Practical Theological Research Research Articles

Is Poland Still the Bulwark of Christendom?

Abstract This article provides a comprehensive examination of the current state of research in Polish practical theology, focusing on the significant pastoral challenges confronted by the Catholic Church in Poland today. Comprising two parts, the study begins with a descriptive analysis of the institutional framework of Polish theology. It highlights the contemporary landscape of Polish ecclesiastical universities and theological faculties, addressing concerns regarding didactics and the declining enrollment of theology students. Additionally, the article explores the recent evaluation principles employed by the Ministry of Education and Science for assessing Polish theological faculties. The second part of the article presents a research-based investigation into the primary pastoral problems in Poland, drawing on selected literature sources. These issues encompass: (1) the decreasing number of dominicantes and communicantes, (2) the Church’s engagement in the digital realm, (3) challenges associated with youth ministry, (4) the decline in student participation in religious education classes, (5) the absence of adult catechesis, and (6) the complexities surrounding the use of religious language. In response to the titular inquiry regarding Poland’s status as a bastion of Christendom, the study offers a cautiously affirmative response, considering certain reservations. Research findings demonstrate that the profile of Polish Catholics has undergone an inevitable evolution towards secularization in recent years, with Polish pastoral care not always keeping pace with this shifting mentality.

Pantheon research, practical theology, and cathedral studies

ABSTRACTThis article represents an attempt by a practical theologian to reckon with cathedral studies in view of research at the Pantheon in Rome. Although cathedral studies and practical theology share much in common, they have not yet been brought into critical conversation. Although the Pantheon is also the Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres of the Roman Catholic Church, and not a cathedral, the Pantheon serves similar purposes to cathedrals. The author’s practical theological research project at the Pantheon becomes an occasion to showcase some frameworks and apply some findings of cathedral studies. Developing Pantheon research at the intersection of these two fields deepens Pantheon research while also allowing a critical perspective on the relatively new field of cathedral studies, in service of its further development as a critical discourse in service of academy, Church and world.

From Zerfass to Osmer and the Missing Black African Voice in Search of a Relevant Practical Theology Approach in Contemporary Decolonisation Conversations in South Africa: An Emic Reflection from North-West University (NWU)

Rolf Zerfass’s operational scientific model for correcting Christian-ecclesiological praxis has been utilised in practical theological research for a considerable time at the North-West University. However, this situation changed with the adoption of Richard Osmer’s four practical theology tasks of descriptive, interpretive, normative, and pragmatic as the guiding practical theology approach. The question is this: to what extent does the Osmer approach and its application in research at NWU address African contextual issues? To progress beyond being ‘reactive’ and ‘pushing back’ on Western practical theology approaches, the NWU practical theology approach is evaluated, followed by proposing an approach that attempts to incorporate African contextual realities anchoring by the principles of ‘listening, observing, weaving, and offering’.

Studying Digital Pentecostalism

Abstract One of the most important developments in recent history has been the invention of the internet and this has led to many academic disciplines developing digital research competence. However, there has been limited practical-theological research completed in the area of digitally mediated Pentecostalism. Therefore, this article addresses this important area, as conceived within the discipline of practical theology using empirical research methods. Even before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Pentecostals had embraced an online delivery of worship and ministry. Nevertheless, the capacity for the digital mediation of beliefs and practices has developed considerably in 2020 and 2021, and these recent developments invite further critical attention. To develop competence in the study of digital Pentecostalism, practical theologians will be required to acquire competence in “virtual ethnography,” sometimes referred to as “netnography,” that is, the academic study of online communities, including online churches. As part of this competence, there is a need to reframe virtual ethnography within an empirical-theological approach as a subset of practical theology, and this includes attending to hermeneutical issues as well as technical competence (that is, methods of gathering and evaluating online data). In this article, I shall explore some of these methodological concerns and suggest ways in which scholars can develop approaches to the research of digital pentecostal and charismatic Christianity.

International Cooperative Research: Experiences and Insights from the Project on Confirmation Work in Europe

Abstract This article describes the long-term research project on confirmation work in Europe which is carried out in ten countries, and discusses it as an example of international cooperative and comparative research in practical theology. Against the background of an increasing demand for international research in practical theology on the one hand and the far-reaching lack of respective studies which is demonstrated by an analysis of the articles published in IJPT on the other, major results and methodological questions from the project on confirmation work are presented. In a final section, the advantages as well as the challenges of international cooperative and comparative research are discussed.

