Theological Course Research Articles

Accusatory Theology in the Kyiv Theological Academy: The Tasks and Content of Lecture Courses (1823–1869)

The article considers the history of implementation and evolution of Accusatory (Polemical) theology in the Kyiv Theological Academy. The author shows the place where the controversy with other religions and other Christian denominations took place in the curriculum of the Kyiv Theological Academy after the introduction of the Statute of the religious schools of 1808–1814 in Kyiv. The article deals with the content of the lecture courses of Archbishop Smaragd (Kryzhanovsky), Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), Bishop Sylvester (Malevansky), Philip Ternovsky, and Bishop Augustine (Gulianitsky). The author shows that the Accusatory theology was not an independent academic discipline at first, but it was part of the general course of theology. For the first time, lectures on accusatory theology were given in Kyiv in 1823. On the recommendation of the Commission of theological schools, teachers of this discipline were to use the book of the German Lutheran theologian Johann Ernst Schubert «Institutionum Theologiae polemicae» during the preparation of lectures. Comparison of this book with the lectures of hieromonk Smaragd (Kryzhanovsky) shows that the work of the German theologian was used by the Kyiv teacher quite selectively. Next, the article shows how in the following decades the content of the course of accusatory theology varied, depending on the general situation in theological education in the Russian Empire. In particular, the changes that took place in the curriculum of the Kyiv Theological Academy in the 1840’s were characterized on the initiative of the Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, Mykola Protasov. The author drew attention to the personal preferences of professors who found a reflection in their curriculum in Accusatory theology. In particular, Bishop Sylvester (Malevansky) in his course substantially expanded the controversy with the latest philosophical currents that opposed Christianity. Instead, Philip Ternovsky and Bishop Augustine (Gulianitsky) actively used the historical method, resulting in their courses representing the history of the controversy of the Orthodox Church with its various opponents. In the 1860’s, when a large-scale reform of theological education was being prepared in the Russian Empire, the idea of a radical revision of the accusatory theology teaching concept was heard at the Kyiv Theological Academy. At the same time, some professors even advocated the abolition of accusatory theology as an independent discipline and for joining it to the course of church history. Special attention is paid to the fact that the courses of accusatory theology in the Kyiv Theological Academy in the nineteenth century were based on typical contemporary ecclesiology and soteriology of that time. The purpose of the course was seen not in the equal dialogue with opponents, but in revealing their mistakes and attempts to convert them to the Orthodox Church. Article received 03.07.2019

Kebijakan Eropa terhadap Pendanaan, Kurikulum, dan Guru Sekolah Islam

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap kebijakan negara-negara Eropa, seperti Belanda, Inggris, Jerman, Prancis, dan Swedia, terhadap sekolah Islam. Fokus kajian mencakup tiga hal yang saling terkait, yaitu kebijakan terhadap pendanaan pendidikan, kurikulum Pendidikan Agama Islam (PAI), dan pemberdayaan guru PAI. Data dari literatur yang relevan dikumpulkan dan dianalisis menggunakan pendekatan analitis-komparatif. Temuan inti kajian ini sebagai betikut. Pertama, berkaitan dengan pendanaan, Belanda dan Swedia mendanai semua sekolah Islam; Inggris dan Prancis hanya mendanai sekolah Islam yang benar-benar mengikuti peraturan pendidikan nasional; dan Jerman mendanai hanya gaji guru PAI. Kedua, untuk kebijakan kurikulum, Jerman dan Inggris memasukkan PAI di sekolah umum; Belanda dan Swedia meyerahkan kurikulum PAI kepada masing-masing sekolah Islam; sedangkan Prancis mengintegrasikan PAI ke dalam matapelajaran lain di sekolah publik. Ketiga, berkaitan dengan guru, Belanda mewajibkan guru PAI mengikuti pelatihan keguruan bersertifikat di universitas; Inggris dan Swedia mewajibkan mereka mengambil kursus ilmu pendidikan setingkat pascasarjana; Prancis mengaruskan mereka mengambil matakuliah yang memuat topik agama; dan Jerman mewajibkan mereka mengambil kuliah teologi Islam.

