoramic study about the concepts of public theology and public sphere, especially concerning the Brazilian context. In the first chapter, different understandings of public theology are identified and classified according to models of substantiation and models of performance. Based on the North American and South African examples, it is argued that the conceptual diversity concerning the theme is a reflection of concerns that are specific to each context, meaning that it is possible to assume that a public theology in Brazil develops its own theoretical feature as well. In the second chapter, we describe three important concepts of public sphere present in the contemporary philosophical thought: the liberal, with representatives like John Rawls and Bruce Ackerman, the republican (and communitarian), represented by Hannah Arendt and Charles Taylor, and the discursive, especially developed by Jürgen Habermas. Habermasian theoretical reference is the most recurrent in sociological analysis about public sphere in Brazil, which is the theme of the third chapter. We seek to demonstrate that major social changes have contributed to the creation of a discursive public sphere, despite a strong patrimonial tradition that characterizes the country's political history. In the last chapter, in view of this context of democratic reconstruction, we present a brief outline of a model of public theology anchored in the world of life and guided by dialogue concepts explored, especially, on the basis of a discursive conception of public sphere and contributions from the various models of public theology, from a Latin American perspective of theology.

Thesis advisor: Thomas J. Massaro / In the U.S. theological context since the 1970's, the current called "public theology" has offered a very interesting proposal for the church to be present in society. In its Catholic variant, this current is very much inspired by the American theologian David Tracy. Applied to the context of Spain, this variant could clarify the relationship between Spanish citizenship and Catholic identity. However, in order to be applied to the context of Spain, this current needs to be put in dialogue with the two other major actors in Spanish society: (1) unbelief, and (2) the Islamic tradition. The issue of unbelief has been the focus of the French moral theologian Paul Valadier. His anthropological framework based on conscience could help public theology to respond to the main secularistic critics. The work of five major modern Islamic social thinkers: Abdulaziz Sachedina, Nurcolish Majid, Adullahi An-Naim, Tariq Ramadan, and Alli Allawi --each of whom have attempted to integrate modern social values with Islamic tradition--provide resources for public theologians to address the Muslim tradition from within the Christian theological stance. By incorporating the insights of these two conversations, public theology presents a new and very interesting proposal for the Church in Spain to be present in the social debates. Integrating Valadier's concern for conscience into Tracy's critical correlational approach offers a suitable theological method. To incorporate Islam into the conversation we should put some previous conditions (the category of public religion) and we should agree on a goal for interreligious dialogue (the pluralistic common good). This method could be the way for the Church in Spain to develop a discourse rooted in Christian identity but understandable by modern Spanish pluralistic society. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Based on a review of the academic literature, evangelical public theology often lacks a systematic, theologically grounded social ethic concerning religious liberty. The resulting impasse is one where religious liberty lacks distinctly evangelical contours. Modern and contemporary religious liberty discussions have been ceded, almost exclusively, to political and legal philosophy. At the same time, religious liberty is a foundational principle for evangelical public theology because it addresses issues of how evangelicals enter the public square as a religious people. Additionally, a doctrine of religious liberty is vital for establishing the relationship between the church and state in society. Theological warrant is needed to establish a doctrine of religious liberty on evangelical grounds, and, correspondingly, the lack of consensus or framework around religious liberty jeopardizes the possibility of developing a truly evangelical understanding of religious liberty for public theology. This dissertation seeks to remedy this gap in evangelical public theology and social ethics by grounding religious liberty in the biblical categories of eschatology, anthropology, and soteriology. Chapter one examines the literature surrounding evangelical proposals around religious liberty. Chapters 2 through 4 offer a constructive proposal for religious liberty oriented around the themes of the kingdom of God (eschatology), the image of God (anthropology), and the mission of God (soteriology). Chapter 5 concludes by offering concern that secular ideologies lack sufficient explanatory power to extend a principled account of religious liberty.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-04-27T13:20:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 cicerocezariodacostaneto.pdf: 867412 bytes, checksum: f0d5476993614323b9e05ab0705da393 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-05-02T00:59:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 cicerocezariodacostaneto.pdf: 867412 bytes, checksum: f0d5476993614323b9e05ab0705da393 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-02T00:59:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 cicerocezariodacostaneto.pdf: 867412 bytes, checksum: f0d5476993614323b9e05ab0705da393 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-26 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Esta dissertação oferece um estudo sobre o conceito de esfera pública desenvolvido por Charles Taylor em relação com o que se tem entendido por Teologia Pública no Brasil na atualidade. Através de investigação bibliográfica, o primeiro capítulo faz considerações centrais acerca do pensamento de Taylor sobre esfera pública, concentrado, sobretudo, no quarto capítulo de sua obra magna Uma Era Secular o colocando em diálogo com autores como Jürgen Habermas, Hannah Arendt, Nicolás Panotto, Paul Tillich e Rubem Alves. O segundo capítulo situa o debate sobre a Teologia Pública, do qual Rudolf von Sinner é o principal expoente, no contexto brasileiro atual e relaciona o conceito de Teologia Pública trabalhado no Brasil com os desenvolvidos na América do Norte e na África do Sul, bem como com a Teologia da Libertação e o protestantismo histórico. A partir disto, o último capítulo busca mostrar a atualidade, relevância e contribuições da reflexão acerca da Teologia Pública desde o conceito de esfera pública tayloriana para o debate a respeito da relação entre religião e o Estado democrático brasileiro. / This essay offers a study about the concept of public sphere developed by Charles Taylor in relation with what has been understood as Public Theology in Brazil today. Through bibliographic research, the first chapter make central considerations about the thought of Taylor about the public sphere, concentrated mainly in the fourth chapter of his magnum opus A Secular Age, placing it in dialogue with authors such as Jürgen Habermas, Hannah Arendt, Nicolás Panotto, Paul Tillich and Rubem Alves. The second chapter situates the debate about the Public Theology, which Rudolf von Sinner is the leading exponent in the current Brazilian context, and relates the concept of Public Theology worked in Brasil with that developed in North America and South Africa, as well with Liberation Theology and the historic protestantism. Finaly, the last chapter seeks to show the actuality, relevance and contribution of the reflection about Public Theology with the concept taylorian of public sphere for the debate about the relationship between religion and the brazilian democratic State.

