Every theology is contextual. It is important to be aware of this - otherwise, we would be making the assumption that theology is constructed independently of human, personal or sociopolitical considerations. Producing contextual theology occurs when an individual or a group of individuals express concern about the relationship between certain types of experience and their own theology, allowing those experiences to provide a context or pose a challenge for a given understanding of theology.
There are many historic examples that shed light on the capacity and creativity of laypersons to produce a contextual local theology that addresses a given reality lived by them. Contextual theologians claim that theology does not and should not merely encompass theoretical and abstract knowledge, but should rather shed light on varied aspects of people’s lives. Therefore, they emphasize the experiential component of theology. Hence, the relevance of the clinical-social context.
My research aims to shed light on social and clinical psychology examples that may be relevant to individuals and communities within our society. I touch upon concepts of relevance to the individual’s mental well-being. The importance of this context is that it sheds light on the suffering and aspirations of individuals which may be mitigated through a certain way of understanding/practicing theology. I also touch upon the social psychology context of the Lebanese society taking into account its diverse spiritual make up, the varied minorities and vulnerable groups, and the need for a language or language of human spirituality that is inclusive.
More information:
Dr Ghena Ismail gi14@aub.edu.lb