Theological Course Research Articles

ANALISIS DESKRIPSI HASIL BELAJAR MATA KULIAH PENGANTAR TEOLOGI PADA MAHASISWA PENDIDIKAN KEAGAMAAN KATOLIK ANGKATAN 2021

This research aims to provide an overview of student learning outcomes in the Introduction to Theology course. Student learning outcomes in the Introduction to Theology course are relatively low. The researcher estimates that the average score for introductory theology learning outcomes for students in the class of 2021 is the same as the population score of 65. The sample in this study was 30 STPK St. John Rasul Jayapura students in the Catholic Religious Education Study Program class of 2021. The method used was quantitative descriptive analysis. The samples tested in this study included independent samples or unpaired samples. The data used is in the form of documents on learning outcomes for the Introduction to Theology course from 30 students from the class of 2021. Data collection techniques are through participatory observation and unstructured interviews with students. To answer the hypothesis, this research was carried out using the One Sample t Test. Based on the results of the One Sample t Test, it was found that the Sig (two-tailed) value was 0.020≤0.05, thus HO was rejected in this study, meaning that the learning outcomes score for the introductory Theology course for the class of 2021 students was not the same as 65, even the average score The average student class of 2021 is still less than the average population score of -1.42. The learning outcomes scores for Introduction to Theology for students from the class of 2021 are still far from the average scores for the population.

Looking within: an international course on race and theology to support student learning of racism

This qualitative research study explores the impact of in-depth exploration of race in theology on student learning in a voluntary reading group at a Protestant university in Tanzania and students enrolled in a theology course at a Catholic college in the United States. The unique course featured students gathering at their own institutions and together online to explore the construct, history, and operation of race in Christian theology. Researchers interviewed 20 student participants and gathered sample assignments for analysis. Using critical race theory and critical pedagogy as theoretical lenses, the results indicate that while students were readily able to identify examples of systemic racism and the impacts of structural racism in the Christian church, white students in the US were unable to identify the impact of racism on their own racial identities. Implications for research and practice highlight the need for more collaborative research projects with researchers of colour as well as opportunities throughout the higher education experience for students to engage in the continuous process of understanding the role of systemic oppression in society.

Islamisk teologi och filosofi vid Uppsala universitet

This article describes the development that led to the appointment of a professor in Islamic Theology and Philosophy at the Faculty of Theology, Uppsala University, and, at a later stage, to a renewed understanding of Systematic Theology, with two orientations: (1) Worldview Studies and Christian Theology and (2) Islamic Theology. The point of departure is earlier theoretical and methodological considerations by the authors concerning Islamic theology in a contemporary Nordic university setting. Mikael Stenmark was later to become the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, between 2008 and 2014, and during that period new courses in Islamic Theology and Philosophy were designed and Professor Mohammad Fazlhashemi was hired to lead the development of Islamic Theology and Philosophy. This is described in the first section of the article. In the following sections, the academic discipline in which Islamic Theology later was to be integrated, Systematic Theology, is described historically and theoretically in view of the broader work with rethinking the disciplinary structure of the Faculty of Theology during the period when Mattias Martinson was Dean, between 2014 and 2020. The article concludes with a reflection on the current situation and an outlook towards the challenges that a commitment to Islamic Theology entails at a Northern European state university.

The University course of basic theology by archpriest Fyodor Fedorovich Sidonsky in the context of academic lectures by his contemporaries

