A Fresh look at Commonwealth

The English noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth" which is "well-being". The term literally meant "common well-being".

Dating from the reformation, it is interesting how the notion of commonwealth is now seen in terms of nation to nation trade whilst within those states, the notion of common well-being for all is often overshadowed. The interrelation between micro and macro economics seems broken, forgotten and even shunned.

Someone has said that perhaps we need to reinterpret what we mean by the kingdom of God as the commonwealth of God. This is an interesting notion placing the Gospel at its heart as a subversive political message to be fully heard and heeded. Whilst not an exact translation of the word kingdom (Basileia) used of in the New Testament to refer to the reign of the Messiah, it is worth exploting. Jesus’ picture of this Kingdom of God is a call to all of us to look at the world from the underside, to suspend our conventional ideas of authority and advantage, and to live our lives seeking impartiality with integrity in everything we do.

Perhaps the best definition of Commonwealth is found in acts 4:6 The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. What is the theological impact of this 1st century image on or contemporary situation.

Gustavo Gutierrez, the great liberation theologian, defines theology as "critical reflection on historical praxis." Doing theology requires the theologian to be immersed in his or her own intellectual and sociopolitical history. Theology is not a system of timeless truths, engaging the theologian in the repetitious process of systematization and apologetic argumentation. Theology is a dynamic, ongoing exercise involving contemporary insights into knowledge (epistemology), man (anthropology), and history (social analysis). "Praxis" means more than the application of theological truth to a given situation. It means the discovery and the formation of theological truth out of a given historical situation through personal participation in the struggle for a commonwealth of God.