Models of Contextual Theology

"There is no such thing as theology, there is only contextual theology". So states the author, Stephen Bevans. Everything, every thought, every belief and creed must be set in context. You, your faith and your expression of faith is as much North American faith as it is Christian faith. If you are familiar with H. Richard Niebuhr's "Christ and Culture", you will see how Bevans presents six new models that are more relevant to the time in which we live. Though the book was originally printed in 1992, with five models (Translation, Anthropological, Praxis, Synthetic and Transcendental), this second editions has added a new "Counter-cultural" model. Models are like a GPS, they orient you. They help to define where you are in relation to the world that you live in. Thus, when you can get your bearings you can then plot the course where you need to go.For Bevans, faith, and everything it embraces, must be seen through context. You, me and all human beings are products of our culture and context. Our understanding of God is a product of Western, European context. Scripture is written in a context, for a context, and from a historical context (See Lucien Legrand's "The Bible on Culture".).The role of the theologian, minister and everyday Christian is to articulate God to a society that is on the other side of the God experience. The models that Bevans offers can help. His six models allow you to select a vantage point, or rather a platform from which to speak to the world today. Bevans has done a great service for those seeking to understand their Christian faith in a postmodern world. Strongly Recommended