Missionary Research
Theology, anthropology and the invocation to be otherwise
Research Summary
Philip Fountain, Doug Hynd and Tobias Tan (2018) explore the tensions between the two disciplines of theology and anthropology and invite the readers to use these tensions to enrich understanding of both disciplines.
Details
- Authors: Philip Fountain, Doug Hynd, Tobias Tan
- Article Name: Theology, anthropology and the invocation to be otherwise
- Journal: St Mark’s Review
- Date: June 2018
- Issue: 244 (2)
- Page Numbers: 9–21
- URL/DOI: https://www.academia.edu/66150905/ Theology_anthropology_and_the_ invocation_to_be_otherwise
- Accessed: 2 April 2022
Summary
The disciplines of theology and anthropology are at tension due to their differences between normativity and description. Theology seeks to explain the moral world as it should be divorced from real-world experiences; anthropology describes the world as it is while offering little hope. If partnered together, they can speak hope into real-world experiences.
Key Terms
- normativity: creating an established norm; establishing what is good, desirable, permissible.
Key Ideas
Whilst it is easy to assume anthropology is merely descriptive and theology is normative, ‘Each discipline has both normative and descriptive impulses’. (p. 9)
Theology seeks to imagine a new world and to call the world to move towards that direction (p. 10). Anthropology, however, is centred around ethnography that relies on ‘descriptive depth’ (p. 10). However, there are some indications that anthropologists do desire their work to have a normative influence (p. 13).
Without each other, both disciplines lose out. Theology without anthropology is divorced from the lived reality of religion (p .15). However, its moral claims also hold a descriptive element (p. 17). Theology also benefits from anthropology’s reflexivity (p. 18). Anthropology can benefit from theology’s explicit normative imagination (p. 17). The tension between the two disciplines is helpful for both (p. 18).
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Good: Helpful for reconciling the two disciplines and the tensions between them.
- Bad: Technical language; somewhat obtuse.
- Ugly: If you don’t know some of the key terms, it can be impenetrable. You will need to spend some time researching these.
Questions
- How do you add anthropological reflexivity in theology?
- What are the questions and challenges that are concealed (p. 18)?
- Is theology really divorced from lived experience?
Justin Marsh is a missionary who has served in Asia for over six years. He is the country leader of a team of missionaries and has just completed an MA that looks at missional practice. Whilst his team works within a range of contexts across the country, Justin’s focus is the Muslim minority groups. He is the owner of the publication THE CO-MISSION.
