The image is a book cover of: Beatrice Green, and Keiti Ann Kanongata’a (eds.), Weaving Theology in Oceania: Culture, Context and Practice (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020).
What type of theology is being written/published in Oceania? What is the distinctive Oceanic voice and what does this voice contribute to the Christian faith?
A few years back, Pacifica, a theological journal based in Australia, published its final volume. It began in 1988, and according to its self-described purpose present in the first editorial, intended to “provide a forum for theologians of Australasia and the West Pacific Basin . . . It also brings the unique contribution of Australasia and the West Pacific to the international church and the international community of scholars.”
Given the journal had finished its run, I decided to use this complete data set to test the extent to which theology in the region had attended to the Oceanic context, to local voices, and to developing an account of the Christian faith as it is embodied by the diverse peoples through the region.
The results do not make for good reading–they demonstrate an ongoing and devoted service to a Eurocentric/North American theological agenda. Indeed, the results were so problematic that I included two further journals to the analysis. Unfortunately, the results proved consistent across the board.
We, all of us writing theology in Oceania, need to become (dis)located. To be heard, we need to speak.
You can find a copy of the published article here:
Flett, John G. “Plotting an Oceanic Voice: A Longitudinal Review and Analysis of Regional Theologising.” Colloquium 54, no. 1 (2022): 5–60.