THE ANALYSIS OF IBN TAIMIYA STATEMENTS ABOUT THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

The urgency of the studied problem is caused with the revival of the religious heritage of Ibn Taimiya by representatives of various radical extremist groups, including the terrorist formation of ISIS. The ambiguous views of this religious figure are interpreted differently by representatives of different groups and movements, and in some cases the interpretations are quite extremist. It also applies to the interpretation of the attributes of God, where Ibn Taimiya borrows and revives the views of various sects of anthropomorphists, whose ideas are fundamentally contrary to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. The subject of the study is Ibn Taimiya's statements about the attributes of God. The aim of the work is to conduct a theological analysis of the views of this religious figure regarding the attributes and qualities of the Almighty and compare them with the classical asharic-maturidite doctrine.To solve the problems posed in the dissertation study there were used the system of complementary methods of theoretical knowledge, General logical methods and techniques of research: analysis, synthesis, comparison, analogy, abstraction, generalization; as well as special methods of theological research: the method of content analysis; the hermeneutic method – the method of interpretation of religious (sacred) texts and meanings; the etymological (semantic) method; the comparative method – the comparative identification of common and special; the syncretic method – the combination of disparate ways of thinking and views, forming the conditional unity; the hypothetical-deductive method – the method of scientific knowledge and reasoning, based on the deduction (deduction) conclusions from hypotheses and other assumptions, the truth value of which are unknown. As a result, a comprehensive study of Ibn Taimiya's views was conducted and their features were identified. The results of the study may be used in the preparation of training courses in theology, religious studies, history and philosophy. In the course of the study we have come to the conclusion that Ibn Taimiya had borrowed the views of the ancient anthropomorphist sects and had developed them in his works.Key words: Ibn Taimiya, anthropomorphism, Islamic creed, theology, Islam, sect, doctrine of God Citation: L. B. Maevskaya. (2019). THE ANALYSIS OF IBN TAIMIYA STATEMENTS ABOUT THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. Innovative Solutions in Modern Science. 5(32). doi: 10.26886/2414-634X.5(32)2019.5

Teaching Dante in the History of Christian Theology

Outside of core curriculum programs or Great Books classes, few undergraduates who are not literature majors read and discuss Dante’s Divine Comedy. This paper describes the redesign of a course in the history of Christian theology as a model for integrating the study of Dante into additional contexts within general education. Reading Dante not only as poet but also as theologian can enhance students’ learning and their engagement with medieval theology. A focused reading of Paradiso provides a novel and exciting way for a survey course in historical theology to balance general education’s needs for both breadth and depth. At the same time, reading Dante also helps students to experience the significant intersections of culture and theology in the medieval period.

When and Who Lectured the Complete Theological Course at the Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium for the First Time?

Already in the 19th century pioneer scholars investigated the issue of the beginning of theological courses in Kyiv in the Mohylian Academy. By the end of the 19th century there was general consensus that teaching of theology was included in the curriculum practically since the very beginnings of the «Latin schools». However, the researchers’ conclusions are challenged by informations coming directly from the inside of the corporation of the Mohylian professors. Indeed, a sermon delivered by Stefan Javors’kyi in Baturyn in 1697 makes it possible to establish beyond any doubt that the first officially approved, complete course of theology was not held by Joasaf Krokovskyi, as it was supposed before, but by Stefan Javorskyi. The sermon he delivered for the feast of the Epiphany in January 1697 is followed by a hitherto unpublished dedication to Ivan Mazepa where the preacher informs the Hetman that a full course of theology has been held by himself in the Mohylian College in that academic year. Javors’kyi also expresses his gratitude for the support given by Mazepa to the enterprice. The mentioned fact is confirmed by other sources which have been ignored by historians to this day.

