THINK - Theology In a New Key

An example of mentoring faith for 17-18 year-olds in a secular culture (Julian Fox sdb)

To follow this dialogue, go also to Work, Response, Aboriginals 1, Aboriginals 2 Jesus

But to start, read a little about the aim, approach and method.

THE AIM

They can think! I put a challenge to the small group (just of boys - they did meet separately with an adult group too) who met with me several times weekly (the frequency of our meetings increased with the interest in the task). The challenge was this: How might a group of young Australians go about theologizing? I gave them a very practical definition of theology ..."minding one's language in the presence of God".

THE APPROACH

The first exercise was to work out what sorts of issues they might want to theologize about; what sorts of things could we contribute to our nation's 'conversation' about its future, where it is at now and so on. After some reading around, they offered these ideas, which I felt was an excellent start:

• We are multicultural and that should include different beliefs, different backgrounds, cultures obviously, and different religions.
• The word secular' is bandied around. Are we? If we are/are not, what's it mean for us?
• We are down to earth. Someone thought the phrase 'some religious stuff I know about Australia' might just about sum up an Australian approach - simple language (religious stuff), down to earth approach.
• The Australian community (Christian community they said) needs a vision, and it needs theology to have that vision.
• What's an Australian portrait of Jesus?
• What are our Australian ultimate questions?
• Real Australia is something about being human together...that's something that we have to do
• Culture? What is it?
• The 'ocker' (The lazy, beer-gutted, anti-intellectual couch-potatoed Aussie) is now just a sub-type. There happen to be young Australians around who like to ask important questions, get in and study etc. There are other things happening in the country now that are creating a new stereotype...but we have to find out what this new one is. Couple of other issues tucked in here - underlying violence, racism etc.
• Space, land - seems to be important to us (as does the dream of family, kids and own home and car).
• Our art and writing and that sort of thing.

THE METHOD

How might we theologize? By the end of one period they had come up with this, without any prompting from me. Here's the method they have presently arrived at:

1. Our experience has to be the starting point. Questions and facts have to be 'real'.

2. If we are going to theologize, then we have to put that experience in touch with our Tradition (we mean our Catholic Christian Tradition).

3. Others have thought about these questions and have written them up or painted them, or been investigators of them, or just lived them (Fred Hollows got a mention at this point), so we need to seek this kind of inspiration as part of the process.

4. We need finally to come up with our interpretation.