The only published dogmatic material of the Russian philosopher of the middle of the 19th century, prot. F. F. Sidonsky, is “A genetic introduction to Orthodox theology”, a course of lectures delivered by him in 1872 at St. Petersburg University. The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of the principles of its construction and methodology with similar courses taught at the theological academies by Metropolitan Makariy (Bulgakov) and Archpriest A. V. Gorsky. In contrast to the repeatedly reprinted “Introduction to Orthodox theology” by Metropolitan Makariy (Bulgakov), the notes of Archpriest A. V. Gorsky were discovered in his archive, stored in the Russian State Library and have not yet been introduced into scientific circulation. The analytical part of the article is preceded by a brief overview of biographical information about the scientific and teaching activities of Archpriest F. F. Sidonsky, Archpriest A. V. Gorsky and Metropolitan Makariy (Bulgakov). All the authors belong to the same generation, but to different academic schools: St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev; they have been awarded the highest degrees of not only academic, but also secular science Archpriests Theodore and Alexander read their courses much later than Metropolitan Makariy (Bulgakov), therefore, they pay considerable attention to refuting the natural-scientific criticism of Christianity, which intensified in the late 1850s. The originality of the presentation of the subject by Professor F. F. Sidonsky in comparison with his colleagues is largely due to his secular audience.

The Jesuit Community of the Lithuanian Province: Between Local Crises and Global Changes

Abstract The paper analyzes the community of the Lithuanian province of the Society of Jesus between 1608 and 1773. It adopts a prosopographical approach based on the full set of the order’s personnel catalogs for the Lithuanian and Masovian provinces, which have been analyzed by means of RStudio, an integrated development environment based on the R programming language. The author focuses on the total number of Jesuits in the province, their religious or secular status, final vows, education, regional distribution, and geographic origin. In the long term, changes mainly depended on local factors such as the cultural assimilation of the inhabitants of the eastern territories marked by the influence of the Orthodox Church. In the short term, wars and epidemics also played an important role. However, some of the trends in the Lithuanian province, such as the number of professed of the four vows, which increased due to the larger availability of theological courses during religious formation, were similar to those in other administrative units of the Society. Overall, the article demonstrates that the seventeenth-century crises had a profound impact on the Jesuit community both in terms of numbers and internal structure.

Learning design for holistic student formation

A longstanding area of disagreement among theological educators has been whether the holistic formational goals of theological education can be adequately addressed through non–face-to-face learning modes. This study explored student perceptions of how their experience of studying theology in an asynchronous online context contributed to their holistic formation. Student participants were enrolled in one or more of 22 new online units of study which were developed and offered over three cycles as part of larger design-based research project. The study, initiated and conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, found a broad range of design elements contributed to five dimensions of student formation (theological understanding, personal dispositions, ministry dispositions, ministry skills, identity), suggesting that purposeful learning design can facilitate holistic student formation in online and distance learning contexts. Although this study examined learning design for holistic student formation in theological courses, the results may be of interest for other disciplines with similar holistic formational aims.

Категория совести в нравственном богословии XVIII – первой половины XIX в.

The article presents a general overview of the interpretation of the category of conscience in the Synodal period. As a theological term, the word “conscience” entered the Old Russian language together with Christianity, that is why virtually all its meanings were associated with the New Testament and the texts of the Holy Fathers. Speaking of conscience, the scribes of the pre-Synodal pore understood it in a traditional way for Eastern Christianity. In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, a systematic description of conscience as a moral category emerged under the influence of a methodology that had taken shape in the West, primarily in the context of what was commonly referred to as casuistry. A peculiarity of this approach was the emphasis on a vague or scrupulous conscience and its errors. Later in the second half of the 18th century, the Catholic influence was replaced by a Protestant one, which affected the way of thinking about conscience in the first half of the next century as well. The doctrine of conscience became more balanced, because the emphasis was no longer only on error, but on its transformation by the grace of baptism. Finally, in the first half of the nineteenth century, the first experiments in the independent courses in moral theology appeared, the authors of which considered conscience in the context of sacred theology.

