Theological Curriculum Research Articles

An interdisciplinary approach to theological studies in a public university

Theological curriculum in South African universities is comprised of disciplines such as church history, the Old Testament, the New Testament, systematic theology, missiology and practical theology. Theology has been approached through these disciplines and their interaction with each other in an intradisciplinary way. This article argues that theology needs to be done beyond theological disciplines through an interdisciplinary approach to increase its influence in a public university such as the University of South Africa (UNISA). The limitations and drawbacks of this approach are discussed. A brief history of theological studies at UNISA is also discussed to understand how the curriculum of theology has been approached in the past. An interdisciplinary approach is proposed to maximising the research profile of theology through research outputs and postgraduate supervision. In addition, this approach can attract graduates from other fields such as law, medicine, commerce and so forth. An interdisciplinary approach is relevant in designing and developing short learning programmes to attract students to study theology. The development of interdisciplinary niche areas is also important in attracting postgraduate students. Lastly, the approach is pivotal in avoiding theology’s possible dearth and death in a public university.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: an interdisciplinary approach to theological studies is proposed as an interaction between the field of theology and other fields such as law, medicine, commerce, and others for the maximisation of student numbers in undergraduate and postgraduate studies and research outputs.

Hassan Hanafi's Reformation in The Islamic World

This research analyzes Hassan Hanafi's liberation thoughts: Al-Turats wa Al Tajdid, hermeneutics of liberation, and the Islamic left. The method used in this research is library research with a descriptive-analytic method, namely using interpretive analysis of books by Hassan Hanafi as primary data and articles, research journals, and other scientific works related to the research object as secondary data. The research results show that Al Turats Wa Tajdid is a significant project in the revival of Islam. This Hanafi idea changed the concept of Islamic theology from theocentric to anthropocentric. The second is Hassan Hanafi's hermeneutics of liberation using three methods: 1) Historical-Criticism, 2) Eidetic-Conciusness, and 3) Practical-Conciusness. The third is the movement for the liberation of Islamic thought called the "Islamic Left". This movement is intended to fight colonialism, Zionism, and Western hegemony, as well as the oppressive ruling elite, as well as against ignorance and confinement. This research makes a significant contribution in inspiring readers to follow the renewal of Hanafi thought, which elevates Islamic theology as a driver of social change and solutions to social problems, as well as changing the Islamic theology curriculum to focus on social reality rather than just God.

Training of African Independent Churches Students at the Umphumulo Lutheran Theological College

The African Independent Churches Association (AICA) holds a unique place in the contribution of South African theological education. The AICA established the AICA Theological College; however, later on it initiated a theological negotiation with the Umphumulo Lutheran Theological College (ULTC) to train its students. The African Independent Churches (AICs) are seriously concerned with theologically training their church leaders. The vision and mission of the AICs are to sustain and grow the quality of their doctrine. This is to ensure that the significant connection between theological training and their own churches’ life experiences are encouraged. The role of theological training has much potential to train theological students of pastoral leadership. Thus, theological training and the church have always taken a rightful place to serve communities. This article explores why the AICs are training their theological students at the ULTC. The article focuses on four areas. Firstly, it discusses an early partnership between the ULTC and the AICs. Secondly, it offers some reasons why the AICs initiated the process of training their theological students at the South African theological institutions of the mainline churches. Thirdly, it discusses the establishment of the AICA Theological College and its success and challenges. Fourthly, it outlines the theological curriculum challenges offered to AICs theological students and the Lutheran support initiatives to the AICs.

Pioneering a Theological Curriculum for Our Time and Place—The Case of Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture

