Theology of the Streets

Delivered as the valedictory address for LST's Class of 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this speech reflects on the interrupted rituals of graduation and reframes the moment as an invitation to continue doing theology beyond the classroom. The author calls graduates to a "theology of the streets" that listens to the poor and marginalized, who ask the same anguished questions of God's presence and abandonment voiced throughout salvation history, and that responds boldly and creatively while remaining faithful to the Gospel. Linking the pandemic's exposure of poverty to global protests against racial injustice, he urges graduates to see the streets as a new locus theologicus centered on Christ's healing and reconciling love, tasked with mending division and gathering all people back into communion with God.