A Holistic Approach to Youth Ministry Models in Africa

Abstract Youth ministry continues to be a salient focus area in theological research and practical ministry. This paper focuses on faith formation of young people in urban African cities, with a specific focus on Nairobi. Within the urban African context, plural worldviews and religious belonging, technological integration in youth culture, youth marginalization and mental health complexities, especially in a post-covid context, are critical factors in any meaningful youth engagement. This paper considers the contemporary youth ministry research in Africa, examining the classical youth ministry models that have been proposed and drawing out themes that should be considered for a holistic approach to faith formation among youth in African cities. This research summarizes research findings of the author from his doctoral research in Practical Theology at the University of South Africa, titled The Influence of Youth Culture on Holistic Faith Formation of Youth in Nairobi City: A Practical Theological Approach.

Religieus gemotiveerde voedselhulp in de context van de Covid-19 pandemie

Before the Covid-19 crisis, churches organized many activities in church building, De Nieuwe Stad in Amsterdam Zuidoost, including serving free meals for everyone who wanted them. When this was no longer possible because of the Covid-19 measures, the international churches Treasures International Ministries and Maranatha Community Transformation Centre and Diaconie Evangelisch-Lutherse Gemeente Amsterdam decided to work together and start delivering meals to people’s houses. As one, relatively small project, operating alongside other aid initiatives, the meals project soon received many more enlistments than anticipated, and the Covid-19 crisis lasted longer than expected, which raised questions regarding the underlying needs and how to proceed in the long term. Together with researchers, they started a practical theological research project. On the basis of this project, that included action research, this article describes the meals project, its context and the research method that was employed. It makes clear how these meals expressed and shaped 1) social connections between people, 2) a meaningful life, 3) empowerment of people, and reflects on these themes from a diaconal perspective. The article intends to contribute to the conversation on the role that churches (could) play in society during a pandemic.

Asking Other Questions: Lifting up Gender and Sexuality in Womanist Practical Theological Research

This essay chronicles the research of the author in celebration of Dr. Boyung Lee the program chair of the Religious Education Association and principle designer of the REA Conference with her theme “Gender, Sexuality, and Wholeness: Religious Education for Confrontation and Healing.” As with the conference theme with its focus on gender and sexuality, other questions also include race and class. Other questions are intersectional in nature where race, class, gender, and sexuality converge in the lived experiences of African descended girls and young women.

Practice Theory in Empirical Practical Theological Research: The Scientific Contribution of LETRA

Discussing the contribution of Learning and knowledge trajectories in congregations (LETRA) is a challenge, particularly when one was involved in it. Two research questions are posed: How has the methodological and theoretical framework of LETRAcontributed to knowledge about learning in congregations? What are the differences between LETRA and related Norwegian research projects within practical theology? The first part presents key features of the three different strains of theory withinLETRA, and brief examples of how researchers in LETRA have utilized them. The second part discusses the research contribution of LETRA on two topics, “object” and “materiality”, taking articles by other researchers as vantage points. The article concludes that LETRA has contributed to scientific novelty through its combination of an empirical descriptive design and a pool of practice theories. However, novelty is a moving target. It is necessary to continually pursue theoretical openness in order to conduct empirical research on congregational and religious change in societiy.

WEERKAATSENDE WOORDE: ’N (OUTO)BIOGRAFIESE REFLEKSIE VAN ’N (PRAKTIESE) TEOLOOG

This article discloses, in an intimate personal manner and based on an (auto)biographical journey, some of the secrets and treasures of a (practical) theological academic author. Drawing on an initial casual contact with a practical theologian’s personal living-space, it presents a trajectory for charting the development of academic writing. Unexpected milestones along the path of documented practical theological research include aspects of a local, concrete and embodied description. Each of these milestones describes the steep elevation and gradient along the course. In viewing these milestones, one discovers that both writer and reader share in the most personal matters and that this intimacy has general significance. An analysis of the reflecting words of a (practical) theologian reveals potential coordinates for future writing and charting of other personal theological academic secrets and disclosures.

