Review of the book Soul Friendship: A Practical Theology of Spiritual Direction, Adrian Charfield and Nigel Rooms, 2019

This paper explores the relationship between practical theology and spiritual direction through the discipline of attending and argues that focused, actively engaged, theologically perceptive attention is fundamental to the practice of both. The examination of the task of paying attention develops Jane Leach's question in "Pastoral Theology as Attention" (Contact: Practical Theology and Pastoral Care 153 [2007], pp. 19-32), "Whose voices can you hear (and whose are silent)?" The paper reflects on what it means to attend both to the voices and the silence within the two disciplines and finally makes suggestions for ways in which the resulting insights might be of mutual benefit for both spiritual direction and practical theology.

Training of new spiritual directors must consider templates for structuring practice. For though direction is relational art rather than method-bound science, the structuring of practice is not of no import at all. Just as the freedom of improvisation in jazz music presupposes an existing motif – perhaps a specific chord progression, a time signature and an agreed key – so also the new director needs defined starting points and patterns in relation to which improvisation may later become possible. Nevertheless, such templates are rare. As both a spiritual director and a practical theologian, I lament this lack yet am also well-placed to notice potential synergies between spiritual direction and practical theology. This paper claims that theological reflective method can serve to structure the movements within individual direction sessions, developing a proposal that uses Patricia O'Connell Killen and John de Beer’s theological reflective method to frame spiritual direction practice.

Mentoring is an important but often overlooked resource in theological education and students' academic and spiritual formation. This essay profiles the mentoring practices and postures of the writing tutor and the spiritual director as exemplars of academic and spiritual mentoring. An extended probe of this analogy affirms the integration of academic and spiritual formation as a core value in theological education; identifies mentoring in theological education as a hidden treasure fostering this integration and warranting attention as a theological practice; and re‐envisions the theological practice of mentoring under the traditional rubric of the “care of souls,” embracing the relational, educational, formational, spiritual, and rhetorical dimensions of this practice.

In Theological Context for Pastoral Caregiving, Howard W. Stone helps his fellow pastors and worship leaders provide effective and faithful pastoral care and counseling through the study of the correlation between pastoral care and theology. You will learn that in order for pastoral care to be effective it must have a theological base to shape the caregiving experience. At the same time, theology must be informed by the needs and experiences of the people being served and by the ministry of pastoral care. By relating these two issues, you gain a unique viewpoint not offered by books with simply a psychological focus.The author draws from his day-to-day clinical practice of pastoral care and counseling to show how pastoral care and theology can be brought together. Through Howard Stone’s work, the reader learns of: an overview of pastoral care and counseling today how to provide a pastoral assessment of the persons served the author’s theological understanding of the ministry of pastoral care and counseling methods for correlating theology and pastoral care how spiritual direction as a discipline can help pastoral care and counseling ministry regain a solid theological base theological themes that might be more explicitly and intentionally related to pastoral careTheological Context for Pastoral Caregiving provides useful information for parish pastors, people in training to be parish pastors, and specialists in the field of pastoral care counseling. As one of the easiest-to-read books on this subject, it can also be used as a text for graduate-level classes in courses such as Theology and Pastoral Care, Pastoral Theology, and Practical Theology. With this book, seminary students will finally be able to relate the practical things learned in pastoral counseling classes with what is learned in theology classes.

This book sets out a Christological framework for developing and delivering pastoral supervision. Pastoral supervision is a key consideration for any denomination, congregation, or faith-based organisation, so this is a vital resource for well-being for clergy, chaplains, and a wide array of pastoral workers. Three central Christological themes, the revealing, re-membering, and restoring Jesus, provide the theological framework for good supervision practice. The book draws insights from three gospel passages––Luke 24:13–34, Luke 22:39–53 and John 21:1–14––for its Christological themes. The practical Christology for pastoral supervision is deepened and extended through three theologians: Martin Luther (reformed), Emil Brunner (neo-orthodox), and James McClendon (small B baptist). Professional supervision (coaching, mentoring, and spiritual direction) is increasingly sought––even required––by many people in church and faith-based organisations. This book will, therefore, be an excellent resource to theologians interested in supervision, practical theology, and Christology.

