Public Theology from the Periphery: Victims and Theologians

This article explores contemporary understandings of public theology in relation to other types of non-European theologies that could be labelled public; for example, the theologies that come under the umbrella of Latin American theologies or liberation theologies. The first part of this article explores the possibilities of public theologies within the centre/periphery axis, while the second part argues for a relocation of public theologies towards the periphery; specifically, Latin America and Africa. In the aforementioned continents the public face of Christianity in numbers and influence is growing, while Christianity in Europe continues to decline. In its final part, the article examines the theology of 'the crucified' and 'the victims', within the Latin American context of the writings of Jon Sobrino, by pointing to theological continuities and discontinuities in Latin American theologies vis-a-vis European public theologies.