To Be Perfect Is to Have Changed Often: The Development of John Henry Newman's Ecclesiological Outlook, 1845–1877 by Ryan J. Marr

Reviewed by: To Be Perfect Is to Have Changed Often: The Development of John Henry Newman's Ecclesiological Outlook, 1845–1877 by Ryan J. Marr Christopher Cimorelli To Be Perfect Is to Have Changed Often: The Development of John Henry Newman's Ecclesiological Outlook, 1845–1877 BY RYAN J. MARR Lanham, MD: Lexington Books-Fortress Academic, 2018. 238 pages. Hardback: $100, E-book: $95. ISBN (hardback): 978-1-9787-0057-4, ISBN (E-book): 978-1-9787-0058-1. Ryan Marr, who earned his Ph.D. in historical theology from Saint Louis University and currently serves as the director of the National Institute for Newman Studies (Pittsburgh, PA), has written an outstanding study treating Newman's ecclesiology from the time of his conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1845 to his 1877 Preface to the Via Media. The great temptation for many readers and even scholars of Newman is to perceive and uphold a uniform ecclesiological outlook during his time as a Catholic. Marr, however, through rigorous historical and systematic analysis delineates Newman's ecclesiological shifts and developments, often in response to contemporary affairs, both personal and ecclesial. For example, developments of Newman's understanding and idea of the church are discernible in his work during the time of the Rambler controversy, including his publication of On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine, as well as in his thought prior to and in the wake of the First Vatican Council (notably [End Page 118] in the Grammar of Assent). Before giving an overview of the text's argument and structure, as well as indicating its contributions to Newman studies, I will briefly attend to its audience and composition. As the publication information indicates, Marr's study is primarily intended for an academic audience, and it will particularly appeal to students and scholars in the fields of church history, systematic theology, and Newman studies. Even with Marr's extensive research—delving into primary literature of Newman and his interlocutors, letters, archival material, current events, etc.—his study is eminently readable and approachable, incorporating useful analogies elucidating even the most technical of concepts. This style brings the content to life, facilitating its applicability to the present context. The chapters are well-structured, featuring introductory and concluding sections that reinforce the integrity of the overall argument. Therefore, it would be appropriate for a plethora of milieus: scholarly research, graduate theology courses, and even upper-level undergraduate seminars dealing with modern theology and history, to name a few. Given the historical analysis undertaken in this study, as well as the plentiful references, some readers would have preferred footnotes to chapter endnotes. However, given the number of citations and length of individual entries, the endnotes are quite reasonable. Marr ultimately contends that Newman's ecclesiology circa Development was somewhat ultramontane in character but became more balanced between 1845 and 1877 and sensitive to the entire people of God and the different "offices" present in Christ's body, the church. This development was facilitated by Newman's ongoing study, confronting of challenges, and efforts in response to current affairs, whether in England or Rome. In terms of methodology, Marr, in good historical fashion, wishes to pay "closer attention to Newman's writings within their historical context . . . by resisting the temptation to allow Newman's narration of his spiritual journey to serve as the primary lens for understanding his life and writings" (xx). This more critical approach to Newman studies owes something to the work of Frank Turner, but it remains disciplined in its handling of the evidence and avoidance of speculative conclusions. It is thus able to build on the insights of a number of scholars in the area of Newman's ecclesiology, such as Avery Dulles, John Coulson, Edward J. Miller, John R. Page, Francis A. Sullivan, Benjamin King, and others. The main body of Marr's study is comprised of five chapters. Chapter one delineates the "moderate Ultramontanism" that characterized Newman's first forays into the development of doctrine and early years as a Catholic, in which the need for an infallible teaching authority was his primary focus. Chapter two investigates the "Rambler Affair" in which Newman had to respond to challenges regarding his...