“Decolonizing the mind” (Ngugi) is an ongoing task, even after 50 years or more of political independence. This is particularly the case with respect to theological education, where norms and structures still faithfully follow the Western pattern laid down in the colonial era. New initiatives in theological curriculum development that authentically connect with African issues and concerns and enable theological institutions to break from the shackles of these are an ongoing need, with developments on the African continent making such initiatives ever more urgent. This paper describes and analyzes the pioneering approach of the Akrofi-Christaller Institute (ACI), an indigenous Ghanaian institution, the background to its emergence and the process of implementation over the course of the past 25 years that has produced a successful, full-orbed and wide-ranging theological curriculum connecting with religious, cultural, social and inter-faith issues; the facilitating factors and the challenges on the journey and lessons that could be learned by other institutions wishing to indigenize their curricula. It is hoped that Kwame Bediako’s thinking on curriculum design for theological education which has shaped the ACI story of curriculum innovation, as well as the story of its implementation and ongoing development, may provide a model for other institutions desirous of breaking free from the colonial mode, in Africa and beyond in the non-Western world, and facing similar issues. After briefly setting ACI in its historical context, the paper goes on to elucidate the overall vision of the Institute that undergirds the curriculum and provides the rationale for its development. It identifies the fundamental pillars on which the curriculum rests and outlines a model for the basic framework of the curriculum. It then goes on to analyze the ways in which such a vision and framework enable a fresh approach to what has hitherto been seen as normative in the theological disciplines, with a view to creating space in the curriculum to address present-day African (and other non-Western) felt needs in mission and ministry. The paper touches on more recent developments to the original curriculum in response to emerging contextual issues and concludes with possible lessons that may be learned from the ACI story.

Theological Education as Practice of Hospitality

This article will explore the metaphor of hospitality as an approach to theological education and missional formation for bridging the gap between the catholicity of the church and theological curricula which are rooted in specific traditions and contexts. The argument starts with a reflection on online teaching as a context renewed through the pandemic which reflects back on classroom teaching. The article explores the forms of presence offline and online and fleshes out what hospitality offers for new avenues for theological education and missional formation in context.

Scott N. Callaham. Biblical Aramaic for Biblical Interpreters: A Parallel Hebrew-Aramaic Handbook

Scott N. Callaham. <i>Biblical Aramaic for Biblical Interpreters: A Parallel Hebrew-Aramaic Handbook</i>

Theology and the Wesleyan Tradition

ABSTRACT This article examines the nature of systematic or dogmatic theology in relation to the Wesleyan tradition. A brief review of contemporary works examining the theology of John Wesley is followed by a survey of the development of systematic theology within the Wesleyan tradition in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. An examination of the Trinitarian, credal shape of Christian theology leads to thinking about the shape of the theological curriculum in the Christian college or seminary and finally to reflections on the role of theology in the church.

Youth, Faith and Environmental Consciousness in Africa: A Research Imperative for Youth Ministry within Practical Theology

Climate change and environmental degradation are arguably among the most significant concerns for humanity and environmental sustainability on a worldwide scale. Cultivating a multidimensional environmental consciousness that connects emotional and cognitive environmental knowledge with environmentally sustainable practises is a potential method for addressing ecological concerns on an individual basis. This could potentially lead to an impact on policy-making procedures at the local, national, regional, and global levels. Today’s youth are at the epicentre of discussions about ecological (in) justice, environmental consciousness, and climate change discourses and practices. This is illustrated by international protests including the Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion campaign, to highlight a few. However, both of the aforementioned youth movements are western illustrations of youths who are participating in these discourses. The paper focuses on how African youth shape environmental consciousness, as well as how African theological institutions and their theological curricula (i.e., youth ministry modules) are geared toward shaping environmental consciousness (particularly among youth) within the African context. Within the practical theology discipline, the tripartite concern with the link between youth, religion, and environmental conscience has been under-researched. This study highlights a new purposeful endeavour to investigate the nexus between youth, faith, and environmental consciousness in Africa.

Re-engaging Spiritual Formation in Online Theological Education

In the recent literature on formation in online theological education, a number of thematic strands can be delineated: the apologetic, didactic, pedagogical, empirical, and geographical strands. However, apart from the early apologetic stage of the discussion theological reflection plays a minor role in the literature. In this article, I argue that theology plays a limited and superficial role in contemporary writings about formation in online theological education. Yet, spiritual formation in online theological education needs theological grounding. Given the accelerated shift to forms of online education across the world, such theological grounding is an urgent task. In this renewed theological engagement, three areas especially call for sustained attention: (1) the multi-faceted nature of spiritual formation; (2) the question of agency in spiritual formation and the consequences for the theological curriculum; and (3) engagement with theological traditions that offer ample material to guide our contemporary thinking about spiritual formation.

