Toward a Theology of Culture

So, a New Year's Resolution is to start blogging more frequently. Specifically, use the blog as a way to get thoughts somewhere so that I can come back to them later to flesh out more substantially. I'm also hoping to do some book reviews as I interact with some theology and music material. As usual, please, whoever you are, interact, dialogue, share.

Right now, my thoughts are growing more and more toward building a theology of culture. My concern is the development of a theology that seeks to engage culture, not on culture's terms but also not by ramming culture into a theological paradigm. Rather, I'm really seeking to think through a way that a theologian can interact with culture in a way that is critical of both culture and theology.

I think that in beginning a journey like this, two caveats must be made:
1. Culture, the world, whatever, is loved, and graced, by God and is a place where God does reside.

2. A method of correlation must be used. I make this second statement knowing full well that many believe that this method is not appropriate. I recognize the weakness of this method, but believe it is the only way that does not seek to theologically dominate culture nor allow culture to dominate theology. I think that postliberalism and radical orthodoxy do the former and that liberal theologies do the latter.

However, as prolegomena to any theology of culture, we must establish the theological importance of the world and culture, which allows for us to then begin to understand it.

I think that the way to establish this theological importance for a Christian theology of culture is to turn to the person of Jesus Christ and his role in both the Creation and Incarnation. By looking here, we can begin to see how this method of correlation develops because of God's insistence on interacting with the world in a completely engaging way. I'll start another post here.