Public Theology and Diakonia of Reconciliation

A Postcolonial Perspective

Abstract

This constructive article examines how the new theology of prophetic diakonia contributes to a postcolonial theology of God’s mission in World Christianity. It begins by setting public theology (Moltmann and Bonhoeffer) in a postcolonial context and then exploring God’s mission beyond Empire (Jonathan Ingleby). Methodologically, the concept of an effective history is employed as a social critical tool to interpret how those in power shape historical narratives and how marginalized voices might be reconsidered. Bonhoeffer’s view of the legacy of modernity is interrogated, and his counterargument on modernity and subaltern realities is employed to cultivate a prophetic diakonia of reconciliation to reimagine God’s mission beyond Empire.