Liberation/transconfessional theology

Liberation theology could work in Latin America because Catholicism was so strong. In secular Europe something like Andrew Shanks’ transconfessional theology is probably more appropriate. This would see theology as only one partner in a much wider conversation, with new social movements in civil society (feminists, greens, etc) and with government. Whilst such a theology would need to keep a liberationist orientation towards justice it would have to recognise its more marginal place. As Shanks points out in God and Modernity, this requires a commitment to remaining open to shaking experiences no matter what formulation they are later expressed by. In other words, it requires groups to take a position that tries to resist their own tendency to ideology, in order to co-operate with others of different metaphysical beliefs to achieve some concrete ends. I’m not sure exactly how this would work out. Perhaps it would mean less time spent emphasizing the distinctiveness of Christianity and more time orientating its theology towards important political goals.