Frances Forde Plude | How Theology Communicates

How Theology Communicates

By Maria Way

I will preface this piece by saying I am not a theologian, nor have I ever had any pretensions to be one, but I have spent a lot of my life working with people who are theologians – or those who have some training in this area. What small expertise I have is in communication, and perhaps particularly in religion(s) and communication.

As we know:

The word theology comes from two Greek words - theos, which means "god," and logos, which means "words." The simplest definition of theology, then, is "god words" or words about god. Whenever someone speaks of God or the characteristics of God, he or she is speaking theologically and doing theology.

Since the basic word theology means only words about god and does not specify a particular god, it is possible to say that every major religion has its own distinct theology…… - one could even say that atheists, when they talk about god not existing, are in some way forming their own "theology",[1].

One might, then, think, given these are words about God, that it would be easy to communicate such words. This is, however, not true. While the number of Roman Catholics in the world has grown and there are now an estimated 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide, the location of these Catholics has changed dramatically since 1970. In Europe, the number of Catholics has dropped considerably. In 1970 European Catholics made up 38.5% of the world’s Catholic population, by 2012 they formed only 23.7% of the world’s Catholics. In Africa, however, there were 45 million Catholics in 1970, but by 2012 there were 176 million, while in Asia there was almost 12% of the world’s Catholic population – 137 million by 2012. The Democratic Republic of the Congo now has the 9th largest number of Catholics in any country[2]. Where Europe used to send missionaries to Africa and Asia, and still do, to some extent, those continents are now sending clergy back to Europe. Why are we losing Catholics so quickly in Europe?

In the USA there has been a decrease in the number of those identifying as “Christian”. 43% of adults said they were Protestant in 2019, as compared with 51% who did so in 2009, and 20% as Catholic in 2019, as opposed to 23% in 2009. Non-Christian religions, according to the Pew Forum, have ‘grown modestly’, and 17% said they were “nothing in particular” in 2019, as against 12% in 2009.[3] Yet in Europe, we tend to think of the USA as being a very religious country. This begs the question: “Why?”

In the United Kingdom, we have long had communities of those from other religions than Christianity. The first mosque that was purpose-built was the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking, Surrey, which was built in 1889, and was designed by W.I. Chambers, and commissioned by a Jew, Dr. Gottleib Wilhelm Leitner[4] – which sounds very much like a form of ecumenism! There had been earlier mosques, but these were in premises that were not built for that purpose. Those from other faiths were also present, for instance, the estimated 140.000 Jews who came to the UK between 1880 and the early 1900s, to escape Pogroms in Russia, although there was a previous Jewish community, and Disraeli (Prime Minister in 1868 and again from 1874-1880, under Queen Victoria) was himself ethnically Jewish. There were also those of other religions who have, over the years, come from our former colonies – now the Commonwealth – for a variety of reasons.

In my lifetime, society in the UK has changed enormously. I was born in 1947. Post-World War II, many immigrants came to the UK from Commonwealth countries, drawn by job offers and the idea of a better life, or at least the possibility to send money home to their families. When I was at a State Grammar School in the late 1950s and early 1960s, there was one girl in my whole year whose parents were divorced (it was not a Catholic school). We were shocked. When this information was divulged to us, we thought this terrible event had probably resulted from the fact that she came from a very wealthy family. In 2019, there were 2.9 million lone parent families in the UK – 14.9% of all the families in the UK – while in London they make up 19.1% of families. This, of course, does not count those families that are now called “blended” families – where the “parents” may both have children from previous relationships.

Homosexuality was, I suspect, no less prevalent when I was a child – and my parents had at least one friend who was gay --- but it was not talked about, since even consensual sex between men was a criminal act until the Sexual Offences Act, 1967, was passed on July 27th, 1967. This allowed consensual sexual acts between men over 21, but only in England and Wales. The law did not change in Scotland until 1980 and in Northern Ireland until 1982[5]. We have now moved on to allowing “civil partnerships” (which can be between same sex partners, or opposite sex partners – but are usually same sex), which were legalized in England and Wales on 21st December, 2005, under the Civil Partnership Act, 2004. On the 17th July, 2013, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act came into force, and thus same sex couples could actually enter into a civil marriage. Now, some churches will allow for church services for these couples.

Similarly, abortions happened before the 1960s – tales of women going to back street abortionists and being permanently damaged, or even dying, were legion. The Abortion Act came into effect in April, 1968, and allowed abortions under certain circumstances, although the law was different in different countries of the United Kingdom. The passing of this Act had unforeseen results – women coming from Catholic Eire to the UK for abortions, and, of course, the number of children available for adoption dropped. Women who had legal abortions were often still damaged, often mentally.