Since it was first presented, James Fowler's faith development theory has proven influential in pastoral care and counselling, pastoral and practical theology, spiritual direction, and Christian education. However, it has also been subject to substantial critical evaluation. This article reviews the major themes within psychological critiques and considers the agenda provided by these critiques for the theory's future development. Critical themes concern Fowler's understanding of “faith”; the theory's structural “logic of development”; its overemphasis on cognition and lack of attention to (emotional/psychodynamic dimensions as) processes of transition and transformation; its gender bias and cultural specificity; and its purported difficulty in accommodating postmodern trends in psychology. To address these critiques in a meaningful way, there is a need to embrace alternative existing theories of faith development and spiritual/religious change, to construct a radically revised, process-focused version of faith development theory, and to continue to develop new localized process models of faith development.

Presenting a rich account of women's faith lives and, mapping women's meanings in their own right, this book offers an alternative to dominant accounts of faith development which failed to account for women's experience. Drawing on Fowler's faith development theory, feminist models of women's faith and social science methodology, the text explores the patterns and processes of women's faith development and spirituality in a group of thirty women belonging to, or on the edges of, Christian tradition.  Integrating practical theological concern with Christian education and pastoral practice, this book will be of interest to all concerned with women's faith development, spirituality, education and formation, and those working in the fields of practical theology, pastoral care, adult theological education, spiritual direction and counselling.

International Review of MissionVolume 83, Issue 328 p. 123-128 A “SPIRITUALITY OF RISK” FOR CHRISTIAN WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA Denise M. Ackermann, Denise M. Ackermann Denise M. Ackermann is professor and head of the Department of Practical Theology at the University of the Western Cape in Bellyille, South Africa. She is a member of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (Anglican). Her particular areas of interest are feminist theology and spirituality; she is also involved in spiritual direction, with a particular ministry to women victims of sexual violence.Search for more papers by this author Denise M. Ackermann, Denise M. Ackermann Denise M. Ackermann is professor and head of the Department of Practical Theology at the University of the Western Cape in Bellyille, South Africa. She is a member of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (Anglican). Her particular areas of interest are feminist theology and spirituality; she is also involved in spiritual direction, with a particular ministry to women victims of sexual violence.Search for more papers by this author First published: January 1994 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-6631.1994.tb02349.x AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume83, Issue328January 1994Pages 123-128 RelatedInformation

From the Editor Rev. Thomas M. Kocik Explanation is not excuse, yet it frequently puts a new face on matters . The present number of Antiphon arrives much later than had originally been scheduled, and for that I must beg our readers’ pardon. It was probably inevitable, given the increased demands on my time as a parish priest, theology instructor, spiritual director, and writer with (other) publishing commitments. In early June, I informed the Board of Directors of the Society for Catholic Liturgy of my desire to relinquish the editorship of Antiphon beginning in 2011. My decision was not made lightly; nor, I am happy to say, was it received gladly. I have learned much from serving as editor and hope that during these past two years I have made a contribution of some value. Until the board appoints my successor, I will try to see the next number of Antiphon through to publication – there is ample material for it – and to put things in order for a smooth transition. I remain grateful for the assistance of Msgr Michael Heintz, our Book Review Editor, and the editorial advisors whose names appear on the masthead. In the Current Number Thomas Harmon observes in his essay the tendency among some moral theologians to depreciate the role of the sacraments in living the Christian moral life. This is partly the result of an inadequate understanding of the sacraments as sanctifying, efficacious signs of the divine gifts they signify. If the recipient is properly disposed, the sacraments are fruitful of the grace that enables love of God and love of neighbor. Drawing deeply from the thought of St Thomas Aquinas, Harmon places the sacraments at the center of our incomprehensibly exalted vocation to live and love in the name of the triune God. His work exemplifies the practice of theology as an integrated science rather than a jumble of discrete specializations. The essay by Owen Vyner takes up the question of what Sacrosanctum concilium was calling for in its affirmation that “full, conscious , and active participation in liturgical celebrations” is the “aim to be considered before all else” (no. 14). There has been no dearth of opinions and politicizing with regard to the participation of the lay faithful in the sacred liturgy. The usual disagreement is centered on whether this is to be understood externally, or rather as interior Antiphon 14.3 (2010): 244-246 245 from the editor participation. This is of course a false dichotomy. The Second Vatican Council affirms both internal dispositions and external gestures as essential to a correct understanding of participatio actuosa. Vyner is particularly interested in Pope Benedict XVI’s claim that active participation is necessarily linked to an appreciation of beauty in liturgical celebration and ambience. Yesterday’s reform is today’s convention calling for reform. Although Vatican II did not make the celebration of Mass “facing the people” (versus populum) compulsory, liturgists championed it and the practice rapidly spread throughout the Latin Church. Today there is a new interest, primarily among younger priests, in celebrating the liturgy facing ad orientem, towards the east, towards the rising sun symbolizing Christ, the Oriens ex alto. This is the ancient way of offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice and it remains the practice of the Eastern Christians. Still, eastward orientation remains largely misunderstood and maligned, as if it were all about the priest having his back to the people (a return to clericalized liturgy!), or devotion to the reserved Blessed Sacrament (commendable in itself, but not liturgical!), or anything else besides what it is has always symbolized. Citing the witness of Christian antiquity, Sister Madeleine Grace, CVI, aims to show in her Pastoralia contribution that a common orientation of priest and people expresses the full dimensions of the Eucharist better than celebration versus populum. The Commentary by Father Peter Stravinskas suggests modest steps toward ongoing liturgical renewal along lines generally supported by those who seek a “reform of the reform.” Many of these suggestions do not touch upon the Roman Missal itself but rather concern liturgical discipline and praxis; some are presently permissible and therefore require no new legislation. Father Paul McGavin’s brief Essay proffers a method of harmonizing both forms...