The Vocation of the Theologian

The Vocation of the Theologian James L. Heft SM (bio) It is an honor to have been invited to speak at the convocation for the faculty of theology and the continuing education division of the University of St. Michael's College. This gathering also marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the doctoral program of theology, which degree I was privileged to receive here in 1977. I have almost nothing but fond memories of my years here in Toronto, of the excellent faculty and fellow students. There was, however, one not so pleasant memory. In 1969, when I began my graduate studies, the Vietnam War continued to profoundly divide the United States. At that time, I was driving a car that had an Ohio license plate, and was twice pelted with eggs. For the record, I opposed that war. In those days, as one of my Canadian professors told me, "Americans are as benignly ignorant of Canadians as Canadians are maliciously informed about Americans." Over the next seven years, I overcame my ignorance of Canada and have developed and retain a great affection for its peoples. I am not here this afternoon to tell old war stories, to comment [End Page 127] on the legalization of pot in Canada or on last Tuesday's mid-term elections in the United States. I am here to speak about something much more important: the sacred calling of being theologians. Walter Burghardt (To Christ I Look, 98–99) reminded theologians that they deal with mystery, before which the most appropriate posture is silence and contemplation. Before we sit at a desk and write, or stand before others and teach, we should be on our knees in prayer. We distort the mystery of God whenever we try to possess it or imagine that we can capture it conceptually. Although the reality of God and God's revelation is objective, it should never be objectified. Good theologians are not spectators. One of my favorite atheists, Frederick Nietzsche, wrote: "For this is the truth: I have left the house of scholars and slammed the door behind me. Too long did my soul sit hungry at their table; I have not been schooled, as they have, to crack knowledge as one cracks nuts … they sit cool in the cool shade: they want to be mere spectators in everything; they take care not to sit where the sun burns upon the steps" (Thus Spake Zarathustra, 147). Some years ago a student sent me an e-mail complaining about her theology professor who, in Nietzsche's words, left her hungry at his table. She wrote, "Every theology course I have endured seemed like logicians parsing a love letter." I do not remember how I responded, but it should be obvious that theologians need to be on the field, in the contest, and, as St. Paul tells us, gratefully running the race. If we remain spectators in the stands, we will never really understand the game. In other words, when theologians are personally involved with and committed to what they study and teach, students are nourished, not bored. Forty-five years ago, in the chapel across the street at 95 St. Joseph Street, I heard a homily that I have never forgotten. Basilian priest Bill Irwin based it on a question from the Summa theologiae (III, q. 42) in which St. Thomas asks whether Jesus should have written down what he taught. Thomas, as you know, structures his questions in a predictable way. First, he gives several reasons to answer positively the question he posed; then he states his own position; and [End Page 128] finally, he answers, in the light of his own position, the questions he posed at the beginning. Let me summarize how Thomas handles this fascinating question. He begins by presenting three reasons why Christ should have written down his teachings. First, he writes that since Christ said that his doctrine is supposed to last till the end of time, it would have been fitting for him to put it in writing so that it might more easily and more accurately be handed down to posterity. Second, he cites the biblical precedent of the...

Theological course of Sylvester Kulabka at the Kiyv-Mohyla Academy (1741–1745) and influence of the Lutheran scholastics

Theological course of Sylvester Kulabka at the Kiyv-Mohyla Academy (1741–1745) and influence of the Lutheran scholastics

Spiritual Formation in the Graduate School of Clinical Psychology at George Fox University

At its inception, the training model in the Graduate School of Clinical Psychology (GSCP) at George Fox University was informed by the approach inaugurated at Fuller Theological Seminary School of Psychology in the 1960s. In the original model, training in Christian religion/spirituality and theology accompanied training in professional psychology. In the interim, our culture, psychological knowledge, perceived psychological needs, and training programs have changed greatly. Here we report changes in religion/spirituality (R/S) training and integration over the last two decades. We describe our current spiritual formation structure and process, and program evaluation efforts. Over the past several years the GSCP has shifted from relying mainly on a cognitive approach involving Bible and theology courses (theoretical-conceptual integration) toward a more personal-experiential approach that includes team teaching of the theology and religion courses, an individualized spiritual direction experience spread over two years, and more intentional integration of R/S and spiritual formation components throughout the program. We anticipate this may be an ongoing area for further development in coming years as we seek to meet the needs of a changing student body with greater R/S diversity and largely postmodern worldviews.

