| Foreword | vii |
| Preface | ix |
| Introduction: Waking Up | 1 |
1. | Walking, Talking, Doing Theology | 6 |
| Theology: The Why, How, What, Who, and Where | 7 |
| A Guiding Image: The Local Theologian as Village Cook | 17 |
2. | Jesus: Teacher of Theology | 21 |
| The Local Life of Jesus, the Christ | 23 |
| The Authority of Jesus | 26 |
| The Pastoral Theology of Jesus | 28 |
| Theological Occasions | 29 |
| A Theology That Builds Community "As If People Matter" | 31 |
| Good Theology | 35 |
| A Third Look at Jesus | 41 |
3. | Reappropriating Our Tradition | 43 |
| Our Tradition: Asking Questions | 44 |
| Rediscovering the Message of Jesus | 46 |
| Reappropriating the Theological Tradition | 52 |
| Reappropriating the Bible | 56 |
| Inspiring Examples | 63 |
| Good Theology | 69 |
4. | Theologies and Local Culture | 73 |
| Culture as a Local Reality | 73 |
| Implicit Theologies | 75 |
| "Value Stories" | 77 |
| Theology and the Dialogue with Culture | 79 |
| Local Language | 81 |
| The Filipino Concept of Bahala Na | 83 |
| Cultural Games | 86 |
| Cultural Stories | 90 |
5. | Local Theologies and the Social Situation | 95 |
| Doing Theology within a Particular Social Structure | 96 |
| Special Attention to the Poor | 98 |
| Theological Eyes and Social Glasses | 104 |
| Theological Social Analysis in Practice: Pastoral Letter on Poverty in Alabama (1990) | 109 |
| Regional Theological Sketches | 111 |
6. | Little Theologies | 119 |
| Little Theologies Are Not Cheap Theology | 121 |
| Three Tasks of Little Theologies | 125 |
| Constructing Little Theologies | 130 |
| The Examined Life | 136 |
| Theological Occasions | 141 |
| Discovering Theological Occasions: The Art of Looking at Details | 144 |
| Ingredients of Little Theologies | 146 |
| Working with Images | 147 |
| Working with Proverbs | 150 |
| Working with Stories and Examples | 154 |
| Epilogue: A Culture of Hope | 158 |
| Fifty Theses for Doing Local Theology | 162 |
| Bibliography | 169 |
| Index | 179 |