Theology from Below

I’m putting together a class for Epoch Center on Contextual Church Planting. Whenever we talk church planting most of the time we quickly jump into the how’s or techniques or strategies. However, before we get to that point we need to back up and start with a contextual theology. Some call this a “theology from below.”

Often time theologies are created in the halls of academia void of practice or practical applications. They tend to be theoretical and constructed along the lines of philosophy. This is theology from above. “Whereas, at least since the time of Constantine, theology was conducted from above as an elitist enterprise.” Theology from below is contextual theology “from the underside of history” and it is shaped by the help of the poor and culturally marginalized.

I like that. I like that a lot. There is a HUGE disconnect between orthodoxy (sound or right doctrine) and orthopraxy (right living). David Bosch in his book Transforming Mission raises the question basically as to why do we split over orthodoxy and not orthopraxy? What good is any kind of right-thinking if it doesn’t lead to action? Then you may argue is it even right-thinking? Instead, a theology from below, is more hammered out of right-living (orthopraxy). Yet, in Christian circles or churches we split over doctrine more than living out what it means to follow Jesus. Not that I advocate splits at all, but what if people split from a church purely for the reason that the church’s orthopraxy was off-based or even non-existent?