The Development of a Scale to Measure Teacher’s Self-Efficacy and Confidence in Teaching Compulsory K-12 Theology Courses

One of the most important goals of education is to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Sense of teacher’s self-efficacy affects the quality throughout the contribution to all stakeholders in educational process. The right of religious education is one of the essential rights in the world. Moreover, it has positive effect on the society by helping to improve social relationship. Therefore, teacher self-efficacy belief based on religious groups is critical for stakeholders in religious education as well as other fields. The purpose of this study is to construct an instrument to measure teachers’ sense of self-efficacy related to teaching compulsory K-12 theology courses. The result of the study indicates that the teacher self-efficacy scale towards religious groups is valid and reliable instrument. The instrument is going to be useful to look to peaceful future with confidence.

A. A. Dmitrievsky’s Works at the Russian-Byzantine Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences and His Contacts with the Commission for Byzantine Studies of the All-Ukraine Academy of Sciences

The article reconstructs contacts of the outstanding byzantologist, liturgist and historian A. A. Dmitrievsky with different byzantological organizations in Russia and Ukraine. Being a teacher in the Theological and Pastoral College and Higher Theological Courses of Leningrad, in 1923–1928 A. A. Dmitrievsky worked also in the Russian-Byzantine Historical and Lexical Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where he participated in reissuing of the Medieval Greek vocabulary of Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange. While working, A. A. Dmitrievsky undertook a number of large-scale researches, part of which was kept in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian National Library; and fate of another stayed unknown for a long time. However, some works of A. A. Dmitrievsky have been found among the papers of P. P. Kudryavtsev in the library archive of the Kiev Theological Academy. The scientist planned to publish these works in Ukrainian in the Byzantical compendium that was preparing to be released by the Byzantological Commission of the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences at the end of 1920’s; they were a study on the plate of great countess Olga, presented to the sacristy of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, and research work on the Greek brotherhood of Nezhinsk and its archive. Another research of A. A. Dmitrievsky devoted to a Slavonic manuscript from the Astrakhan State University was also preserved in the papers of P. P. Kudryavtsev. The author gives particular attention to A. A. Dmitrievsky’s research on the plate of great countess Olga. The article concludes that the last decade of A. A. Dmitrievsky’s scientific labours was intensive despite the unfavorable conditions of life; the scientist created a number of historical and liturgical works and Byzantological researches that have not yet been introduced into scientific circulation and deserve to be studied.

THE IMPACT OF THE REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS OF LANGUAGE ON THE LEARNING OF SACRED SCRIPTURE

This paper was presented in the 13th General Assembly of the Conference of Catholic Theological Institutions, hold in the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, from 4 to 7 November 2014. English translation by Father Thomas Kevin Kraft, OP.The learning of Sacred Scripture in Theology courses moves between different linguistic registers. Sometimes, those records are hardly different, other times, they become antagonistic. The first field in which these differences become perceptible is that of the differences between the language of the teacher and the languages of the students. But that's almost nothing. The greatest difference appears between the languages in which the Bible was written: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and the language spoken by students and teacher. It is not only about the difference of languages that could be transposed by the use of the Bible in a translation, but to perceive that there is a universe of words from the daily life of students and absent teacher of the Bible, as well as the opposite : common words in the Bible, absent from the daily life of teacher and students. The words reflect different worlds. The student who entered the world of the Bible would perceive, in ten minutes, that in that world there is no portable. God does not communicate by portable. However, according to the Bible, he speaks. How do you speak? Talking? How to repeat what God speaks? The Bible records numerous direct discourses of God, also records cases of people who, after hearing a divine message, said nothing: one was speechless, another covered the mouth, another heard the unspeakable. In those cases, what God speaks can not be routed. The Bible moves, then, between what is said and what is unspeakable and, in a similar way, more than equivalent, between the spoken and the silence. There is still the nameless territory through which, on the other hand, the Bible passes. The food given to the people in the desert calls Manna because the Israelites asked, What is that? The nameless is also the territory of the name of the Bible, which means books. And what is the name of God? The present communication proposes to take up these linguistic registers in the process of learning the Sacred Scripture in a Theology course.