Forming digital shepherds of the Church: evaluating participation and satisfaction of blended learning course on communication theology

PurposeThe Catholic Church expects theological institutes, priests and seminarians to be well-informed, critical and creative users of information and communications technology. Currently, most theological institutes use the traditional face-to-face teaching method. An attempt to implement blended learning as an innovative teaching and learning modality for communication theology was made at the Saint Peter’s Pontifical Institute, Bangalore, India, using the lab-rotation model for one semester. This paper aimed to study the two important course outcomes: participation and satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe course was designed using the analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation (ADDIE) model, developed, implemented and evaluated for 21 first-year theology students. The combination of descriptive and quasi-experimental research used an online questionnaire containing statements on a five-point Likert scale. The study evaluated the potentials of blended learning as an innovative modality through student participation and satisfaction.FindingsThis research found that a high level of participation augmented satisfaction among the students during the implementation of the blended learning modality. The positive results revealed that future shepherds in the Catholic Church could effectively integrate information and communications technologies (ICTs) in their life and mission and serve digital citizens.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was conducted in St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute of Theology (SPPI) for an elective course, Communication Theology, taught once a week. Only two outcomes; participation and satisfaction were studied. The respondents were 21 first-year theology students of the SPPI, which could have limited the generalizability of the results. They were not allowed to use any gadgets. So this research had to adopt a lab-rotation model wherein the students followed part of their course in the computer room.Practical implicationsThis pilot experience in blended learning modality will help SPPI recognize the advantage of such an approach and possibly decide to adopt it as one modality in the institute. It may also serve as a model for other Catholic schools and this could trigger the wider adoption of blended learning among Catholic schools. Results of the study can demonstrate to the faculty how blended learning is designed and a sample module can easily guide them on how it may be implemented. Hence, this can equip them already with knowledge and skills about the new modality.Social implicationsThe positive learning experiences will help the professors to further discover and adopt new and existing learning technologies that can enhance the learning atmosphere for post-millennials. They can now innovate teaching and learning strategies to best address the learning needs in their classroom, given the pervasiveness of ICTs in the everyday lives. This study will also provide a new learning option for the students as they undergo a new student-centred learning exercise.Originality/valueThe pioneering effort of integrating ICTs in the form of blended learning in theology curriculum was executed in SPPI. The application of the blended learning approach to teaching communication theology is innovative in that educational technology is not only applied to theology courses but involves the promotion of technology use among future religious leaders. From a long-term perspective, this attempt can transform traditional face-to-face dominated teaching approaches.

Theological education and African cities: an imperative for action

Africa’s urban explosion presents a clear challenge to the way we do theological education in Africa today. The backdrop of this article is a collaborative research project that involved 15 theological institutions across the African continent, contemplating what theological education and formation should look like, considering Africa’s current and future urban realities. It proposes paradigmatic shifts in theological education, grounded in thorough conceptual and hermeneutical self-critique. It explores various approaches to urbanizing theological curricula, and concludes with a call for a new kind of African urban apostolate.

Equipped for Inclusion: Western Theological Seminary’s Graduate Certificate in Disability and Ministry

Seminary provides a primary training ground for future church and ministry leaders. Yet substantive attention to disability has long been limited within the theological curriculum. Western Theological Seminary launched its Graduate Certificate in Disability and Ministry in 2016 as a pathway for preparing men and women called by God to recognize, appreciate, and incorporate the gifts and perspectives of people with disabilities in a variety of ministry settings. This study examines the portrait of students pursuing this certificate program, as well as their perspectives on its impact on their preparation for ministry. Findings from this program evaluation offer insights for other seminaries interested in addressing the intersection of disability and ministry in more intentional ways.

DECOLONISING OR AFRICANISATION OF THE THEOLOGICAL CURRICULUM: A CRITICAL REFLECTION

This article presents a critical reflection on the theological curricula at (South) African Universities’ faculties of theology (and religion) from a missional hermeneutic focusing on decolonisation or Africanisation. Realising that it is not sufficient merely to make a few alterations, this article takes a more practical and technical approach to amend the curricula to be more contextualised for Africa. The decolonisation or Africanisation challenge for a Faculty of Theology is three-fold: (i) to address content (African contextualisation); (ii) mode/s of delivery - Open Distance Learning (ODL) and (iii) Programmes and Qualification Mix (PQM) diversity (new programmes - diplomas and certificates). The question to which this article attends is this: what are the implications of decolonisation or Africanisation in a faculty of theology at an institution of higher education in (South) Africa?

