Theology and practice in the Islands : Christianity and island communities in the New Pacific, 1947-1997

Abstract

In this study I argue that the character of Christian institutions and ideas that emerged during the period 1947-1997 is very much a product of the experiences of Island communities. And although Church leaders and theologians tried to apply their Christian faith within the given parameters of the traditional understanding of theology, most of the time they were forced by the situations in the Islands to redefine theology and faith for themselves in order to be 'relevant' in the Islands. The life and a tivities of many of the Island Churches that emerged in the latter half of the 20th century, while they reflect the character of the New Pacific to a certain degree, they also reflect on the one hand the vision of the Church leaders, of what they want the Pacific of the future to be. In most Islands, the agenda for action for most Churches was drawn up for them by secular society, and many had to adjust how they function and think in order to be relevant to their social and political environment. But for the Churches to be truly relevant in the Islands, many Church leaders and theologians found it necessary to contextualise their faith, make Christianity a part of the Island context, so that people would have no problem in understanding their faith and make responsible and appropriate responses to their context. The end of the 1970s, and especially in the 1980s, saw a growing proliferation of Island theologies, many of which helped the people understand their faith, that helped them respond to their context, but there were also those that were confusing and of no use to any Christian. Traditional ideas of the Church had to be reviewed, and the boundaries of Church activities broadened as the Church tried to fit herself into the changing Pacific. Chapter 1 looks at the connection between Christianity and the new South Pacific. It looks at the role Christianity played in the emergence of a modem or new Pacific, an inseparable bond between Island communities and Christianity. Chapter 2 looks at the way leaders of mainline Christian Churches identified with the Pacific Islands after the Second World War. Their own observation of events in the Islands convinced them that there was a growing crisis in the Islands. Dilemma emerged in the Island Churches on how to approach the crisis: to engage in the 'secular' affairs of society or to reform the Church, her structures and her thinking. Chapters 3 and 4 look at some aspects of theological development and theological thinking in the Islands, and how Christian thinking and ministry contributed in their own unique way to the character of Island communities that moved into the 20th century. Chapters 5 and 6 look at 1he two images of the Church that emerged, the Prophetic Church and the Church of the Laity, after the Second World War. Although these images of the Church in the Islands were part of the general trend in other parts of the world that influenced Island Church leaders, to make the Church and her message fit and agreeable to her context, both were reform movements within the Island Churches that were peculiar responses to the changing conditions of the Islands. Chapter 7 discusses a theological response to the Island context. Unlike ordinary organisations, the Churches always need a theological basis for their actions. This search for a theological response to the situation, because of its emphasis on context, saw the emergence of the 'Coconut Theology' and other similar Island theologies - all attempted to address the 'concerns for the Islands'. Chapter 8. In this concluding chapter, two issues are considered: the problem of interpreting Christian faith as Church leaders und theologians attempted to 'own' Christianity so that it could address the Islands context, and the problem of expecting theology to provide answers to all human situations.