Greenscreen teaching: Institutional instability and classroom innovation

Abstract“Greenscreen Teaching” explores how the stresses of institutional and social change impact teaching and learning, and the creative resourcefulness born out of instability. In precarious institutions and social contexts, relevant outcomes for theological learning include developing attentiveness, robust moral discernment, and courageous speech seasoned by maturing convictions and pastoral sensitivities. I utilize greenscreen acting as a suggestive metaphor for describing four creative teaching strategies targeting these outcomes. Subsections gather insights from: Etymology of disaster‐related words: Capitalize on the moment and “go big.” Creative method: Improvise and keep it sharp. Ritual theory: Creatively repurpose familiar but underutilized traditions. Service learning: Widen the networks of community connection. Each subsection also revisits moments and learning activities from a graduate course in feminist theology. Navigating constant transition impacts every aspect of the classroom. Nevertheless, a teaching scholar can resource this precariousness as creative agency for voice, solidarity, and mutual learning.

Mind the Gap? Perceptions and Realities of Sexualities Education for Ordinands

This article reports the findings of a small-scale qualitative research project which sought to discover how sexualities education was delivered in Anglican Theological Education Institutions in the UK. With a background of cultural and ecclesial change, as well as the adoption of a single university to validate the majority of theological education courses, the authors build on work done previously to determine the presence of gaps or dissonances between policy and practice. Analysis of on-line questionnaires and semi-structured interviews suggests continuing contestations around sexualities, and diverse opinion even within the same institution. By exploring data within a postmodern methodological framework under the headings of formal education, informal education and the discernment process, we note more congruence than previously within Colleges and Courses, but a diversity of experiences in different dioceses. We recognize the challenges of theological education in a disputed environment, and recommend some changes to the selection process.

Method, MacIntyre, and Pedagogy: Inviting Students to Participate in Theology as a Living Conversation

AbstractTeaching theology within academic institutions with confessional commitments and theologically conservative students requires holding together, in creative tension, two pedagogical goals. The challenge is to promote rigorous academic inquiry by encouraging student openness to engagement with perspectives that challenge their own beliefs while simultaneously constructing a course that is experienced as a safe space where students do not feel their personal faith is under attack. This essay presents the argument that a methodological framework for introductory theology courses informed by Alasdair MacIntyre's reflections on the nature of living traditions holds great promise for achieving these objectives. The essay will also describe how a creative extended analogy drawn from the game of basketball facilitates student comprehension of this initially abstract intellectual framework. Finally, the essay will offer some representative examples of student participation in course online discussion forums in order to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach for student learning.

