The felt urgency of authenticity provides an opportunity for theological education to create new institutions and communities.
Renunciation and waiting are essential in theological education to discern new possibilities and allow for God's transformative work.
The unraveling of social imaginaries is a judgment on previous ideologies, but it also presents an opportunity for grief, penitence, and the weaving together of hope, love, and transformative knowledge of God.
Deep dives
The Felt Urgency of Authenticity
In the podcast episode, Ted Smith explores the concept of the felt urgency of authenticity. He explains that in our current context, where individuals lack a network of voluntary associations to define their identities, the desire for authenticity becomes paramount. While he acknowledges that authenticity can be seen as an ideological replication of individualization, he argues that this felt urgency is actually an affordance for theological education. The need for authenticity becomes an opportunity to weave together new institutions and communities centered around expressive individuals seeking to put their lives together. Smith suggests that Christians must navigate this sociological reality and discern how to be gospel people within it.
Renunciation, Reform, and Waiting
Ted Smith emphasizes the importance of renunciation in theological education. He suggests that, rather than focusing on reforming existing structures, we should embrace a time of waiting and relinquish our hold on outdated models. Renunciation involves giving up the idea that we know what needs to be done and instead waiting with open hands for God's guidance. Smith argues that this renunciation is a necessary step towards discerning new and life-giving possibilities. By refraining from hasty reforms, we create space for God's transformative work.
Affordances in an Age of Authentic Individuals
In his book, Ted Smith explores several affordances in our current context. One prominent affordance is the felt urgency of authenticity, which arises due to the lack of a network of voluntary associations to provide individual identities. Smith suggests that this desire for authenticity, even though often seen as an annoyance, is actually an opportunity for theological education. Other affordances identified in the book include the unraveling of social imaginaries, the need for renunciation and waiting, and the call to embrace new ways of forming community. These affordances present new possibilities for theological education that respond to the challenges of our age.
Unraveling and Judgment
Ted Smith discusses the concept of unraveling and its connection to judgment. He argues that what is unraveling in our society is the social imaginary, the interconnectedness of institutions, individuals, and ideals. This unraveling is a judgment on the ideologies and norms that previously held these connections together. Smith acknowledges the losses and challenges that come with unraveling, but also emphasizes that this is not a time for despair. Rather, it is a time for grief, penitence, and discernment of new possibilities. Despite the difficulties, Smith asserts that God's redemptive work continues, and there are still threads of hope, love, and transformative knowledge of God that can be woven together in a fallible yet faithful pattern.
The Importance of Individualization and Practical Political Theology
In the podcast episode, Ted Smith discusses the importance of individualization and practical political theology. He reflects on his own journey into theology, influenced by his upbringing in a deep network of voluntary associations. He highlights the significance of practical and political theology, which recognizes that the daily activities of church life are inherently political. Smith also emphasizes the intellectual sources that shaped his perspective, such as Stanley Hauerwas. Overall, he argues that individualization and practical political theology offer valuable insights into the complexities of theological education and the ways in which individuals can navigate and engage with the social and political dimensions of their faith.
Episode: “We’re in the midst of an unraveling”. So argues Ted Smith about the shift in the ways that people relate and the end of theological education as it’s typically conceived. […]