This was the 1960s – the permissive society had arrived, and Philip Larkin, the poet who wrote Annus Mirabilis, famously said therein that sex was invented in the UK in 1963. There is also a strong feeling among a proportion of the population that the Church(es) are obsessed with matters relating to sex – and many Catholics resent celibate clergy telling them how to run their sex lives.

Recently there has been much coverage in the British media about Mother and Baby homes where unmarried girls who became pregnant were sent to have their babies, which were usually taken away from them when the children were very young. The babies were then adopted. [6] A report was published recently, commissioned by the Northern Ireland government, which states that at least 10,500 women were sent to mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1990, and of these 3,500 were sent to Catholic-run workhouses, or Magdalene laundries. The youngest mother was 12, the oldest 44. A third were under 19, most of the remainder were between 20 and 29. The peak time for entries to these homes were between the late 1960s and early 1970s, thereafter the numbers dropped. If one takes note of the media, then stories on this topic would make it seem that the Catholic church is to blame for the homes – but they were not all Catholic. For my children, it is unimaginable that women, mostly young and sometimes pregnant as a result of rape, could be treated in this way, but that is how society was.

In some ways, then, we should perhaps rejoice there is more acceptance of sexual difference, of ‘unexpected’ pregnancies – and that people can now move on from an unhappy marriage, but has this all been a good thing? I am evidently turning into the old misery in the corner!

Far too many children who manage to avoid being aborted are growing up without a parent. This can be due to accident or illness, but often isn’t. Gay parents adopt children or have their own using a surrogate parent. We are supposed to rejoice about this, but I feel it is wrong to use a woman’s body to have a baby, which is then taken away from her, since that baby is seen as an item for sale. While surrogacy is legal in the UK, even if there is prior documentation and the mother’s expenses have been paid, no agreement can be enforced.[7] Payment over and above reasonable expenses is illegal.[8]

During the Covid pandemic, the law was changed in the UK so only one doctor needed to sign a death certificate, previously it had been a requirement that two doctors signed it. In 1961 the Suicide Act was passed. From that date it was no longer illegal to take one’s own life, but under Section 21, which still stands, “it is a criminal defense (sic) to “aid, abet, counsel or procure the suicide of another or an attempt of another to commit suicide”[9]. For such an offence one can be sent to prison. There have been many cases of terminally ill people going to other countries (often Switzerland), where euthanasia is legal, to have their lives terminated. In the UK, my own daughter in law suffered a stroke. My son went into the hospital and was asked if he would donate her organs, since she was unlikely to recover. He refused, as it was something they had previously discussed. She still says that she, apparently unconscious, could hear them talking about which organs they might take. Ten years later, she is still with us!

Permissive Climate

In such a permissive climate, where it would seem from the information above that the Ten Commandments are often ignored, and more than fifty years after those 1960s ended, how do the religious faiths get their messages – the words of God – their teaching – out to those who so desperately need it?

It is hard, as I said earlier. There have been many scandals (child abuse, religious who do not obey the ‘rules’, for instance). These scandals however badly the media have covered them, have not assisted the teaching of the words of God. As Christians, we should lead by example – taking the unbeliever by the hand to lead them to salvation. However, many – even the believers, perhaps particularly the believers – feel let down by these lapses. They feel that the religious attached to the various churches are not leading by example. Scandals are not, however, limited to the Christian churches. There have been sexual scandals associated with rabbis[10], of child abuse at Maddrassehs[11], with Hindu clergy[12], but there are also such scandals relating to family members, teachers, or youth leaders. However, clergy – of whatever religion – being involved in such scandals have an effect on the trust given to those clergy by their flocks[13]

In a 1999 poll, Gallup undertook another in its series of research projects that measure public confidence in the professions. At that time, 56% of respondents thought clergy were ‘highly or very highly honest and ethical, while 33% scored clergy as average.’[14] In 1985 67% had said they thought clergy were highly or very highly honest and ethical. This news was not all bad, since the clergy only had 9% of people who thought their honesty and ethics were low or very low, as against 57% who thought this of car salesmen and 28% of US Senators.[15] However, according to the article referenced previously, more people are turning to therapists, rather than to their rabbis or religious leaders.

Scripture is Seen as the Word of God

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy, 3:16)

We seem to have lost the ability to teach, to reprove, to correct and to train. Of my own 3 children, all of whom went to Catholic schools, and 2 of whom did well academically, 2 have left the Church altogether. The other one has become an Anglican. The two who have left, much to my distress, have no faith at all.

