Laurie Green describes how the thinking behind the Doing Theology Spiral owes much to his reading of the work of two Latin American thinkers, Paulo Freire and Juan Luis Segundo. [Laurie Green Let’s Do Theology (London: Mowbray, 1990), pp. 24-41.]
The spiral begins with Experience, for as Green explains ‘we begin, when doing theology, by trying to become as conscious of the real situation that surrounds us as we possibly can.’ He suggests that ‘the experience we choose to consider one, like running a rowdy youth club evening, or it might be passive – more of a predicament than an activity.’ (p.25)
Green envisages groups of Christians engaging with felt experience in all sorts of ways including prayer and worship. Having engaged with felt experience in this way it then ‘becomes possible to move on to more concerted analysis of what is happening in the situation.’ (p.26)
The spiral begins with Experience, for as Green explains ‘we begin, when doing theology, by trying to become as conscious of the real situation that surrounds us as we possibly can.’ He suggests that ‘the experience we choose to consider one, like running a rowdy youth club evening, or it might be passive – more of a predicament than an activity.’ (p.25)Green envisages groups of Christians engaging with felt experience in all sorts of ways including prayer and worship. Having engaged with felt experience in this way it then ‘becomes possible to move on to more concerted analysis of what is happening in the situation.’ (p.26)
At this point he encourages the group to move around the spiral into the Exploration stage. Rather than hastily jumping to conclusions, Green urges Christians ‘to use all the disciplines at our disposal to get right under the skin of the situation about which we are endeavouring to do theology.’ (p.26)
Having explored our experience, drawing insights from a range of disciplines, the doing theology spiral moves on to the Reflection stage. It is at this point that ‘it will be necessary to make a concerted and conscious effort to see how the Christian faith relates to the experience.’ In other words ‘the situation being experienced must be brought into direct intimate contact with the
Christian faith and all that the Christian community means for them.’ (p.27)
Making such connections with the riches of the Christian heritage is essential if the theological dimensions of this reflection process are to be maintained. At each point of the process Green underlines the value of doing this in a group context so that our reflections can be enriched by the insights and experiences of other Christians.
This process must not be left all ‘up in the air’, and the Response stage of the spiral prompts the group to ask ‘in the light of all the experience, exploration and reflection, what does God now require of us?’ (p.29)
As we respond to what God is saying we discover that we have arrived in a New Situation or Experience which prompts new cycles and spirals of reflection.
It is this overall process which Green describes as the process of ‘doing theology’, and he prefers to use the term ‘theological reflection’ to refer specifically to the Reflection stage of the spiral. He is fully aware that his model is ‘a simplification of a complex process’ (p.32) but it is one which provides a useful resource for individuals and groups who are interested in ‘doing theology.’ [Laurie Green. Let’s Do Theology, pp. 25-32]
The Doing Theology spiral acknowledges that new experiences may provoke further spirals of reflection, and that the reflection process is ongoing. There is a strong emphasis here on the value of doing theological reflection in a group rather than in isolation. The labels are a little different but the same process is clearly in view.
The Doing Theology spiral acknowledges that new experiences may provoke further spirals of reflection, and that the reflection process is ongoing. There is a strong emphasis here on the value of doing theological reflection in a group rather than in isolation. The labels are a little different but the same process is clearly in view.
