January Issue Index--Globalization and Theological Education

Editor's Introduction

Globalization and Theological Education       
   by James K. Echols
This issue features two presentations given at the Convocation of Lutheran Teaching Theologians meeting this past fall.  The two authors focused on the relationship of globalization and theological education, or lack thereof.  How could we in the United States better serve our neighbors in the Global South in terms of the theology we create and opportunities to study theology?  How could we better take in the gifts and insights of our brothers and sisters from the Global South to enrich our understanding of God and to work for a more just world? 

Announcements​​

Would you like to write for the Journal?

Have you ever been interested in writing for the Journal of Lutheran Ethics?  Are you interested in finding out about what topics might be explored in 2015?  Click here to see a list of potential topics for 2015 and find out how to become a writer for the Journal!  

Articles

Theological Education in an Era of Globalization: Some Critical Issues by Paul Rajashekar

Globalization affects all aspects of our lives, from the products available at the supermarket to the music we hear on the radio.  Church is not immune to this, nor should it be.  However, Rajashekar points to how theological education has not effectively embraced the gifts of globalization.  Instead, the pattern has been to continue to see white male theology as universally applicable and correct, and theology coming from the global South as relevant only in its own context.  Rajashekar explores how this power imbalance influences the theology being produced as well as how students of theology are being educated in the all over the world.

Glocal Theological Education Issues and Concerns From One Person’s Point of View​ by Phil Baker

Baker's piece addresses the attendees of the Convocation of Lutheran Teaching Theologians directly, which is appropriate for his focus on context. Baker explores the importance of global experiences in theological education and asks professors to think of ways in which different global contexts can impact their students' understanding of theology and even learning styles.  On a larger scale, he also urges seminaries to establish effective partnerships that allow students from the United States to study abroad in addition to bringing students here.  How can our theology reflect our relationships and our relationships reflect our theology?

Book Reviews

Liberating Lutheran Theology: Freedom for Justice and Solidarity with Others in a Global Context​ by Paul S. Chung, Ulrich Duchrow, and Craig L. Nessan​rak​

    Review by James Childs
As the title suggests, the authors of this book are engaged in an effort to liberate Lutheran theology from the onus of complicity in matters of political and economic injustice. In the first instance this is a matter of dispelling the distortions of Luther’s legacy that have from time to time led Lutheran churches around the world into quietism. The next and most important step, which is the paramount focus and purpose of the book, is to show how major themes of Luther’s theology and the contributions of others in Lutheranism can provide the basis for a strong Lutheran witness for justice in an ecumenical, globalized, and contextualized world.