So, through a long and circuitous route, I found myself identified with this term “public theology.”

Here are 4 definitions of public theology:

1. Public theology is the result of the growing need for theology to interact with public issues of contemporary society. It seeks to engage in dialogue with different academic disciplines such as politics, economics, cultural studies, religious studies, as well as with spirituality, globalization and society in general. Click here to see the International Journal of Public Theology.
2. Public theology is the Christian engagement and dialogue within the church and especially with the larger society. It seeks the welfare of the state and a fair society for all by engaging issues of common interest to build the common good. This is Christian theology that talks with society not just to society. This is done by presenting the Christian position in a way that can be publicly understood and thereby open to public debate and critical enquiry. Click here to read more on wikipedia.
3. Public Theology isn't about promoting the interests of 'the Church'; it's about drawing on the resources, insights and compassionate values of the Christian faith to contribute to the welfare of society. We believe that theology can shed fresh light on issues and can contribute in new and challenging ways to debate and policy formation. Click here to read more from Otago University.
4. In this lecture, James K. A. Smith argues that public political life and ecclesial life are about formation - forming our deepest desires, loves, longings and values. He says we have not simply been convinced by bad ideas, but we have been conscripted by “rival liturgies.” He urges us to ask, “What time is it?” - by wisely understanding and inhabiting this actual moment in history, with all its zigs and zags. He argues that public theology serves the culture by telling its story, including its hidden and embarrassing history. “Liberal democracy depends on virtues that liberal democracy can’t generate,” he says, suggesting that the church plays a key role in curating those virtues. He uses Don Quixote as a parable of the church’s public theological work. (Although I don’t think I share the details of Smith’s eschatology, I appreciate his rejection of fear and panic in favor of urgent patience and active hope.)

• Have you ever had a moment like Brian described relating to his Psalm 46 sermon? Or a moment you were thrust into a more public situation?
• Review these definitions of public theology, and then write your own “first draft” definition - using a maximum of 100 words - to distill the best elements of each definition into your own words. This is an important task, as you see what has “stuck” in your understanding so far.