Shaping the Church, The Promise of Implicit Theology, Martyn Percy

1. Introduction

1.1. questions of ecclesial formation

1.1.1. What are the forces, currents, practices and ideas that shape the church?

1.1.2. How does a congregation or a denomination understand its identity, on one hand, in relations to the providence and revelation of Go, an don the other, in relation to the context an dculture in which ecclesial composition inexorably occurs?

1.1.3. What is the relationship between acknowledged propositional truths that order ecclesial identity, and the more hidden and mellifluous currents that might shape the life of the church?

1.2. James Hopewell

1.2.1. language of a congregation

1.2.1.1. A 'negotiation of metaphors' is no longer sufficient to understand, describe, communicate and negotiate the intricacies and dynamics of a modern congregation - a congregation which is necessarily more self-aware, self-reflective and fluid.

1.2.2. 'a rather novel innovation', says Percy, 'to explore far more than the (set) propositional texts that churches appeal to in order to construct and justify their identity, and to consider the apparently benign and insignificant peripheries and artefacts of ecclesial life.'

1.2.2.1. A novel idea indeed, but only partially executed. Limited to the field of qualitative narrative sociology.

1.3. 'implicit'

1.3.1. origin

1.3.1.1. means the 'meaningful folding together and close connecting of a variety of strands'

1.3.1.1.1. the question is how 'meaningful' can one be by limiting the nature of the 'folding' and the 'connecting' to narrative / qualitative sociological analysis

1.3.2. implicit theology

1.3.2.1. 'examining the basic-but-nascent theological habits (e.g., language, culture, worship, practice etc) that more properly account for the daily life of churches, congregations and denominations.

1.3.2.2. 'guessing at the hidden meanings in structures and practices that on the surface appear to be benign and innocent.' p. 3

1.3.2.2.1. Percy implies an important truth that the 'hidden meanings' are often far from 'benign and innocent'. In truth, they are frequently highly toxic.

1.3.2.2.2. Implicit theology manifests itself in explicitly toxic ways

1.3.2.3. 'Fundamentally, the invitation to engage in the exploitation of implicit theology is centered on the premise that not everything that shapes the church can be or is plainly expressed' p. 3

1.3.2.3.1. Absolutely! But the fact that aspects of congregations cannot be 'plainly expressed' calls for the use of more nuanced and advanced methods of analysis

1.3.3. 'the complexity, density, extensity and intricacy of a congregation contains manifold layers of complexity' p. 3

1.3.3.1. 'what is natural, given and ordinary is also imbued with meaning and value that is a form of theological currency's p. 4

1.3.4. 'The belief that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit is not an arid set of directives, but rather a faith that is embedded in a community of praxis and makes beliefs work, and gives shape and meaning to the lives that believe.' p. 4

1.3.5. 'Religious symbols reek of meaning', Clifford Geertz

1.3.5.1. I'm afraid I think different people smell very different things from this