Listening for the Cries of the Earth: Practical Theology in the Anthropocene

Abstract This paper presents the gap in practical theological research in relation to the devastating effects of the environmental crisis. The paper argues that, because of its silence, the field of practical theology is complicit unwittingly in perpetuating the environmental crisis. The paper identifies three potential causes that predispose the field to fall silent before the enormity of the crisis: 1. The human-centricity of its methodology, telos and theological anthropology; 2. The anthropocentricism of its theology based on dominant Western formulations, and; 3. The power of eco-anxiety to trigger defense mechanisms that foreclose acknowledgement of the crisis. Importantly, the paper also identifies interdisciplinary resources and conversation partners with whom the field of practical theology may re-construct creation-centered pathways forward.

Nordisk praktisk-teologisk ekklesiologi: Aktuelt fagfeltog aktuelle spørsmål

The article first identifies and explicates three research areas as central to Nordic practical-theological research in ecclesiology: studies of local congregations, of state-church – relations, and of processes of change and reform. In dialogue with these three research areas, it reflects on fundamental features pertaining to an empirically oriented contemporary practical-theological ecclesiology: First its origin within as well as close collaboration and porous interface with other disciplines, especially social sciences – and the implications for understanding practical-theological ecclesiology as a theological discipline. Second, how practical-theological ecclesiology studies and explicates “church” as a social reality along three different dimensions: as interaction, institution and organization, evoking the question about the relation between these three perspectives. And third, how empirically oriented practical-theological ecclesiology also challenges and destabilizes “church” as a social and concrete phenomenon and area of research.

MEANING AND POWER: SOME KEY TERMS IN FEMINIST LIBERATION THEOLOGY

Feminist theologians engaged in research have found it necessary to analyse terms, motifs, definitions and perspectives critically in order to clarify their meaning when applying them to women’s experience. In this process certain key terms have come to the fore which occur with frequency as women grapple with what it means to have faith in a sexist world. The role of language, symbol and metaphor are of prime Importance in the doing of feminist theology. Women have learnt about the power of naming in the struggle to have their experience heard in a male-defined world. The more language and its use are examined, the more apparent it becomes that making meaning through language is no simple task. There is no single feminist theology. Feminist theologians are not and homogenous group and they represent a variety of voices on what it means to be a women of faith. Thus the key terms spelt out in this article are neither exhaustive nor universal. Their selection and the manner in which they are explained will depend on the category called ‘women’s experience’, and on particular hermeneutical choices. The phrase ‘women’s experience’ is in itself problematic. Women are separated everywhere by race, class and economic status and great caution must be Exercised not to overemphasize the universal at the cost of the particular when referring to the experience of women. The key terms dealt with are: conscientization, feminism, the personal is political, patriarchy, community of faith, relationally, justice, liberation, liberating praxis and commonwealth of God. They are chosen because they are of particular interest to the author’s research in practical theology as a white middle-class Christian feminist and the definitions given are operational in the generating of theories in the South African context.

Conversation as a tool of research in practical theology

ABSTRACTThe study of the dynamics of conversation has been a well-established tool of research in the social sciences but, although interest in the espoused and ordinary theology of church members has grown, its use has not been well developed in Practical Theology. This article examines how attention to the manner in which conversations proceed may aid understanding of the speaker's theology, aiding both the researcher and the minister in understanding the theological assumptions of members of Christian congregations. Listening to these conversations with the aid of the discipline of Conversation Analysis has revealed theology that is extra-ordinary: insightful, relevant and missional.

Song Selection in German Protestant Churches and Free Churches: Insights and Challenges from an Empirical Inquiry

This practical-theological research paper presents the main results of a grounded theory inquiry into the criteria for song selection among pastors, musicians and liturgists in German Protestant Churches and Free Churches. It argues that, in contrast to some current practical manuals, practitioners focus less on systematic rational assessment of songs, but make decisions in the process of song selection habitually, interacting with others involved in the process and negotiating manifold social, theological and musical criteria. It is necessary to distinguish the particular capabilities of pastors, liturgists and musicians, who each approach the process of song selection from different angles. Interpreting those results in dialogue with Christopher Small’s musicking theory and James K.A. Smith’s reflections on the role of habitus in liturgy, the paper closes with a plea to reconsider current forms of practical-theological guidance on song selection.

