Doing Theology: Engaging the Public

This article examines the characteristics of some of the contexts in which public theology is done. Examples are taken from Scotland and particularly the experience of representatives of the Church of Scotland. Three publics are identified as target audiences: an institutional public in which official positions are debated and defended; a constructed public in which theological understanding is developed in the company of others; and a personal public which characterizes some forms of broadcasting. Discourse in each public has different characteristics, drawing on distinctive theological assumptions about church and faith. The article examines how public theology can draw strength from practice in each context.