This dissertation develops a public practical theology of education. It argues that education is a practice that “schools the imagination,” forming individuals and communities to operate within social imaginaries that have been shaped by a latent, anti-material, and individualistic worldview. This project aims to show that public education is a viable site for theological reflection and that the results of that reflection can generate proposals for the transformation of both religion and education. It considers how the American social imaginary is maintained by educational practices and the ways these practices influence conceptions of knowledge and human purpose. The assumption is that the shaping influence of the imaginary is not manifested so much in the content of school curricula, but tacitly exists in pedagogical processes and the explicit and implicit goals of the US educational enterprise. Using a qualitative and quantitative mixed-method approach, the project develops the construct of conscientização natal, a pedagogy of birth with utopian anthropological dimensions. Grace Jantzen’s theology and philosophy of religion and the liberative pedagogical insights of Paulo Freire are central to the constructive work. Jantzen and Freire provide a way to interpret the telos and practice of American public education with their respective analyses of “necrophilic imagination” and “objectivizing worldviews.” Additional insights are drawn from educational sociology and history, as well as Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice and Cornelius Castoriadis’ concept of the social imaginary. The dissertation begins by developing a theology of education, doing so with practical theological methods informed by liberation and public theologies. It proceeds to provide historical and cultural-sociological studies drawn from educational literature, amplified by a quantitative study of 125 survey participants on their understandings of the relationship between education and spirituality. The primary discoveries in these three studies are analyzed, then reflected upon theologically, yielding proposals for the transformation of practice and theory in both education and religion. For practical theologians, the project develops a robust understanding of practice that links patterns of action to social imaginaries, providing an example of how practical theology might consider issues of broad public concern.

This study seeks to give a broad picture of public theology and to bring this into conversation with the South African Missiologist David J. Bosch. The importance of ecclesiology for our public theology is pointed out and the development of Bosch's ecclesiology is traced from the 1970's through to Transforming Mission and beyond. From this some first conclusions are made concerning what the contribution of Bosch might be in the field of public theology. Copyright / Dissertation (MDiv)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

This project is a constructive effort in the area of practical and public theology as part of my larger purpose of contributing to the positive transformation of post-communist Eastern Europe. It is driven by the substantiated conviction that spiritual autobiography is not only a legitimate form of religious discourse but that can also serve as a vehicle for personal transformation and a tool of transformative leadership. One of the central purposes of this project is to prepare the author for writing a faithful and effective spiritual autobiography that can reach a broader audience and have transformational effects on readers. By producing my own spiritual autobiography, I seek to add a new dimension to my existing theoretical and practical work in the area of public theology with the hope that readers will not only recognize and positively respond to God’s call but also become responsibly engaged in transforming this world towards greater justice, freedom, and peace. / 2025-03-22T00:00:00Z

Summary in German and English / Text in German / Diese Arbeit ist eine detaillierte Analyse von Gottesdiensten und Predigten, die im Rahmen öffentlicher Gedenkveranstaltungen nach katastrophalen Krisenereignissen gehalten wurden. Untersucht wurde die Frage, wie angesichts einer heterogenen Ge-sellschaft und einer breiten Öffentlichkeit, in öffentlichen Trauergottesdiensten Trost gegeben und von Hoffnung geredet wurde. In Thesen werden mögliche Kriterien ge-geben, wie in ähnlichen Situationen angemessen von der christlichen Hoffnung gere-det werden kann. Die Schlussfolgerung ist, die Predigt als Teil des Gesamtgeschehens wahrzunehmen und den Gottesdienst, mit der Musik, den Liedern, Lesungen und Ri-tualen, als eine Art Gesamtkunstwerk und auch als kontextualisiertes Antwortgesche-hen an die Teilnehmenden unterschiedlichen Hintergrunds zu verstehen. Die Predigt, profiliert in der christlichen Botschaft, soll respektvoll die Unterschiede in Gesell-schaft, Glaube und Person achten. Der reiche Schatz des biblischen Kanons kann in der Predigt, im Gebet, Gesang und in den Ritualen reflektiert werden, insbesondere durch die Psalmen mit ihrer formulierten Klage, und mit der christlichen Hoffnung ins Gespräch gebracht werden. / This work is a detailed analysis of worship services and sermons delivered during pub-lic commemoration events after catastrophic events of crisis. The question is explored how, in the face of a heterogeneous society and a broad public presence, comfort was given in public commemoration services and how hope was reflected. In closing the-ses, possible criteria are given for adequately speaking of Christian hope in similar sit-uations. The conclusion is that the sermon should be perceived as part of the whole process and that worship, with its music, songs, readings and rituals, should be under-stood as a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk and also as a contextualized response to the par-ticipants of different backgrounds. The sermon, profiled in the Christian message, should respect the differences in society, faith and person. The rich treasure of the biblical canon can be reflected in preaching, prayer, song and ritual, in particular through the psalms, with their formed lament, and brought into conversation with the Christian hope. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Phil. (Theology)