In an interview, the late German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg was asked about the description of his theology as “interdisciplinary.” He said, “Because God is the creator of everything and will be the redeemer of everything, theology has to be concerned with everything. This doesn’t make theology interdisciplinary in a superficial sense. It is interdisciplinary because theology is concerned with only one thing, and that is God.” This perspective is often described as public theology: in addition to church tradition, theology also has a relevant place in the secular world.
Calvin University religion professor and de Vries postdoctoral fellow Jae Yang notes, however, that Pannenberg’s theology, though broadened beyond concern solely for the church, is still limited in its conception of other spheres of life. “Pannenberg’s public theology tends to favor academia, theology’s relevance and equivalence in terms of the natural and social sciences and this idea of ‘reason.’ My own research is on clarifying and expanding the “public” to include spheres such as the family, politics, and the economy, also drawing on not just academic and scientific knowledge, but on universal experiences and instinctual perceptions.” He is currently working on a book about this topic that is under contract with Fortress Press.
Dr. Yang is interested in public theology because of its “great potential to change the world, not just the church.” This interest is reflected not only in his research on Pannenberg, but also in his research on Asian American theology. This facet of his research is “primarily around how Asian and Asian American philosophies, worldviews, and religions can shape and form Asian Americans to be public-minded citizens. Particularly, on how Asian American Christian theology can form Asian American Christians who change society and fight for justice based on theological convictions.” Here, Yang’s research is informed both by his interest in public theology and his background as Asian American. He feels that “being both Asian and American, but also neither fully Asian nor American, provides a great creative energy.”
As a member of the de Vries Institute’s postdoctoral cohort, Yang teaches classes for the Calvin Religion Department, pursues his research work, and meets with faculty mentors and the other postdocs to practice what it means to be a Christian scholar. The postdoctoral fellows take part in workshops and discussions on topics that range from teaching and grading to the “publish or perish” mindset in academia. What Yang has appreciated about the fellowship’s learning opportunities so far “is the reading we have done around shalom and community-based learning. Thus, public theology should not just be about communicating theological information to the public, but about embodying and exhibiting a theological ethos.”
As part of the fellowship, postdocs also learn alongside faculty mentors to aid in the practical application of faith integration concepts. Professors Won Lee and Rick Plantinga in the Religion department have both served as mentors for Yang during his first year of teaching at Calvin. The mentors observe the importance of listening in the mentorship process, something that Yang does well. Lee said, “he is always open to hear from me and others to improve his teaching. In our regular meetings, he listened well, asked good questions, and applied the learned ideas promptly (which I saw while visiting his class several times over the semester).”
Plantinga observed that mentorship isn’t always a simple undertaking. “Trying to amass the complexity of the profession for someone new to it is challenging and takes time. The mentor shares experiences; the mentee takes what seems helpful. [Yang] has been a good and faithful listener and learner.”
As for the mentee, Yang appreciates his mentors’ advice and “insights on being an academic.” As he heads into the second year of the postdoc program, Yang will have the experience of the first year to draw upon as he refines his craft as a teacher striving to help his own students learn what Christian commitment means for their role as citizens of the world.