ABSTRACT
This essay addresses the issue of public theology in a secular context. Can Christian themes and teachings, even unpopular ones like the doctrine of sin, be brought into public conversation in highly secularized contexts? Percy shows how this can be done in secular contexts with his analysis of sin, a subject that “no-one likes to talk about.” This leads to a discussion of sin that focuses on the deeper understanding of its social dimensions while drawing upon the public discourse of crime. Percy holds that churches can still do public theology in a secular context. In order to do this, however, they will need to learn to communicate Christian teachings in a context that is no longer familiar with the special language of the Christian tradition.