Spre un manual al confesorului în Biserica Română Unită? Historie evanghelicească de Teodor Pop și semnificațiile sale

The article deals with a case study on a Romanian manuscript presenting a history of the Gospels, written by Professor Teodor Pop, one of the most erudite and prolific representatives of the teaching community in the first decades of the nineteenth century. In addition to succinct and accessible presentation of the content of the Gospels, the manuscript also contains instructions on questions asked by priests to confessing believers related to the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue), the Church’s commandments, the capital sins, and questions concerning various social and professional categories of believers. In order to verify the hypothesis that this course, with its practical emphasis, was intended for “moralist” theologians (those who were taking a short theological course), the author draws a comparison with the works of Samuil Micu, Theologhiia moralicească (Moral Theology, 1796) and Theologhie dogmatică și moralicească despre Taina Pocăianiei (Dogmatic and Moral Theology about the Mystery of Penance, 1801), but also on a possible foreign model, Historia utriusque Testamenti, a multi-volume work published in Rome in 1774, mentioned in the catalogue of the library of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. The analytical findings are important for understanding how the relationship between translation and adaptation functioned in the case of certain subjects of the middle school education process.

Just Tell the Truth: A Call to Faith, Hope, and Courage by Richard Lischer

Reviewed by: Just Tell the Truth: A Call to Faith, Hope, and Courage by Richard Lischer Mark Koschmann Just Tell the Truth: A Call to Faith, Hope, and Courage. By Richard Lischer. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2021. 210pp. This book is a collection of sermons, scripture meditations, and theological essays. In each chapter the author balances Law and Gospel, calling for “Christians of all parties and in all walks of life” [End Page 461] to discover again “what it really means to be a follower of the Way” (xi). As in his previous book, Open Secrets: A Memoir of Faith and Discovery (2002), Lischer uses a narrative approach to apply the life, teaching, and ministry of Jesus to contemporary concerns. The author gives a clear and passionate account of God’s story of salvation which culminates in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. While sociopolitical and ethical concerns appear, the key is to convey “what the book of Acts calls ‘the facts about Jesus’—who he is, what he did, what he demands, and the sort of people he empowers us to be” (xi). By interpreting scripture and applying it to the contemporary American social context, Lischer succeeds in giving a descriptive account of the callings Christians have today, in particular calling to speak about the radical grace God gives to the world. The book is organized around the liturgical seasons. In the first section the author uses the season of Lent to guide readers to reflect on the brokenness, sorrow, and disappointments of human life. In the second section Lischer explores a Christian ethos of hope with meditations on the liturgical seasons of Christmas and Pentecost, as well as reflections on the Psalms. As noted in his introduction, “COVID-19 created a universal field of suffering and anxiety to such an extent that it was impossible to think or write about anything else” (xi). These two sections take on deeper meaning, then, when viewed as a response to the suffering people have experienced during the pandemic. In the third section Lischer turns to Holy Week to expound on the victory that is found in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The fourth section illustrates the ways that God calls people to live their faith in action through their vocations. The fifth section describes saints as God’s teachers who show how to forgive, reject power, tell the truth, be humble and serve others, and “teach us how to die” (164). The last section includes a series of writings on “Public Callings” urging Christians to live out their vocations for thoughtful and informed living. I assigned this book to undergraduate students in an intermediate theology course at Concordia University, St. Paul. The book connected well to themes of the course and the experiences of students in Minneapolis-St. Paul following the murder of George Floyd. His [End Page 462] death prompted courageous outcries for truth and justice. In one of the first sessions, while on a walking tour near campus, students came upon a scorched debris-ridden area. The experience breathed life into the text. “In Christ, even the chaos of ashes finds a form. We don’t receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday only; we bring them to the altar every day. The little box we carry is our own. Only in Jesus are they gathered into the shape of the cross” (6). This articulation of the theology of the cross offered hope to students in the face of tragic injustice. Lischer excels in his description of liturgy, especially to interpret God’s work in the world today. He emphasizes that the baptized are redeemed by Christ the crucified, writing that the baptismal promise “can never be taken away from you, but it does leave an indelible mark” (209). However, for those who are less familiar with the church’s liturgical life, these references may be lost, missed, or confused. Still, the liturgical and sacramental references provide opportunities for teaching about the promises of God in Jesus Christ. Overall, this book is a remarkable achievement for its engaging devotional approach, biblical insights, and clear application of the Christian Gospel. In one essay on Psalm 46 the author...

