McIntosh, Esther ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1819-8353 and Ranawana, Anupama (2024) Silence is Complicity: Theological Failure in the Face of Genocide. International Journal of Public Theology, 18 (4). pp. 463-487.

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Abstract

In this article, we argue that public theologians have a rich tradition from which to argue for the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people. In particular, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s resistance to the co-opting of Christianity by the Nazi regime is frequently cited in theological circles as an exemplar. Yet, we find major public figures and theological societies, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the UK’s Society for the Study of Theology (SST) to be wanting in this regard. From an examination of Welby’s comments on the Israeli bombardment in Gaza, and the SST’s response to our open letter and the lament from Palestinian Christians, we argue that theologians are failing. We draw on Palestinian liberation theology and anticolonial theologies to argue that the work of liberation is the raison d’être of theology and requires political activism. We conclude, therefore, that theological silence is complicity in injustice.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
DOI:	10.1163/15697320-20241605
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity
School/Department:	School of Humanities
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/10692

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