The human face of God: notes on a journey through practical theology

Abstract

ABSTRACT My contribution to the proceedings to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the formation of the British and Irish Association of Practical Theology focuses on an event that preceded BIAPT’s foundation by almost a decade: a conference entitled ‘The Human Face of God’, held at the University of Manchester in July 1986. I will argue that many of the seeds of 1994 were sown by that conference and were also evident in an article published three years earlier by its convenor, Professor Anthony Dyson (1936-98). It is possible to see how the issues addressed in Dyson’s article, reflected in the ambitions of the 1986 conference, served to shape the agenda for subsequent scholarship in practical theology and pastoral studies. This included issues such as the sources and norms of pastoral studies, the sociological, institutional and intellectual context in which it worked and issues of identity, including the challenge of feminism. The emphasis on ‘the human face of God’ as central to the concerns of this emerging discipline was foundational in shaping the disciplinary field and the community of learning we inhabit today.