The comprehensive public theology of Max L. Stackhouse: Theological ethics, society, and theological education

Public theology is one of the most important areas of discussion within theological ethics today and Max L. Stackhouse is one of its most important advocates and practitioners. I argue that the best way to interpret and evaluate his work is by understanding it as a comprehensive public theology project that is distinctive and important.; The meaning of public theology remains in dispute, due in part to the different contexts in which it arose. I examine the origins of the rubric, compare and contrast it with related terms, and define public theology based on an overlapping consensus in descriptions of it. The literature devoted to public theology falls into three main types---interpretive, methodological, and constructive---which together address two primary areas of interest: critical issues and substantive concerns. Stackhouse's public theology is comprehensive in part because he works in all three areas. Also important are his understandings of the relationships between theology, religion, and ethics and their influence on society.; Stackhouse's attention to critical issues centers on his conception of public theology along with the method he proposes for it and uses in his constructive efforts. I examine his understanding of what public theology is and does, criteria he proposes for adequate public theology expressions, sources of insight he advocates for it, and his recommendations for ways in which public theology should be done, primarily through themes, ethics, and sector or sphere analysis. Significant too are differences he sees between confessional theology and public theology and connections between it and theological ethics.; Throughout his corpus, Stackhouse has devoted considerable attention to substantive concerns. I examine three---the familial sector, the corporation, and civil and human rights---along with criticisms of his public theology and responses to them. A distinctive feature is Stackhouse's attention to the theological tradition coupled with his proposals for revising theological education. Ronald Thiemann's conception of theological education and David Kelsey's criticisms of Stackhouse's proposals provide points of contrast. In conclusion I suggest ways in which Stackhouse's public theology is important. It is different from civil religion and political theology, distinct, comprehensive, and a new social gospel for the world.