In Counterpoint: Diaspora, Postcoloniality, and Sacramental Theology by Kristine Suna-Koro (review)

The author is a Latvian-American theologian and a Lutheran pastor, currently teaching at Xavier University Cincinnati. In this work, she is among the first to bring into conversation the sprawling worlds of postcolonial thought and sacramental theology. To this conversation she brings dozens of other contemporary voices, many female, many from Asia. Among the strongest influences on her work are Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak, Mayra Rivera, and Kevin Irwin.

Suna-Koro argues that traditional Western theology, including sacramental theology, is tainted (though not irretrievably) by its association with the violence perpetrated under the imperialism of centuries past. This has affected not only how Christians view sacraments, but also how they view salvation and the relationship of God to humanity. Thus, the Western theological tradition needs to be critically re-examined, which she calls a ressourcement (10). She perceives multiple crises in the church and in the world: a “sacramental crisis” of growing disenchantment with ecclesial rituals, the planetary ecological crisis, and the crisis of widespread injustice.

Sacramental theology and postcolonial thought should address these crises; Suna-Koro argues that, done responsibly, each includes an ethical dimension as well as an ecological dimension. She proposes a sacramental worldview which is not limited to denominational or ritual boundaries. To this end, she proposes creation as an ursakrament. Further, she is especially interested in non- dominative relationships, particularly through the metaphors of hybridity, Third Space (a concept from Homi Bhabha), and counterpoint (from music). These metaphors propose relationships that respect the integrity of each participant, that allow for ambiguity, and that are responsive and reciprocal.

For example, in her chapter on the Lord’s Supper, she aims to explore how the Lord’s Supper can “model a synergistic imaginary of sacramental power, empowerment, and agency for liberative change—a certain kind of ‘transubstantiation’ ” (257). She draws on Luther’s writings and the Formula of Concord, specifically the idea of unio sacramentalis, the sacramental union of Christ’s body and blood with the bread and wine, which she sees as representing a hybrid relationality. Acknowledging the historical baggage of “tran-substantiation,” she wants to reclaim the term to discuss change, “an emancipatory matter in postcolonial perspectives” (266).

Suna-Koro makes important contributions with this challenging work. She is an extremely careful writer, with precise diction and expansive citations. Her exploration of the complicated definitions of post-coloniality and related terms is especially helpful. Still, there are few concrete examples in her work, save a few details from her experience of the diasporic Latvian Lutheran church. The complexity of her thought makes this a difficult work to approach, perhaps best for specialists or advanced graduate students.