Part 354. Action, not talk.

I was a senior lecturer and examiner in jurisprudence on a law degree course. The syllabus called for elucidation of the schools of jurisprudence in an attempt to provide the undergraduates with an understanding of the sources, purposes and application of law in the context of the interrelationship of political, economic, religious and social factors.

For the students it was a very different academic landscape from their study of contract, criminal law, tort, property law, etc. What was its practical value?  How would it be of assistance when advising clients or appearing before judges?  I will leave you, dear reader, to ponder on this.

Later in life I studied for a diploma in theology. The methodology had much in common with my previous academic experience: study of source material, purpose and application.  But again I was left in the same frame of mind as my students: wondering what was the value of all this theory in tackling problems in society. How to apply theory to the reality of exclusion, poverty, discrimination and marginalisation.

Over the years I dumped, sorry deconstructed, my beliefs and was left with the three synoptic gospels whose authors set out their interpretations of source material to build a portrait of Jesus.  Overall the picture painted of Jesus is that he was not what we would call today a keyboard warrior.  He was willing to confront religious and political leaders, to help individuals at point of need,  and set out guidelines for those choosing to follow him.  The authors of the synoptic gospels describe a man of action, not a theologian in an ivory tower.