The common priesthood is one of the central concepts of Protestant ecclesiology--and yet it remains a marginal phenomenon in practical theological discourses. The unwieldy wording and the theologically dense conception make it difficult to talk about. For that reason, the question arises as to how "priestesses" and "priests" show themselves today, what life plans they have, and what their lived theology looks like, which must again and again change and prove itself in everyday life.
This lived theology is at the center of Sabrina Muller's attention. Such theology focuses not on the traditional forms of church alone, nor is there a return to parochial core church structures. Rather, religious social-media phenomena are also the subject of this study. For in such digital places lived theologies emerge at a rapid pace, and new leadership structures are formed. Muller thus expands the concept of the common priesthood to include an essential new aspect and advocates that ordained and non-ordained persons meet on a theological level. With its strong emphasis on empowerment, the book is not only based on traditional discussions from church theory and pastoral theology but also implicitly leans on feminist conceptions and topics from liberation theology.
Sabrina Müller is the Managing Director University Research Priority Program "Digital Religion(s)" at the University of Zurich. She is author of two books, Fresh Expressions of Church (2016) and Deadly Real (2021).
“In this book Sabrina Müller makes a significant contribution to emerging debates around lived theology. Rooted in qualitative empirical research, she situates the conversation around the theologizing of people in congregations with the theological notion of the priesthood of all believers. This is a major text for anyone working in the field of ecclesiology and ethnography.”
—Peter Ward, Durham University and NLA University College, Bergen, Norway
“This little book offers a clear, compelling analysis of lived theology—that personal, practical, ever-shifting, ever-questioning, ever-emerging set of practices and convictions about ourselves, our world, and God. Sabrina Müller beautifully chronicles the ongoing paradigm shift that is lived faith in today’s world, blending life stories, concrete examples, and astute observations. Her narrative will be empowering to all who engage the ‘big questions’ of ultimacy within themselves and their communities.”
—Philip Clayton, author of Transforming Christian Theology
“The field of pastoral theology perhaps is the most challenged by the deep divergences between church and culture and theology and culture. Few scholars, especially German speaking, in the field are willing and able to knit together an approach to the field that can work and is sanguine about the future of the church. This book proves that Sabrina Müller is such a pastoral theologian.”
—Patrick R. Keifert, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota
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