As I write this, the papers in the UK have been full of news of the wedding (his 3rd) of our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. He was married in a Catholic service at Westminster Cathedral. Several letters in The Tablet[16], discuss it –one explains the Canon Law behind the decision to allow this marriage (Boris was baptized a Catholic, confirmed in the Church of England, but both of his previous marriages were contracted outside the Catholic Church), but asks why the hierarchy have not seen fit to explain this better to the general populace.[17] The other, suggests this decision does little to uphold the sanctity of marriage.[18] Five letters on the same page suggest this wedding “holds the Church up to ridicule”.[19] On the same page, another letter questions the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, since it causes pain to so many people – just as an innocent party being denied the sacrament of marriage following a divorce does. As a letter on this page says: the writer is condemned to a life of (unchosen) celibacy and loneliness, because his wife left him and their four children for another man.[20]

Do we change the Church’s laws? Do we change them to fit in with modern mores? We are not all gifted teachers but can teach by example. Reproof and correction are, today, seen as trying to push one’s own religious or moral views onto other people – something we are not now supposed to do, apparently. Training, or formation, is something that religious schools, catechetics, and so on are supposed to carry out. However, as in my own children’s examples, we seem to be failing.

In Corinthians 1, 12, we read (verses 4-13):

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit, there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues.

But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.

In other word, we all have our individual gifts – even if we sometimes discount those that we have as being unimportant, and we should use those gifts to help us in taking that unbeliever’s hand. We, the body of the Church, should have no divisions (as the Bible says in 1 Corinthians, 12, v. 23) “…so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.”

The chapter continues: Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. (v.29) Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? (v.30) Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? (v.31) Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. (v.32).[21]

In the attendant commentary, the website from which these verses are taken says that ‘there are some features common to all charisms, despite their diversity: all are gifts (charismata), grace from outside ourselves; all are forms of service (diakoniai), an expression of their purpose.[22]

We need our leaders, our clergy and religious, to carry out their work using to the best advantage their own gifts – those gifts given to us (and them) by God, but these leaders are, above all, men and women as we are. We are very quick to condemn the faults of those leaders – but they, like us, have their good and bad points, good and bad days. However, we cannot leave the words of God solely to them; we should be able to use our own gifts to the best advantage so we can draw more people to (or back to) the Church(es).

As I write, the Roman Catholic Church is under the threat of possible schism – again caused by some of the changes in societal attitudes mentioned above – so the body of the Church, i.e., us, is at desperate risk of being divided. We do not all agree with everything the Church teaches – many, indeed, do not actually know what the Church teaches on certain aspects (as the letter in The Tablet[23] shows. The number of conversations I have had with people who have said: “Well, the Church keeps changing its rules/laws/teaching” have been legion. Probing reveals their belief in changes are rarely accurate. Often, they have been badly taught by one or more people with little specialist knowledge.

While I do not want to return to a repressive society where young women, even those who had been raped, were ostracized by their families for being pregnant, or where gay people are attacked as a result of their sexuality (although both of these still happen), as a regular event. Perhaps some of the tenets of our theology need to be retained to give some backbone to the faith and to offer some moral background – but this is a purely personal viewpoint. While society in the West, at least, has become more liberal, some countries – notably Muslim ones – have returned to stricter forms of dress to denote their religious belief.

A colleague of mine told me when she married an Egyptian, forty years ago or so, most women in Cairo or Alexandria, Egypt, dressed in Western dress – and now more and more women are dressing in “Islamic” dress, wearing the hijab, for instance. Some twelve years ago, I asked a number of Muslim girls at the University where I then worked why they wore a hijab. The answers came back, most of them assuring me they had not been forced to do so, that they wanted to demonstrate their faith – and to show that not all Muslims were mad bombers. Perhaps this notion of demonstrating our faith through some form of example can be carried through to theology also; to show that we are Christians, we should evangelize; it is part of our faith – attempting to keep our religion’s tenets. However, nobody is perfect!

Footnotes

[1] Quotation taken from: https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Theology (accessed 6th June, 2021.

[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21443313 (accessed 6th June, 2021)

[3] https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/ (accessed 6th June, 2021).

[4] https://muslimvillage.com/2011/12/05/16903/first-mosque-in-the-uk-built-by-a-jew/ (accessed 6th June, 2021).

[5] www.parliament.uk › about › living-heritage (accessed 6th June, 2021).E

[6] See, e.g., https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55814592 (accessed 6th June, 2021)

[7] https://www.gov.uk/legal-rights-when-using-surrogates-and-donors (accessed 6th June, 2021).

[8] Ibid.

[9] https://www.inbrief.co.uk/human-rights/euthanasia/#:~:text=Under%20the%20Suicide%20Act%201961%2C%20it%20is%20not,illegal%20in%20the%20UK%20and%20are%20criminal%20offences. (accessed 6th June, 2021)

[10] https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/rabbis-and-scandal-are-we-losing-faith/ (accessed 7th June, 2021)

[11] www.bbc.co.uk › news › education-15256764 (accessed 7th June, 2021)