📘 Lexicon Entry: Being With

A theological framework that prioritizes relationship and being present with others over solving problems for them, reflecting God’s choice in the incarnation to be with humanity.

Being With is a theological framework developed by Samuel Wells that emphasizes incarnational presence rather than transactional intervention. It prioritizes relationship and shared presence over problem-solving, focusing on the quality of accompaniment rather than the outcome of assistance. The concept challenges both doing “for” others (which can create dependency) and doing “to” others (which can become controlling), replacing them with genuine presence alongside others in their circumstances. This approach reorients theological understanding around presence rather than performance, viewing relationship as the end rather than merely means to other goals. Drawing from the incarnation where God chose to be with humanity rather than remain transcendently distant, Being With offers a profound alternative to both imperial distance and transactional intervention.

Theological Alternative

presence, incarnation, relationship, accompaniment, non-instrumental, samuel wells, theological alternatives, social engagement, incarnational theology, mutual transformation

APA: Geevarghese-Uffman, C. (2025). Being With. Political Theology Lexicon. Common Life Politics. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon

Chicago: Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Being With.” Political Theology Lexicon. Accessed [date]. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon.

MLA: Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Being With.” Political Theology Lexicon, 2025, www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon.

Theological: Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Being With.” In Political Theology Lexicon. Digital theological resource. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon (accessed [date]).

Incarnational presence as participation in God’s own choice to be with humanity through the Word becoming flesh, grounded in trinitarian understanding of God’s essentially relational nature

Non-instrumental relationship that values others as bearers of divine image rather than problems to be solved, reflecting Augustine’s ordered love where persons are loved for their own sake

Mutual transformation through authentic relationship that mirrors perichoretic communion within the Trinity, where presence enables rather than competes with human agency

Practical Atheism’s separation of theological claims from embodied practice, reducing faith to abstract beliefs while avoiding the vulnerability required for authentic presence

Transactional spirituality that approaches relationship instrumentally, viewing others primarily as projects for improvement rather than companions in shared life

Imperial distance that maintains separation between helper and helped, preserving power differentials while claiming benevolent concern

Incarnational Presence: Rooted in Christ’s incarnation—God choosing to be with humanity rather than merely doing things for us from a distance

Mutual Transformation: Both parties are changed through the relationship rather than only the recipient being affected

Boundary Crossing: Requires stepping outside comfort zones to be present with those different from ourselves

Non-instrumental Relationship: Values others for who they are, not for what they need or what we can provide

Prioritizes Time Over Resources: Emphasizes sharing presence rather than merely sharing possessions

Trinitarian theology understanding God’s nature as fundamentally relational rather than solitary, with human relationship as participation in divine communion

Incarnational christology emphasizing Emmanuel (“God with us”) as divine choice for presence rather than distance, challenging imperial models of power

Analogical metaphysics creating space for both connection and difference, allowing others to remain genuinely other while in authentic relationship

Matthew 1:23 Emmanuel – "God is with us" as fundamental Christian identity rather than distant deity

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and lived among us" demonstrating divine choice for incarnational presence

Luke 4:18-19 Jesus’s mission to be present with the poor and marginalized rather than maintaining social distance

Matthew 25:31-46 Christ’s presence discovered through solidarity with "the least of these" rather than abstract charity

L’Arche communities practicing mutual transformation through shared life with people with intellectual disabilities rather than service provision models

Accompaniment models in immigration ministry that prioritize presence with asylum seekers over legal advocacy alone

Restorative justice practices emphasizing relationship repair through shared presence rather than punitive separation

Pastoral care approaches that prioritize presence during suffering over problem-solving or theological explanation

Samuel Wells’s theological development of Being With framework through incarnational theology, demonstrating practical applications in pastoral ministry and social engagement

Jean Vanier’s L’Arche experience showing mutual transformation through presence with people with intellectual disabilities

Henri Nouwen’s spiritual direction writings on vulnerable presence and non-anxious accompaniment in pastoral care

Contemporary theological research on incarnational ministry and presence-based approaches to social justice work

Related Primary Concepts: Interindependence, Eschatological Citizenship

Key Mutations: Practical Atheism, Binary Apocalypticism, [Authoritarian Spirituality – TBP]

Contemporary Movements: Christian Nationalism, Identity Synthesis

Theological Alternatives: Participatory Freedom, Servant Power, Non-Instrumental Presence

Historical Context: Fundamentalism, Civil Religion

May 22, 2025

*This entry is part of the Political Theology Lexicon, accessible exclusively to subscribers. View the complete lexicon to explore related concepts and the full theoretical framework.*