Children are a group of people who often experience trauma, which then leads to a cycle of cycle. Various psychological help has been sought but has not addressed spiritual recovery. This study discusses forgiveness in the process of children who are in crisis so that spiritual development occurs in children. The author uses various library sources and analyzes the biblical text in discussing the topic. This study uses hermeneutical approaches to promoting biblical texts as applicable to everyday life. Forgiveness plays an essential role in the recovery process. Children need help identifying what they are grateful for regarding the forgiveness process. Gratitude produces liberation and leads to hope, thus leading to change thatresults in spiritual healing. To help children forgive, children need reconciliation with the creator. To meet this need, spiritual directors play an important role in assisting children to meet their spiritual needs. Spiritual directors can help traumatized children replace their distorted view of themselves, others, and God with a proper view of the truth. This study aims to involve the contribution of existing practical theology to propose the idea of the role of forgiveness in the grieving process for children experiencing a crisis.

Humility and Spirituality:New Directions in Interdisciplinary Research Claire E. Wolfteich (bio), Steven J. Sandage (bio), James Tomlinson (bio), Jonathan Mettasophia (bio), and Diana Ventura (bio) introduction Even a cursory reading of classical texts in the study of Christian spirituality reveals numerous mentions of humility, its value for the spiritual life, and ways in which it might be cultivated. In some traditions, such as the desert fathers and mothers, it is one of the crowning virtues of the ascetic life. One of the sayings of Abba Antony reads, "'I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, 'What can get through from such snares?' Then I heard a voice saying to me, 'Humility.'"1 Elsewhere, a saying attributed to Amma Theodora notes, "that neither asceticism, nor vigils nor any kind of suffering are able to save, only true humility can do that."2 And Abba John places humility as the highest of the virtues: "Humility and the fear of God are above all virtues."3 Humility is central to the desert ascetic tradition and, indeed, quite integral to Christian spiritual traditions more broadly.4 As Wendy Wright and Joseph Power note: "Humility as the primary human disposition that allows for the entry of God in the soul is central to the thought of Augustine, Benedict, Bernard, Teresa, and innumerable other Christian spiritual writers."5 Yet what is known about humility in contemporary understanding and practice? How might such ancient Christian spiritual traditions be bridged with current research on the topic of humility, which is increasingly the subject of empirical psychological study? This article first illustrates the significance of the topic of humility within Christian spirituality through brief discussions of humility in the writing of several significant authors, including Cassian, Benedict, Julian of Norwich, and Teresa of Avila. These key figures in the history of Christian spirituality, selected from among many possible writers who expound upon the virtue of humility, enable us to explore some features of classical discussions of humility. The discussion also provides an overview of some of the recent psychological research on humility that forms the backdrop to a contemporary empirical research project on humility, spirituality, and religious leadership being conducted jointly by a team of clinical psychologists [End Page 102] Click for larger view View full resolution Photo Courtesy of Zoe Holling on Unsplash. [End Page 103] and theologians. This project includes a mixed-methods design and employs both a battery of quantitative measures of humility and a series of qualitative items that provide contextual information and phenomenological description of some of the unique understandings of humility across religious traditions. Also examined are challenges to humility identified by religious leaders, and spiritual and religious practices leaders use to cultivate or maintain humility.6 This growing body of research on humility is studied in order to assess contributions to knowledge about humility as a feature of Christian spirituality and implications for practices such as spiritual formation, spiritual direction, and therapeutic intervention. The research also provides a way to reflect broadly upon the current state of the interdisciplinary character of spirituality studies. Despite the fact that the emergence of spirituality studies as an academic discipline has gone hand in hand with assertions of the highly interdisciplinary nature of the field, there remains a kind of "siloing" of approaches to the study of spirituality. Theological and historical-contextual scholarship continues to dominate groups such as the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, while social scientific research on spirituality features more prominently in conferences of organizations such as the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, which feature multiple sessions on spirituality, or the American Psychological Association, which, includes a division in psychology, religion, and spirituality and publishes a related journal.7 Kristy Nabhan-Warren has described resistance to qualitative and quantitative methods among some spirituality scholars: "… a qualitative ethnographic approach to the study of Christian spirituality – not to mention a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research – is viewed with a bit of suspicion."8 So too Norwegian practical theologian Tone Stangeland Kaufman has called for greater use of ethnographic methods in the study of Christian spirituality.9 This article aims in...

