The global challenges we face today seem impossible. The spread of Ebola, the brutality of the so-called \u201cIslamic State,\u201d and the changes already occurring in the climate are enough to make me feel overwhelmed.<\/p>\n
You probably remember the old advice: When the problems of the world seem too big, just concentrate on the smaller problems closer to home.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t find that helps very much. The challenges we face right here in Pittsburgh and throughout Pennsylvania are pretty daunting.<\/p>\n
Our economy is still leaving too many people on the sidelines. There are signs of prosperity, but poverty is still far too common throughout Pennsylvania, especially among our children.<\/p>\n
We are sitting on top of abundant natural gas resources. But getting the gas out safely is a big problem. And then we read that someone just dumped contaminated fracking water into the Greene County sewer system near Waynesburg.<\/p>\n
And even if we can get natural gas out safely, what about our coal miners and their need to make a living? And as much as we would rather not think about it, using any fossil fuel\u2014gas or coal\u2014sets in motion irreversible changes to the climate. No one wants our economy to languish when so many are still looking for a way into the middle class. But no one wants to ruin the planet or its ability to sustain the rich diversity of creation for generations to come.<\/p>\n
And then we look on in horror at events in Ferguson, Mo., and see there a mirror of our own racial divide and the fear and mounting frustration that come along with it.<\/p>\n
All these are Pennsylvania problems. They won\u2019t be solved by sitting in church. They won\u2019t be solved by someone in Washington. They won\u2019t be solved by politicians or experts. In fact they won\u2019t be solved at all unless people are able to come together for safe, honest, and sustained conversation.<\/p>\n
To me, that sounds a lot like theology. The best theology is not about broad generalities. It\u2019s not about some far-off future. It\u2019s about the here and now. It is grounded in real problems and real people who have the courage to be real with each other.<\/p>\n
I believe that\u2019s exactly what God is inviting us to do. When we respond to God\u2019s invitation, when we get out of ourselves and enter into relationship with our neighbors, theology begins to happen. The best theology does not come from books or from experts. Instead, it is born of honest conflict and nurtured by dialogue that is searching and sometimes painful. It arises from within and takes the form of shared hopes and growing confidence that God is alive, here and now, active and real, taking us forward in ways that no one of us alone can dare imagine.<\/p>\n