C H A L L E N G E S I N C O N T E M P O R A R Y T H E O L O G Y THEOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE Church, Academy and Nation Gavin D’Costa THEOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE Challenges in Contemporary Theology Series Editors:Gareth Jones and Lewis Ayres Canterbury Christ Church University College,UK and Emory University,US Challenges in Contemporary Theology is a series aimed at producing clear orientations in,and research on,areas of ‘challenge’in contemporary theology.These carefully co- ordinated books engage traditional theological concerns with mainstreams in modern thought and culture that challenge those concerns.The ‘challenges’implied are to be understood in two senses: those presented by society to contemporary theology, and those posed by theology to society. These Three are One:The Practice ofTrinitarian Theology David S.Cunningham After Writing:On the Liturgical Consummation ofPhilosophy Catherine Pickstock Mystical Theology:The Integrity ofSpirituality and Theology Mark A.McIntosh Engaging Scripture:Theology,Politics,and the Body ofChrist Stephen E.Fowl Torture and Eucharist:A Model for Theological Interpretation William T.Cavanaugh Sexuality and the Christian Body:Their Way into the Triune God Eugene F.Rogers,Jr On Christian Theology Rowan Williams The Promised End:Eschatology in Theology and Literature Paul S.Fiddes Powers and Submissions:Spirituality,Philosophy,and Gender Sarah Coakley A Theology ofEngagement Ian S.Markham Alien Sex:The Body and Desire in Cinema and Theology Gerard Loughlin Scripture and Metaphysics:Aquinas and the Renewal ofTrinitarian Theology Matthew Levering Faith and Freedom:An Interfaith Perspective David Burrell Keeping God’s Silence Rachel Muers Christ and Culture Graham Ward Theology in the Public Square:Church,Academy,and Nation Gavin D’Costa Rewritten Theology:Aquinas After His Readers Mark D.Jordan THEOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE Church, Academy, and Nation Gavin D’Costa © 2005 by Gavin D’Costa BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street,Malden,MA 02148-5020,USA 9600 Garsington Road,Oxford OX4 2DQ,UK 550 Swanston Street,Carlton,Victoria 3053,Australia The right ofGavin D’Costa to be identified as the Author ofthis Work has been asserted in accor- dance with the UK Copyright,Designs,and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved.No part ofthis publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted,in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording or otherwise,except as permitted by the UK Copyright,Designs,and Patents Act 1988,without the prior permission ofthe publisher. First published 2005 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2005 Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data D’Costa,Gavin,1958– Theology in the public square :church,academy,& nation / Gavin D’Costa p. cm.—(Challenges in contemporary theology) Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN-13:978-1-4051-3509-2 (hardcover:alk.paper) ISBN-10:1-4051-3509-3 (hardcover:alk.paper) ISBN-13:978-1-4051-3510-8 (pbk.:alk.paper) ISBN-10:1–4051–3510–7 (pbk.:alk.paper) 1.Universities and colleges—Religion.2.Church and education. 3.Religious pluralism. I.Title.II.Series BV1610.D36 2006 230’.01—dc22 2005003250 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. 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For further information on Blackwell Publishing,visit our website: www.blackwellpublishing.com For Sachin and Roshan Contents Preface ix 1 Theology’s Babylonian Captivity in the Modern University 1 2 Babylon in the Church:The United States and England 38 3 Cyrus Returns:Rebuilding the Temple in Babylon 77 4 Why Theologians Must Pray for Release from Exile 112 5 The Engagement ofVirtue:A Theological Religious Studies 145 6 The Marriage ofthe Disciplines:Explorations on the Frontier 177 Epilogue:Theology:The Church at the Heart ofthe Christian University Proclaiming the Word to the World 215 Bibliography 219 Index 239 Preface I have been teaching theology of religions for some 22 years and inevitably one reflects on the institutional context of one’s intellectual work,for me, the university.This book is the result of such reflection.I hope it will inter- est those concerned with the future of the university in Anglo-American culture and those who believe that the university might be other than the intellectual production line in the industrial halls of late postmodern capi- talist society.This book is also addressed to those who teach and study the disciplines called “theology”or “religious studies”(or “comparative religion” or “history of religion”).To the former,it is yet another voice in a growing symphony that imagines a vital public role for theology so that it may serve both the Church and the wider secular and inter-religious culture in which we live.To the latter,it is a challenge to consider a theologizing of their dis- cipline.In the final chapter of the book I indicate how this theologizing of alldisciplines is what might characterize a theologized university—a Christ- ian university.Thus,this book might also be of interest to Christian intel- lectuals who may sometimes wonder what their Christian identity has to do with their university work.Hence,I address a triangular and often overlap- ping audience:the Church,the university,and the “public square”made up, as it is,of the former two,but also other religions,secularism,and various ideologies. In chapter one,“Theology’s Babylonian Captivity in the Modern Univer- sity,”I reflect on the sense in which both theology and the major site of its production,the modern university,have been secularized.I speak ofEngland and the United States in what follows.This has profound consequences,two ofwhich I explore.The first,more related to my own intellectual interests,is the birth and development ofreligious studies.I argue that religious studies is locked into an Oedipal relation with theology,as it is in fact a child of secu- larized forms of theology, and its logic leads to the demise of theology.