The article is positioned in the interface between Old Testament scholarship and the discipline of spiritual direction of which spiritual formation is a component. The contribution that a Ricoeurian hermeneutic may make in unlocking the potential which an imaginal engagement with the book of Proverbs may hold for the discipline of spiritual formation was explored. Specifically three aspects of the text of Proverbs illustrated the creative process at work in the text, and how it converges with the concept of spiritual formation and the nurturing of creative spirituality. These aspects were, the development in Lady Wisdom�s discourses, the functional definition of the fear of Yahweh (illustrated from Proverbs 10:1�15:33), and the paradigmatic character of the book of Proverbs.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The research is positioned in the interface between Old Testament studies and Practical Theology. The research results in the enhancement of the interdisciplinary dialogue and interchange of resources between the named disciplines with regard to the interest in formation of persons that the biblical book of Proverbs and the discipline of spiritual formation shares.Keywords: Spiritual formation; fear of Yahweh; Proverbs; Wisdom; Hermeneutics; Paul Ricoeur; Symbolic world; Textual reference

Offers personal reflections on the significance of Seward Hiltner in the author's life and in the field of pastoral theology. Sees these benefits in terms of Hiltner's prophetic sensitivities, his capactity to teach others to think theologically, his creative adversarial tendencies, and his contributions to the theological field generally. Offers as a future agenda for pastoral theology concerns centering on the nature of ministry, the nature and practice of spiritual direction, liberation theology, and pastoral care in non-western countries.

This article demonstrates how theological education can be transformed through the systematic integration of structured theological reflection methods derived from spiritual direction practices. Drawing on Gerhardt’s concept of theonomy and Lynch’s theological reflection framework, it examines how the current crisis in theological education requires not merely programmatic changes but a fundamental reconceptualisation of theological knowledge transmission. Through analysing the Life Seeks Understanding platform’s work with Hong Kong Christians in diaspora, this study demonstrates how structured theological reflection methods create learning spaces that effectively bridge academic theology and contemporary spiritual formation. The platform’s implementation of Gerhardt’s theonomous approach, combined with Lynch’s structured reflection methods, provides evidence for how theological education can maintain intellectual rigour whilst addressing post-secular spiritual needs. Through innovative online courses and culturally sensitive pedagogical approaches, the platform exemplifies how theological education can be made accessible and relevant whilst preserving traditional wisdom. This article contributes to practical theology by demonstrating how experimental approaches to theological reflection can revitalise theological education, particularly for diaspora communities navigating complex cultural and spiritual identities.

Soul friendship: a practical theology of spiritual direction