The Role of Islamic Scholars in the Education of Muslim Youth Against Violent Extremism

This study targets to explain the roots of violent extremism in Philippines particularly in Mindanao wherein various terrorist attacks were being conducted. The researcher also looks on education interventions that have been implemented in fragile communities and/or those that have targeted high risk groups, as a way of discouraging violent extremism. The study employed the descriptive – evaluative method of research, with the researcher made survey questionnaire as the principal instrument for data gathering. The setting of the study is the City of Cotabato which is composed of various Islamic schools and institutions that offers Religion and Theology courses. Cotabato City is formerly part and the regional center of Region XII. But due to the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, it is now part of BARMM and served as the regional center. Being an independent component city, it's not a subject to regulation from the Provincial Government of Maguindanao where it is geographically located. The respondents of this study were the Islamic teachers (Mudarrisun) of selected Islamic schools (Madaris) and Professors (Asatidz) of Islamic Studies in selected institutions in Cotabato City that offer Religion and Theology courses. Only fifty (50) respondents were finally chosen to constitute the sample of the study which is complete enumeration of the target sample population. As a descriptive – evaluative study, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools, mean, standard deviation, frequency distribution and percentage. Frequency distribution was used to facilitate computation of summary values, such as the mean and standard deviation. Percentage was used to describe and compare relative proportion of categories. The mean and standard deviation were used to describe the typical perception and the variability of the perceptions of the respondents, respectively.

List of Contributors

James Butler(PhD, Durham University) is the Assistant Coordinator and lecturer of the MA Programme at Church Mission Society, Oxford, UK and Post-doctoral Researcher at the University of Roehampton, London, UK. His PhD explored how Small Missional Communities sustain their social action.Rachel Iwamony(PhD, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is a staff member of the faculty of theology at Indonesia Christian University in the Moluccas and now serves as the director of Graduate Program. She teaches courses in theology of religions and Christian spirituality.E.J. David KramerE.J. David Kramer is Lecturer in Systematic Theology at the

The master’s debate of the sacred Ioann Mansvetov in the Moscow Theological Academy in the context of ecclesiological disputes of the 1870s–1880s

The dispute about the defense of the master’s thesis is sacred John Mansvetov’s “New Testament Teaching about the Church”, held in 1879, is of interest in the context of ecclesiological discussions in the Russian church periodicals of 1869–1870 and 1882–1884, activated by the posthumous publications of the works of A. S. Khomyakov. His work was prepared under the leadership of an outstanding representative of the domestic academic science of the Moscow Theological Academy Rector Alexandr Vasilyevich Gorsky. His disciples were the opponents of Mansvetov: teachers of the dogmatic department A. D. Belyaev and N. M. Ivantsov. They all listened to the course of dogmatic theology of Archpriest A. V. Gorsky, who analyzed problematic places in the writings of an outstanding lay theologian. The materials of the dispute were not covered in the church periodicals, but the circumstances of the defense partially clarify Belyaev’s diary entries. The ecclesiological ideas of the opponents were set forth in their own works: two articles by N. M. Ivantsov, published in 1877–1878 in the journal Orthodox Review, headed by his brother A. M. Ivantsov-Platonov; and in Belyaev’s master’s thesis “Divine Love”, defended in 1880. The aim of the study is to identify the influences on the views of three young scientists of their famous predecessors-the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, prot. A. V. Gorsky and A. S. Khomyakov.