A community needs responsive management training model: Re-envisioning management training for pastors of the International Assemblies of God Church

Non-profit organisations (NGO�s) play an important role in helping satisfy society�s many needs. Churches, for example, are called upon to address critical challenges facing the South African society such as discrepancies in life chances, unemployment and corruption. It largely depends on the management skills of leaders of such organisations to succeed in their endeavour to meet community needs. In order to improve these skills, this study sought to redefine the initial training of student pastors, including their management training, at the colleges of the International Assemblies of God Church (IAG). A qualitative research approach was followed. Two focus group interviews and seven individual interviews were conducted. Interviews included members of the national and provincial executive committees of the IAG, serving pastors, directors of training colleges, pastor trainees in their final year of study, and a newly graduated student. The findings of the study support the importance of formal management training for pastors before being employed in the service of the IAG. This Church has moved away from accepting ministers for service based on their faith and profession of a call to ministry only. The investigation revealed shortcomings in the initial training programmes of pastors; for example, the emphasis on theological courses at the expense of courses that are responsive to community needs and management training issues. Leaders with the competency to respond to community needs are required. The implementation of a transformational management framework, which includes community responsive courses, is recommended as a way to effectively train church leaders.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Although this article is written within the framework of Educational Management, it touches on other fields like Practical Theology and Curriculum Development. It reflects on the perceived need to include management training in the formal preparation of pastors; an aspect which has previously been sorely neglected. A training model is suggested to achieve this objective.Keywords: community;�training; pastors

The God We Worship:An Exploration of Liturgical Theology by Nicholas Wolterstorff

Reviewed by: The God We Worship:An Exploration of Liturgical Theology by Nicholas Wolterstorff Chris Ángel The God We Worship: An Exploration of Liturgical Theology. By Nicholas Wolterstorff. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015. 180pp. Nicholas Wolterstorff is an analytic philosopher whose work is heavily informed by Reformed theology. In this work he attempts to determine, and state explicitly, the understanding of God that is only implicit in Christian worship. His source material for this consideration of Christian worship is what he calls the “scripts” of Christian liturgies, a concept based on Alexander Schmemann’s concept of the Ordo, or texts regulating the liturgy. Wolterstorff focuses on the points of convergence of Orthodox, Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, [End Page 447] and Reformed liturgies—liturgies which have “stood the test of time across many centuries by billions of Christians” (19). For example, the beginning of the Sanctus leads Wolterstorff to discuss the notion of holiness, where he considers ideas from Isaiah 6, Jonathan Edwards, Karl Barth, and Mary Douglas. His primary influences for this project are two twentieth-century liturgical theologians, Schmemann and J.-J. von Allmen of his own Reformed tradition. He is also strongly influenced by the thinking of Barth, Thomas Aquinas, and N.T. Wright. These thinkers, in conjunction with Wolterstorff ‘s devotion to speech-act theory, lead to two especially provocative conclusions. The first is that God is vulnerable to being wronged. “It’s not just a good thing for the church to enact its liturgy for the worship of God; it’s obligatory that it do so. But if it is obligatory . . . then it wrongs someone if it fails to do that. Who could that be other than God?” (44) The second is that liturgies consistently and pervasively understand God to be a listener. “. . . [M]ost of us have been schooled to think of God as agent. A good many have written about God speaking or revealing, myself included; very few have written about God as listening, my prior self again included” (62). He spends much of his work explaining and justifying these conclusions. Wolterstorff ‘s method is a source of both his work’s weaknesses and its strengths. One could question whether his approach is too general. He acknowledges early on that his focus is on the deepest levels of implicitness, what is implicit in the liturgies as a whole, and in the basic types of liturgical acts (18). Still, for a work of liturgical theology, he uses surprisingly little source material from liturgical texts. Much of this book reflects the liturgy of the Reformed tradition which leads him to his conclusions. He explicitly states that he is focusing on the commonalities between various liturgies, but leaves little room for comment on the differences, liturgical or theological. As a consequence, few examples from non-Reformed traditions are included. However, his method may also be his greatest contribution, which could be used for further study of a single tradition or a part of the liturgy. Wolterstorff himself models this approach in his ninth chapter, in which he presents a Reformed understanding of God implicit [End Page 448] in the Eucharist, which he bases on John Calvin’s analysis of the Eucharistic actions from the Institutes. This work will be of considerable interest to scholars of sacramental and liturgical theology. As a work asking “Who is God?” this would fit in well also with graduate theological study, perhaps as an early text in a sacramental theology course. Chris Ángel University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana Copyright © 2016 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc

