Doing Theology through Kitchen Conversations

We invite you to share with your congregation the following story from Titus Guenther, Special Assignment Worker with Mennonite Church Canada and professor at Canadian Mennonite University. It should take no more than 2 minutes to read aloud. You might also wish to include the story in your church newsletter. This story is part of Equipping #76 May 2007.

Chile – Doing Theology through Kitchen Conversations

Some say that the kitchen is the best place to have conversations about God and for doing theology. The whole family comes together to prepare and eat food and this is a great setting for conversations about God.

The Evangelical Theological Community (CTE) of Concepcion, Chile, is actually a house that has been turned into a seminary. All of the rooms used as office and classrooms are centred around the kitchen. The kitchen is a place to meet, have conversation, and get refreshment.

Over coffee one day, a visiting student from a secular university, asks Titus Guenther, special assignment worker for Mennonite Church Canada, questions about why a Buddhist should need to convert to Christianity. The student, Sofia, has been learning more about Buddhism to find deeper answers to her faith questions. Titus engages her in a theological discussion on the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity.

Titus invites Sofia into a welcoming community of Christian believers because, he explains, if we truly want to understand a religion, we need to be in dialogue with it and this is often done best in community. Sofia accepts the invitation and starts attending the Wednesday evening Salsa dancing sessions that are followed by an hour of prayer time.

Later, as Titus catches up with Sofia at the Evangelical Theological Community, they continue to talk about Christianity and Buddhism. It is through these types of relationships and conversations “in the kitchen” that theology is actually done.