예수회 콜레주, 근대유럽 중등교육의 전형

The Society of Jesuit, which first began as a missionary organization, after establishing the first college open to common students at Messina in 1548, spread its own colleges throughout Europe and around the world. The educational method or curriculum of the Jesuit college cannot be said to be original in itself. The Jesuit adopted a Paris-style educational method that began by the Brotherhood of the common life and transformed from the University of Paris. Students were divided into classes, learned systematically defined subjects from independent professors, and were promoted to higher classes through examinations. The curriculum also focused on learning Latin and Greek grammar, according to the knowledge system of the time that embraced humanism, and then leading to humanities and rhetoric, followed by philosophy and theology courses. This educational method and curriculum were also accepted at the same time in colleges run by other congregations, and it was natural that there was no significant difference between the Protestant and Catholic regions. Rather, the originality of the Jesuit college is that they tried to provide an overall system and secure unity as much as possible by completing the Ratio Studiorum through long experience. Unlike the schools of Brotherhood of the common life, which had disappeared, and unlike the colleges run by Protestants and secular professors in individual ways, the stable system in Jesuit colleges spread throughout Europe for over 150 years. Although the philosophy and theology courses were modified, the humanities-centered secondary education system was also accepted by other educational congregations or universityaffiliated colleges, becoming a model for secondary education in modern Europe. The Jesuit was dissolved in the mid-18th century, but classical humanities education remained at the core of the European liberal arts class. The elites owning this high culture distinguished themselves from the lower classes until the end of the 19th century, and the legacy of this tradition continues today as well. (Chonnam National University / kim03ji@hotmail.com)

Examining Teaching Materials in Higher Education Against Religious Intolerance and Pluralism in the Global Era: Islamic Perspective

This study aims to investigate the role of the study of teaching materials in universities on religious intolerance and pluralism. The study also explores the Islamic perspective on these two dimensions. The location of the research was carried out at the IAIN Parepare of South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The source of research data is secondary data obtained from document review of teaching materials in the Aqidah Akhlak (moral theology) course as well as literature relevant to the research topic. The literature study research methodology guided by content analysis focuses on three topics, namely teaching materials, religious intolerance, and pluralism in the view of Islam. The study revealed two findings. First, the results of a study of the components or the appropriateness of the contents of the items of teaching materials in accordance with the values ​​of tolerance as contained in Pancasila and Bhineka Tunggal Ika. Thus, these teaching materials contribute to preventing religious intolerance and provide a new perspective on pluralism. Second, in the view of Islam, it is known that religious intolerance can be avoided by tasamuh, namely by instilling a commendable moral attitude. While pluralism there are two opposing schools between those who accept and reject. In the Qur'an, there is an explanation of pluralism as a necessity, human diversity in togetherness. The conclusion is that the study of teaching materials contributes to supporting tasamuh behavior and avoiding negative views about pluralism. Pluralism is not recommended, namely religious pluralism which is feared to have a negative impact on aqidah. With the study of teaching materials, negative possibilities can be minimized as long as they are in accordance with practice. Because after all, the values ​​of pluralism are also able to foster mutual respect and appreciation between fellow human beings so that they can support the development of student morality. The expected implication is that universities must supervise and provide input on teaching materials that have the potential for the concepts of tolerance and pluralism. The government needs to support the socialization of the true importance of tolerance and pluralism in the campus environment.

The Lack of a Theology Hood at The University of the West Indies

Established in 1948, The University of the West Indies offers a course in theology but has no hood for those who complete it. This article examines the history of the programme and considers the reasons no hood has been approved.

Church Members Reflection on the Involvement of Lay or Ordained Leaders in Active Politics: A study of MCK Kaaga Circuit