Verkündigung im Ehrenamt

Summary Since the Second World War, when pastors were absent, lay preaching in a regular Sunday church liturgy has developed. Today this appears as an alternative when, especially in small rural parishes, a Sunday service would not otherwise take place. “Lectors” typically read a sermon text, provided by the Church for that Sunday and adapt it to their local congregational situation, wheras predicants, who have been trained throughmore substantial study courses in theology for the task of preaching, prepare sermons of their own. The article discusses the common features and differences in these two kinds of “lay” preachers. It looks at the debate about ordaining them though they are not theological professionals, and points to their special contribution to preaching in church.

The Reception of Edwards’s A History of the Work of Redemption in Nineteenth-century Basutoland

A recently discovered manuscript by the French missionary Adolph Mabille (1836-1894) in the Morija Archives, Lesotho, remedies the lack of attention ofA History of the Work of Redemption(hwrhereafter), by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in the nineteenth century. This manuscript found its way from colonial America to Africa through French missionary endeavors in relgious educational training (Paris) and teaching (Basutoland). Edwards’s original aim, and the subsequent publication of ‘outlines of a body of divinity’, converged in nineteenth-century France, where thehwrwas translated in the context ofLe Réveiland taught in the course of systematic theology at the Paris Evangelical Mission Society Mission house, exemplified by Mabille’sDogmatique. Moreover, the appropriation of Edwards’shwrin the combined context of missions and religious education was extended in Basutoland, as seen in theKatekisma. The outline of the catechism may be due to Mabille’s classical training and acquaintance with ‘universal chronology’ and Scripture, but it also reflected his intimate knowledge of Edwards’s work. The reception of Edwards’s exposition of redemptive history in the catechism of Basutoland thus resonates in part with Mabille’sDogmatique—a text transmission of Edwards’sHistoire. The transmission of this text remained the same in structure, was shortened in content and modified over time, but continued as intended by Edwards: to show ‘a work that God is carrying on from the fall of man to the end of the world’.

The Case Study Fishbowl

The context: I use this strategy in seminary practical theology courses. The pedagogical purpose: To help students translate texts into a working knowledge of how theories shape their engagement in practical ministry scenarios. Description of the strategy: Students select a theoretical text from a designated list. Groups of four to six students are assigned a one-page case study describing a ministry event (such as a church committee discussion or a pastoral care situation). Each student prepares a written (six to eight page) overview of their text highlighting significant arguments. On appointed days, one case study group gathers around a table in the classroom, with the rest of their classmates seated in a circle around them. Group members are encouraged to dress up or otherwise signify their theorists. The table setting includes an empty seat. Playing the role of their theorist, group members begin analyzing the case study, starting with the question: “What aspect of this case most claims your attention?” They are encouraged to explore the case conversationally, responding to each other's ideas while remaining in character as their theorist. The rest of the class has also already read the case study. One by one, they move to the empty chair at the table and pose questions about the case or the ideas being expressed, then return to the circle to listen as the conversation among the “theorists” continues. Once every class member has posed at least one question, those at the table are each invited to offer a one minute “final comment” citing an idea or issue from their theorist that has not yet entered the conversation. Following the fishbowl, group members are invited to reflect on how their own responses to the case differ from those they offered while playing their theorists. Why it is effective: The use of unscripted questions from classmates challenges those at the table to move beyond their initial thoughts about how their theorist would see the case into a lively interpretation of the material shaped by others' inquiries. Students report a deeper understanding of the texts because they must put the theorists' ideas into their own words. They also say that role-playing unmasks assumptions they bring to the cases as they wrestle with the cognitive dissonance between the comments they might make as themselves and the responses they offer based on the perspective of the theorist they represent. The playfulness of dressing up lessens student presentation anxiety.