INTRODUCING STEEL CITY THEOLOGY

Steel City Theology is the collaborative effort of Gwendolen Jackson, Joe Smith, and Justin Pearl. Against any kind of sound financial logic, the three of us have devoted our adult lives to the study of academic theology, and it has profoundly affected the ways we think and live in the world. Theology trains a person to see connections between doctrines, ethics, and practices, and to understand how tweaking one of those pieces will shift all the other pieces. We also believe that theology works an iffy magic. It shows a person that they are more fucked up than they ever imagined and that God is a throat-punching mystery, but it also shows them that God is more and better than what was ever expected, and that we are all okay, despite our crippling confusions and liabilities unto ourselves. 

Unfortunately, academic theology, which holds all this wonder, tends to isolate itself in the ivory tower. It does not even try to see the light of day! It does not try to reach out into the public square!

So churches must meet the theological needs of their members. This is an admirable endeavor that we totally encourage. But the liturgy is not a good place to teach theology directly because it only allows a few minutes for a homily, a format that can’t entertain questions from the audience and that must reach so many people of so many ages and backgrounds all at once. Further, many denominations don’t require rigorous classroom attendance after the eighth grade. This means that people who are trying to live their best faith may have advanced degrees in their professional fields but may not have had the chance to study God-things in a way that does justice to their other spheres of knowledge.

Theology can and should speak to faithful churchgoers, but it can also be a deepening and broadening resource for those who do not want to have a relationship with a church and even those who do not believe in God. God-questions and God-hypotheses are part of the universal human condition, not the exclusive domain of the “worthy.” As an academic pursuit, theology does not demand a particular belief or a particular lifestyle—many theologians are agnostic or atheistic, and many have habits that would make a sailor blush—and it is not offended by disagreement.

Our goal at Steel City Theology is to provide a forum where people can have conversations about God that honor their adult intellect, complexities, and doubts. We welcome anyone who wants to talk about God. This includes people who believe and who don’t believe; people who go to church and who don’t; people who have all kinds of backgrounds, identities, orientations, and statuses. God-things are for everyone. Please join us.