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the reflection of church members on the involvement of lay or ordained leaders in active politics specifically in MCK Kaaga Circuit
 Methodology: This study employed descriptive research design. The target population was 11 Kaaga circuit local churches. The study used simple random sampling method to obtain 30% of the 11 local churches to obtain 3 local Methodist churches in Kaaga circuit. The study used purposive sampling method to get a sample of 12 respondents who included 6 church leaders and 6 members. These 12 respondents were purposely selected based on their past experience as political aspirants in various political position in the just concluded 2013 national elections. The study used unstructured interview guides to collect the data.
 Results: The study results have proved that it is not wrong for spiritual leaders to join politics since they cultivate and incorporate the virtue of honesty, Holy spirit led administration of resources, democracy and bring Godly light in their political platforms. However, one cannot serve two masters (politics and church leadership) since one may bring division in church. In addition, politics is seen a breeding ground for engagement in corruption, unfulfilled promises hence making politicians liars, deviation from God’s purpose of spreading the gospel and accumulation of huge masses of wealth so as to terminate opponents. Nevertheless, politics are not all that bad when their contribution to the community is considered. Politics have been seen to expand of leadership skills of the politicians, growth in developmental agendas and social interactions skills. This reasons therefore makes the church to greatly support the few leaders who have shown interest in politics since they would represent the church members in politics more than what was being done outside the church. In addition, the church also prays for them before venturing into political journey and the church members are requested to vote for them.
 Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: The study recommends that church members get empowered with information on the relevance of politics and how they interrelate with religion. The spiritual leaders should be trained on good governance skills before they engage into politics so that they can practice them effectively when they get positioned. The church management should work hand in hand with the government on delivering various projects of the society. This would make it easy and realistic to church members to believe that a spiritual leader has societal interests when they contest any political positions. The church should engage external institutions such as universities that offer leadership and theological courses to its members on how to translate church language to a language the community can understand for effectiveness.

Apostolicity – The question of Continuity and Authority

This article was presented as a research paper for the Ecumenical Theology Course at the Ecumenical Institute Bossey in Switzerland. Apostolicity and the relation to the apostles and the early Christians is a big discussed topic in several ecumenical dialogues. First the article analysis the method and context of five different ecumenical dialogue documents. It goes from multilateral Faith and Order documents like “Baptism, Eucharist, Ministry” and “The Church Towards a Common Vision” over the “Porvoo Common Statement” to two Lutheran/Roman-Catholic documents. Then it identifies some characteristic dimensions of apostolicity and brings the results from the dialogues together. A reading of apostolicity as narrative of continuity and authority in relation to god and Jesus Christ occurs through the chapters. Especially in the question of ministry apostolicity plays an important and differentiated role. The article focusses in the end on the episcopal ministry and develops the differentiation of horizontal and vertical apostolic continuity. Apostolicity is described as a gift of god and becomes obviously through gods action in the ordination act. Finally, the article summarises all results, ideas and new approaches.

The Territories of Human Reason: Science and Theology in an Age of Multiple Rationalities

The Territories of Human Reason: Science and Theology in an Age of Multiple Rationalities

A Novel Evangelism Model for Our Local Church’s Next Generation Leadership

It is no doubt that the spread of good news about the human’s savior Lord — Jesus Christ is the most important mission for all of the Christians in the World. However, the old model of planting another church from the mother one tends to be phased out. There is a need to set up a novel evangelism model for our Hong Kong local churches in the 21st century. At the same time, as the old pastors of local churches gradually retired, there is also a need to cultivate our next young and energetic church leadership. This author proposes that through the research of the model for Christian/non-Christian Israel visiting and the associated spiritual revival courses, new church leadership can be found and established. Indeed, the aim of these spiritual revival courses may lead some of the Christian Israel visitors willing to apply for the theological seminary and hence become future church leaders. Actually, this author also discovers that the novel evangelism model should program for the minority population groups in Hong Kong. Thus, there will be a request to extend the cultural and literature course (both in Taiwan Chinese and English) for our seminary colleges. Then these theological courses will become even complete for the preparation of the Hong Kong local churches’ role in the evangelism of after the pasted 20th century.

Structured Reading Groups

This paper explored James’ Lang’s work Small Teaching as a useful resource for developing and incorporating structured reading groups in the required upper-level theology courses at the institutions where I teach. The purpose of the reading groups is to increase student engagement and facilitate deep learning, with each reading group role patterned on one of Lang’s models or principles of knowledge, understanding, and inspiration.