THE BALANCE BETWEEN THEORY AND PRAXIS IN SOUTH AFRICAN PENTECOSTALISM: PATMOS BIBLE SCHOOL AS A MODEL

Recent developments within South African Pentecostalism reveal that a number of pastors in new Prophetic Churches abuse religion and women and engage in other extreme practices of religion. The vast majority of scholars have linked these recent developments with the gap that exists between theory and praxis in South African Pentecostalism. This article bridges the gap by using Patmos, a Bible School started by Elias Letwaba, one of the first Black workers in the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) of South Africa, as a model. Patmos Bible School was an African institution located in Africa for African people. The Bible School offers relevant content to its students, provides specific training for lay preachers and community service, in addition to academic responsibilities. Patmos Bible School thus serves as a model for synergy between theory and praxis in South African Pentecostalism because of its relevant theological curriculum, embracement of African identity, and African indigenous knowledge.

Overseas Ministries and the Subversion of Theological Education

Recounting the founding purpose and later development of the Overseas Ministries Study Center, Walls characterizes OMSC as a “a niche branch of theological education” that has kept pace with the dramatic changes in the World Christian movement during the twentieth century. In light of these changes, Walls argues for the need of a renewed "World Christian consciousness" across the theological curriculum in the West. He offers four “subversive statements” from his own field of Christian history that point the way forward.

Imagining Enugu as classroom for theological education in SIST: A trans-disciplinary approach.

Enugu, the coal city offer hermeneutical and pedagogical resources for re-imagining the theological curriculum of Spiritan International School of Theology (SIST) in Enugu. Enugu is the capital city of Enugu state, Nigeria. With a 2018 estimated population of over 1 million, Enugu is projected to grow to over 2 million by 2050! Like other African cities, the urbanization of Enugu presents complex socio-economic and infrastructural challenges that will exacerbate urban vulnerabilities. Does the theological curriculum of SIST equip her students for Enugu’s exponential growth? Should SIST “urbanize” its theological curriculum? Can SIST articulate a response to the urbanization of Enugu, using a trans-disciplinary curriculum that transcends disciplinary boundaries? In this article I propose Enugu as a classroom for trans-disciplinary theological education and formation in SIST. I applied a qualitative research methodology of interviews, site visits, and documentary analysis, to propose ways of realizing an urbanized theological curriculum at SIST.

Hereford and Lincoln Cathedral Libraries during the High Middle Ages

In this study evidence is brought forth from large treasuries of scholastic manuscripts at Hereford and Lincoln that challenges R. M. Thomson's assessment of the importance of those collections during the High Middle Ages. As it turns out, as early as the twelfth century those libraries contained copies of the most important works in the developing Parisian theological curriculum, and the earliest copies of those works may reside in these and other English cathedral libraries. Manuscripts preserving early versions of the Sentences are especially interesting, since they make it possible to study the evolution of Peter Lombard's thought during his lifetime.

Making theology practical: The inclusion of experiencia fide in the contextualisation of practical theological training

Currently, South African state-subsidised universities experience pressure and uncertainty regarding future theological training. This became evident after the call for decolonisation of the university’s curriculum. The concepts of colonisation, decolonisation and contextualisation are inseparably linked to the issue of culture. Culture is dynamic and vibrant. Wherever a group of people is together, for instance a group of students in a university classroom, culture or a new context originates. Where past theological training – even practical theological training – has purely rested on cognitio, the contextualisation of theological training involves cognitio and experiencia fide. Experience can serve as a hermeneutical key in the explanation of scripture. Although the work of Calvin is considered as the groundwork for reformed theology, his emphasis on human experiences is often left behind. To Calvin, experiential preaching addresses the vital matter of how believers experience the truth of Christian doctrine in their specific cultural circumstances. A reformational-biblical view of contextualisation of theological training is to find a balance between experience and cognition, where grace restores nature. The aim of this article was to explore the contextualisation of the practical theological curriculum for the students (or believers) to apply the divine truth to the whole range of their personal experiences. Theological training, and for that matter, Christianity, should not only be known, understood and believed, but also felt, enjoyed and practically applied.

