From Below, to Inclusion, Through Transformation: Urban Theology in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Urban theology is an enduring theme in scholarly literature, yet to our knowledge, no comprehensive reviews have been carried out on its recent developments. To answer this shortcoming, we present a systematic literature review on the following question: “How is urban theology understood in Western academic literature published in English in the twenty-first century?” We present the 29 research outputs yielded from our review and findings of a thematic content analysis. The findings propose three main themes: 1) Theological rootedness, 2) Societal rootedness, and 3) Reforming urban theology. Through these themes, urban theology emerges as an intertwining research of theology and society that includes both reflection and praxis. It aims to understand and diagnose the city as a place and space through theological reflection and doing theology, and vice versa; to transform the way and content of (doing) theology through the engaged analysis of urban society. Urban theology is done for, by, and within individuals and communities of the urbanized planet holistically, whereby it emerges as theology “from below.” It distinguishes itself from the urban theology of the last century, highlighting the critical need for inclusion and reflexivity in the emerging context and the positionality of the researcher.