Brandel Library

BTS 3910 / NPD 3000: Political Theologies (Veeneman)

Reading and Researching Political Theologies

Finding the Foils of Political Theologies

  • Most political theologies focus on specific groups or viewpoints which they critique.
    • Black theology focuses on the injustices perpetrated and preserved by white cultures.
    • Feminist theology focuses on the injustices of patriarchy.
  • Political theologies also focus on, and are often named after, the group or cause they are championing: Liberation theology; Black theology; feminist theology.
  • You should seek to understand these political theologies, therefore, against the backdrop of their political foil.

Political Theologies Critiquing Other Political Theologies

  • Political theologies focus on injustices and promote just redress and restructuring.
  • Political theologies, in turn, are critiqued by other political theologies, for their own support for prevailing unjust structures and practices.
    • Feminist theologies critique the prevailing injustices of patriarchy, but womanist theologies critiques the white supremacy and white privilege of much feminist thought as well as the patriarch of much Black theology.
    • Queer theology critiques the intolerance of LGBTQI+ which is sometimes found in Black and feminist theologies.
    • In turn, Queer theologies are sometimes critiqued for the dominant place of whites in their communities.
  • After identifying the primary focus of a political theology/theologian, you should also identify the ways in which that viewpoint is critiqued by other political theologies/theologians.