Embodying Dialogue: Teaching Disability and Ability in a Time of Crisis

Embodying DialogueTeaching Disability and Ability in a Time of Crisis Michael A. "Mike" Walker (bio) My name is Michael Walker. I call myself Mike. I work at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago as a Theology Teaching Fellow, where I teach both undergraduates in the Bible department and graduate classes in theology. I'm a person with spastic cerebral palsy. That experience grounds my pedagogy. I use my body as part of my classroom strategy to promote what Paulo Freire called "problem-posing education."1 Spastic cerebral palsy means three things. First, spastic: my muscles are always tense; I need to be tired or drunk in order for my muscles to fully relax. Second, cerebral means that the part of my brain damaged at my birth was the cerebrum, which regulates motor function. Third, palsy indicates that I experience tremors. My limbs shake whenever I move, even my left arm, my dominant limb. These experiences create other struggles, including physical imbalance, spatial disorientation, chronic pain, and some marked gaps in logic and nuance. My limitations allow me to center my body as part of the opening lecture in each course. I tell my students the same thing I have just revealed about my body—often using very similar words—in order to disclose my orientation to the lecture topic. Thus, my revelation of my disabilities can frame classes on liberation in the Bible, ecclesiologies of disability, ethics, pastoral care, and health care. By exposing myself existentially in the classroom—by showing my students who I truly am—I aim to show them how I have transformed parts of my situation and hope to offer them tools to analyze their own contexts. Disclosing my disability does not simply allow me to reinterpret Freire. It also empowers me to address ableism—the systemic and personal discrimination against, and oppression of, people with disabilities by people of able body. [End Page 167] Moreover, it allows me to "infuse the graduate theological curriculum with the experience of disability," to quote theologian of disability Robert Anderson.2 Accessibility—the entry point to God's dignity and joy—concerns more than just a syllabus statement. It is a way of being in the world. Since I constantly use the Jewish and Christian scriptures in my work, my probing of my medical conditions enables me to point to other places in the biblical witness where divine and human entities affirm and support vulnerability in the same ways I do. In other words, my reinterpretation of my body allows me to show my students the divine mandate for the revolution for which Freire yearned. Additionally, my self-disclosure allows me to offer my students a strategy they can use to critically engage the knowledge we are generating. By interpreting my physical, social, and spiritual experiences, I probe the extent of the "limit-situation": I am reinterpreting the given part of a social discourse, by taking back to medical institutions that see me as malleable and in need of cure.3 By speaking about my pronounced gait, and other disabilities, I engage in what Freire called "limit-acts," the actions whereby I nullify and obviate the barriers that separate me from true freedom.4 When I use my vulnerability to create the space for questioning in this way, I am creating the conditions for "dialogue"—or, as Freire put it, "the encounter between [humans], mediated by the world, in order to name the world."5 I assert my body, and also name the ways in which the world forbids people with disabilities to speak. Then I ask my students tacitly to respond to my experience, and to name and embody their own true selves. In some classes, I define liberation as self-expression, creativity, and action without outside constraint. That definition of liberation correlates strongly to the positive categories Freire outlined in his fourth chapter. Once people have been freed by a new understanding of a limit-situation, they can engage in what Freire called "cooperation," naming the world together "in order to transform it."6 Moreover, when students are behaving as equals and attempting to understand and transcend their limit-situations, they will organize, coming together to...

Lessons from the Synod of Dordrecht (1618–1619): A missional hermeneutic for the decolonisation and Africanisation of the curriculum

About 400 years ago, the status quo of the church in the Netherlands was threatened by the Remonstrant uprising, which was met with vehement reaction from Calvinists. The situation got out of hand when the parties failed to find an amicable resolution, which led Prince Maurice of Nassau to interject and call a synod to resolve the conflict. Maurice switched sides shortly before the start of the Synod to assure maximum economic and political gain. Due to this political influence, the outcome of the Synod was practically determined even before the first session started: the Remonstrants were defeated, Calvinism was imposed, and Maurice got his political victory. Regrettably the failure of the church to deal with an internal matter, led to interference by the state. Although the Synod of Dordrecht had its unique context and raison-d’être , it was not different to the way in which many church conflicts have been handled throughout history. It is important to learn lessons from the Synod of Dordrecht so that we can handle contemporary challenges better. One such challenge is the call for the decolonisation and Africanisation of education in South Africa – also of the theological curriculum. When opposing parties do not listen to each other, there is no chance of resolving their differences. There are lessons to be learnt from the Synod of Dordrecht and from intercultural engagement that can help us to find an approach to our problems that is collaborative and not patronising. Instead of arguing the matter from opposite extremes, we need to create an epistemic community of role players, ensuring meaningful encounters. This could serve as the basis of a missional hermeneutic for change; a missional hermeneutic of mutual acceptance and collaboration. The theological differences, expressed at the Synod of Dordrecht, is still passionately debated today and causes as much division as the original conflict. If we deal with contemporary issues in the same way as the Synod of Dordrecht did, we cannot expect different results. A missional hermeneutic, based on the missio Dei with mutual acceptance and collaboration, is needed.