Towards a Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Methodology for Theology

Abstract The question of methodology in theology is sometimes vexed. In this article I seek to offer a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology for theology, utilising the insights of recent French phenomenology. Such a methodology demands that we refrain from making judgments in advance about the kinds of phenomena it is possible to encounter. Not only does this enable us to re-frame questions about the distinctions between philosophy and theology, but it also frees theologians from the problematic requirement of assuming a methodological atheism, particularly as they undertake practical theological research.

The ‘Frail Researcher’ in dialogue with existential phenomenology: The threat of empiricism within the quest for sound methodology in practical theological research

Within an academic environment and context of higher education, the question of disciplinary differentiation and research methodology are burning issues to adhere to the quest for scientific and sound epistemological based knowledge. While dealing with the dual tension: wisdom (sapientia) and reason (scientia), it is difficult for practical theology to identify and maintain its theological character. Under the pressure of human sciences, research in practical theology tends to turn to phenomenology so to gain clarity on the philosophical framework or paradigm for performing research projects in a systematic and methodological way. In this regard, existential phenomenology probes into the meta-realm of meaning-giving; it describes the frailty of life in terms of being (Dasein) as exposed to anxiety, dread, despair and fear of death. Due to the demand for empirical research, the threat of empiricism and the danger of Platonification (the ‘causation trap’) is discussed. To maintain both its spiritual-theological character (ministerial and ecclesial context), and its relevancy for the dynamics of life events (contextuality), a ‘spiritual empiricism’ is proposed by means of a praxis of practical theological verbing, namely understanding and interpreting, communicating and verbalising, acting, hoping, imagining, seeing, beautifying and living. It is argued that the notion ‘praxis of God’ could serve as theological paradigm in theory formation. The passio Dei is both a spiritual matter and existential-experiential entity within the encounter of God–human beings. It refers to both the reason or logic of God (ḥesed) and the wisdom of grace (compassion).

Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical

AbstractThe aim of this article is to discuss how one can understand empirical observations as a starting point for practical theological research, which is geared towards developing theological reflection, with a particular focus on the faith practices of children and young people. Three basic skills are suggested as keys in scholarly engagement with children and young people: observation as reception, listening as reception, and the importance of learning language. The authors show what happens theologically when youth ministry scholars apply these skills in practical theological research that focuses on the faith practices of young people.

Finding the voice of Judaism within practical theological research

ABSTRACTWhile adapting to the changing realities of pluralism and globalisation, it is imperative the field of practical theology consider the unheard voice of the religious other as an indispensable theological interlocutor. In this article, I argue for the examination of contemporary Jewish practice as one potential starting point. In order to engage in such inquiries, I first propose the necessity of post-Shoah theology as an indispensable conceptual lens that gives credence to the damaging effects of Christian supersessionism. Second, I offer my own research on how Jewish rabbis practice Shabbat as a working case study. In this regard, I propose the use of phenomenological research as a methodology that gives voice to how Jews describe their own experience. In conclusion, I offer reflexive gleanings for the enterprise of practical theology.

Die samestelling en gebruik van vraelyste in kerklike opnames met verwysings na die Ned Geref Kerk se <i>Kerkspieël</i>-vraelyste

The construction and usage of questionnaires in church surveys with references to the Dutch Reformed church’s ‘Kerkspieël’ questionnairesThis article works from the premise that practical theology interprets the functioning of the church. Therefore, practical theologians should also be knowledgeable about empirical approaches to investigate these matters. Surveys are an important tool in empirical investigations and questionnaire construction forms an integral part of this process to ensure collection of quality information. However, questionnaire construction can be challenging since it involves human communication and interpretation that is fluid and unique by nature, but attempts to generate from it standardised and controlled responses. Therefore, the quality of each item in a questionnaire must be examined thoroughly. As an example, this article identifies certain flaws in the Dutch Reformed Church’s ‘Kerkspieël’ surveys. These entail the following: double barrelled, ambiguous, unclear, general, abstract and emotionally-related wording, timeframe in questions, leading questions, and assumed knowledge. In practical theological research, these deficiencies can serve as examples urging researchers to be more focused when aiming to develop quality surveys.