Theology and Power - Method in Political Theology

Stewart Clegg has suggested that, “the ‘forgetting’ of power may yet be the ‘fate of our time’.” His caution signals how the more difficult it becomes to locate the source and nature of power amidst the complexity of social and political life, the harder it is to discern power’s presence, employ it effectively, or resist it when necessary. This course addresses a ‘forgetting’ of power in Christian theology. Although various approaches to contemporary political theology imply differing conceptions of the workings of power, seldom is the concept itself the focus of direct analysis. Without a fully developed concept of power, effortsto advance a coherent political theology, or to resolve problems in ecclesiology more generally, leave many questions unaddressed and numerous tensions obscured. In addition to analyzing both the limitations and untapped resources regarding the concept ofpower within the Christian tradition, the course will also engage wider debates over the nature of power by making the concept of ‘powerlessness’ a significant topic for discussion. For as contemporary scholars investigate the nature of power as both an oppressive and productive force, the Christian tradition’s wrestling with the significance of being without power, and its reflections on whether this is always an inherently negative situation, promises to offer a unique contribution to debates over the nature of power.