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To do either of these things self-critically requires also doing Christian theology. And even when that requirement is met, there remains the trick of keeping both objectives in mind without neglecting either for the sake of the other.

December 1985; reo rev. 8 September 2003; 23 July 2006; 22 June 2009

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In order to discharge our primary responsibility as Christians to bear valid witness to Jesus Christ in and for the world, we must always:

(1) interpret and reformulate normative Christian witness, including even the formally normative witness of the apostles; and

(2) discipline and reform our own Christian witness by reference to the same normative Christian witness, and primarily the formally normative witness of the apostles.

But to do any of these things presupposes discharging our secondary responsibilty responsibility to do theology, in the sense of critically reflecting on our witness, as well as on that of Christians generally, by critically interpreting it and then critically validating its claims to be valid Christian witness.

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What am I called to do by the Christian witness?

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September 1987; rev. February 1995

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1. We have a twofold responsibility as Christians: (1) to bear valid witness to Jesus Christ in and for the world; and, as the means necessary to doing this, (2) to do theology, in the sense of critically reflecting on our witness, as well as on that of Christians generally, by both critically interpreting it and critically validating its claims to be valid Christian witness.

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