Following Jesus in Invaded Space
Doing Theology on Aboriginal Land
Published on 27. July 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
188 pages
978-0-227-17358-9 (ISBN)
Description
Christianity is never just about beliefs, but habits and practices - for better or worse. Theology always reflects the social location of the theologian - including her privileges and prejudices - all the time working with a particular, often undisclosed, notion of what is normal. Therefore, theology is never 'neutral' - it defends particular constructions of reality, and it promotes certain interests.
Following Jesus in Invaded Space asks what - and whose - interests theology protects when it is part of a community that invaded the land of indigenous peoples. Developing a theological method and position that self-consciously acknowledges the church's role in occupying Aboriginal land in Australia, it dares to speak of God, church, and justice in the context of past history and continuing dispossession. Hence, a 'Second People's theology' emerges through constant and careful attention to experiences of invasion and dislocation brought into dialogue with the theological landscape or tradition of the church.
Being a descendant of some of the first English invaders in Australia and a witness to the continuing inadequate recognition of the Church's past mistakes in this country, theologian Chris Budden felt a strong need to write this book. Leaving the past behind does not mean ignoring it, and an acknowledgement of mistakes is a prerequisite to any fruitful discourse between invaders and invaded.
In our endeavours to help the marginalised and the indigenous, Budden warns us against the arrogance of pitying them as 'poor superstitious things' who can only be helped by our own superior concept of divine grace. As Budden puts it: 'We need to keep listening for voices that remind us that our normal is not necessarily everybody's normal.' His book encourages us to recognise and appreciate the diverse perspectives of minority theologians. It is not just about giving a voice to these people. It is about being able to hear their own voice, to understand it, and then reinterpret our own tradition according to it.
Following Jesus in Invaded Space asks what - and whose - interests theology protects when it is part of a community that invaded the land of indigenous peoples. Developing a theological method and position that self-consciously acknowledges the church's role in occupying Aboriginal land in Australia, it dares to speak of God, church, and justice in the context of past history and continuing dispossession. Hence, a 'Second People's theology' emerges through constant and careful attention to experiences of invasion and dislocation brought into dialogue with the theological landscape or tradition of the church.
Being a descendant of some of the first English invaders in Australia and a witness to the continuing inadequate recognition of the Church's past mistakes in this country, theologian Chris Budden felt a strong need to write this book. Leaving the past behind does not mean ignoring it, and an acknowledgement of mistakes is a prerequisite to any fruitful discourse between invaders and invaded.
In our endeavours to help the marginalised and the indigenous, Budden warns us against the arrogance of pitying them as 'poor superstitious things' who can only be helped by our own superior concept of divine grace. As Budden puts it: 'We need to keep listening for voices that remind us that our normal is not necessarily everybody's normal.' His book encourages us to recognise and appreciate the diverse perspectives of minority theologians. It is not just about giving a voice to these people. It is about being able to hear their own voice, to understand it, and then reinterpret our own tradition according to it.
Reviews / Votes
"I've puzzled about why there has been such a relatively sparse body of contextual and 'placebased' theology emerging from white Australia. Perhaps what has been lacking is the appropriate approach to the Australian landscape. I believe that Chris Budden's theology of 'Second Peoples' provides that approach. This book opens up a project that will hopefully animate a fresh, vigorous, and distinctively Australian theological conversation, especially between First and Second Peoples. But Budden's work is relevant to all of us who dwell on lands that have been invaded and occupied, and who are struggling to understand how to live the Christian tradition as inheritors of a legacy of conquest and continuing racism. This is an important contribution to imagining our future as a post-Constantinian church."Ched Myers, author of Who Rolled Away the Stone?
"Budden is to be highly commended for his honesty and self-critique throughout. ... Over all, Following Jesus in Invaded Space provides an engaging introduction to issues of aboriginal reconciliation in Australia and in the Uniting Church. More importantly, it offers a passionate voice for justice and reconciliation."
Alexander S. Jensen, in The Expository Times, Vol 124 (1)
"For those researching the anthropology of Australian Christianity, and there is a growing interest in this area, Budden's book should be regarded as a must-read. ... anthropologists may learn much from this passionate voice."
Philip Fountain, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, in Anthropological Forum, August 2013
"Following Jesus in Invaded Space asks what - and whose - interests theology protects when it is part of a community that invaded the land of indigenous people. Developing a theological method and position that self-consciously acknowledges the church's role in occupying Aboriginal land in Australia, it dares to speak of God, church, and justice in the context of past history and continuing dispossession. Hence, a 'Second People's theology' emerges through constant and careful attention to experiences of invasion and dislocation brought into dialogue with the theological landscape or tradition of the church."
Theological Book Review, Vol 25, No 2
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 153 mm
Weight
289 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-227-17358-9 (9780227173589)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2014
James Clarke & Co Ltd
€21.99
Available for download
E-Book
05/2009
Wipf and Stock Publishers
€23.49
Available for download
Person
Chris Budden is a parish minister of the Uniting Church in Australia, and an Associate Researcher in the Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre at Charles Sturt University. He is the author of a number of articles in public theology.
Content
Preface; Prologue: Central Mystery of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering; Part one God's First Wound: Divine Grief; Introduction to Part One: The Structure of Divine Grief; Division one Infidelity of the Beloved Human; Introduction to Division One: Sin as Occasion of Divine Grief; Human Cupiditas: Formal Characteristics; Human Cupiditas: Material Characteristics; Division two Sorrow of the Betrayed Divine Lover; Introduction to Division Two:First Stage of Divine Grief; Divine Sorrow: Formal Characteristics; Divine Sorrow: Material Characteristics; Division three Anguish of the Betrayed Divine Lover; Introduction to Division Three: Second Stage of Divine Grief; Divine Anguish: Formal Characteristics; Divine Anguish: Material Characteristics; Part two God's Second Wound: Divine Self-Sacrifice; Introduction to Part Two: The Structure of Divine Self-Sacrifice; Division four Misery of the Beloved Human's Infidelity; Introduction to Division Four: Misery of Sin as Occasion for Divine Self-Sacrifice; Misery of Human Cupiditas: Formal Characteristics; Misery of Human Cupiditas: Material Characteristics; Division five Travail of the Betrayed Divine Lover's Fidelity; Introduction to Division Five: First Stage of Divine Self-Sacrifice; Divine Travail: Formal Characteristics; Divine Travail: Material Characteristics; Division six Agony of the Betrayed Divine Lover's Fidelity; Introduction to Division Six: Second Stage of Divine Self-Sacrifice; Divine Agony: Formal Characteristics; Divine Agony: Material Characteristics; Epilogue: From Divine Agony to Divine Affliction; Appendices; Insights from the Reformed Doctrine of Total Depravity; The Concepts of u#brij and e0piqumi/a; Ancient Hellenistic Philosophy and the Christian Concept of Divine Impassibility; Analytical Distinctions between Fear, Anxiety,and Anguish; Divine Impassibility and Passibility in the Theology of Origen; Arian Christologies of the Suffering Logos; Historic Variations on the Classic Christian Theory of Atonement; Fragments from the History of Patripassianist Theology; Fragments from the History of Theopaschite Theology; Bibliography; Index of Scriptures; Index of Persons; Index of Topics.