Theological Education Research Articles

К вопросу об онтологическом единстве человеческой природы

The article analyses theological teaching about human nature expressed in the book “Took the Form of a Servant. To the Matter of Distortions of the Orthodox Understanding of Incarnation in Catholic and Orthodox Theological Thought of the end of XIX – beginning of XXI c.” published in 2020. The authors of the book question the ideas on Incarnation put forward by a number of XX c. theologians, combined under a concept of “incarnation theology”. They believe that teaching about ontological unity of human nature leads to a misinterpretation of Incarnation as the union of Christ with all humanity and implies a doctrine of apocatastasis, the salvation of everyone.The article puts the views of the authors of the book in the context of XX c. Russian theology. It argues that Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitskiy) adopted the idea of unity of humankind in the image of Divine Tri-unity from XIX c. “lay theology” and based his “moral theory of Atonement” on it. While not agreeing with the “moral theory”, a number of subsequent theologians, including St. Hilarion (Troitsky), Fr. George Florovsky and Vladimir Lossky, further developed his ideas of the unity of human nature. His teaching on human nature was criticised by St. Seraphim (Sobolev) and Archbishop Theophan (Bystrov). The article analyses their arguments, including, on one hand, the clear distinction between Divine and human natures, and on the other, especially for Archbishop Theophan, questioning the very unity of human nature.The article points out that the arguments in the book continue the arguments of Archbishop Theophan. It analyses the triple definition of human nature put forward by the authors of the book, partly based on the teaching of Thomas Aquinas and neoplatonics on universals. Whereas the article rejects some parts of this definition as poorly compatible with the Orthodox doctrine, the definition of human nature as composition common to all humans is acceptable; however, the authors’ objection against ontological unity of human nature means that they only mean unity as sameness and come close to John Philoponus’ doctrine of “partial substances”. The article demonstrates that misinterpretation of the notions of nature and hypostasis underlies the book authors’ criticism of St. Hilarion (Troitsky) and Vladimir Lossky on the issue of common nature.

Teologi Pendidikan Agama Kristen: Fondasi Dan Implikasi Untuk Pendidikan Modern

This research aims to explore how Christian Religious Education Theology plays a key role in shaping the foundation for the development of a modern education system based on Christian principles. This theological foundation includes an understanding of Biblical teachings on education, the role of Jesus Christ as the primary example in education, and the Christian perspective on character formation. Its impact involves the application of Christian moral and ethical values in the educational environment, the formation of personalities based on love, and the development of curricula that integrate knowledge with spiritual values. With the proper understanding and application of Christian religious education theology, modern education can produce individuals who are not only academically intelligent but also have strong moral and spiritual integrity, ready to face the challenges of this era. The purpose of this research is to enable students to understand and grow in Christ, so that they can achieve spiritual maturity and be protected from the negative influences of their environment on their faith. The method used is qualitative, where every observed phenomenon in society is described in detail. Data are collected through observation, books, PDF, journals, and documentation. The results of the research show the importance of teaching the divine aspects of Christ in the curriculum of Christian Religious Education.

Lutheran Theological Education to Christian Education in (South) Africa: A Decolonial Conversion in the African Church

It can be debated whether a Lutheran identity is still relevant in the midst of ecumenical development in (South) Africa, with special reference to theological education and Christian education. The Lutheran Church is a unique body within the ecumenical family as it contributes to work on the mission of God. Theological education and Christian education are educational centres which aim to promote social justice towards community development. These two educational centres are branches of the Lutheran Church. Taking into account the fact that theological education and Christian education were introduced by European and American missionaries with various church traditions in (South) Africa as part of community development, the purpose of this article is to discuss the impact of Lutheran theological education and Christian education, to demonstrate their contribution in the church, and call for their decolonisation and contextualisation.

Reactualization Islamic Theology in Education: Designing Curriculum, Method Learning, and Technology Integration for Transformation Educative

The development of Islamic education has become the main focus of the effort to formulate return religious teachings to be more in accordance with the demands of the times and achieve transformation in system education. This article aims To explore How Islamic theology is actualized in the aspect of education, considering design curriculum, methods of learning, and integration technology. The method research used is qualitative analysis with studies of comprehensive library. Through a review of in-depth literature and articles, this identifies draft reactualization of Islamic theology in context education and explains the goals and approaches required to achieve it. Research results highlight the importance of the integration of values of Islamic theology in curriculum-relevant education with the demands of the times. Besides that, This review is about using interactive methods of learning, like discussion groups and technology, to facilitate a deep understanding of Islamic teachings. With the integration of Islamic theology in the curriculum, implementing method learning interactive, and utilising technology in a way that is wise and transformational, more educational , extensive and sustainable can achieved in Islamic education.

Relocating the “Field” in Theological Field Education

Like higher education as a whole, theological education constitutes a dislocated form of learning, particularly for those who exist beyond the boundaries of euro-normative Christianity. For students who are preparing for religious leadership and ministry, theological field education can be a particularly fraught curricular requirement because it possesses the potential to further dislocate within formational processes. The purpose of this essay is to interrogate these dynamics toward an ethical relocating of the “field” as an embedded, or in situ, experience for students through an attentiveness to lo cotidiano and a practice of critical intersubjectivity.

Thomas Aquinas and the Theological Education of Seminarians

Abstract: Thomas Aquinas continues to be a valuable resource in the theological and pastoral formation of seminarians. Not only his writings but also his personal example of faith and prayer provide a foundation to sustain them throughout their priestly vocation.

Biographically Anchored Liturgies as a Starting Point for Liturgical Formation

The liturgical professional development project for pastoral workers and clergy in the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart has been developed in collaboration with the Department of Liturgical Studies at the University of Tübingen. The concept of biographical learning is the innovative element that explores a new type of liturgical formation (Bildung) where the learning content explores the participant’s unique biography of learning, faith development, and theological education and the impact of these on their understanding of the liturgy and their liturgical practice. The learning process aims to equip professional pastoral theologians to reflect on and be responsive to the liturgical–pastoral contexts in which they work. The Department of Liturgical Studies provides the learning structure and context, while the diocese provides the teaching space and enables the participants to attend. The learning outcomes are unrelated to a specific professional or employment structure or associated with a points system, management, or career progression process. The project provides a learning process rather than a program of learning, distinguishing itself from many traditional approaches to liturgical formation. The challenge for the teaching team is to provide the participants with conceptual or theoretical material to reflect on their biographical narrative of theology and then apply this concept of biographical learning in their specific and diverse pastoral contexts. As part of the biographical learning process, participants contribute to “feedback loops” to the diocese and the teaching team. This paper does not address the competency framework for career development, employment assessment, or learning comprehension. All evaluations of professionalism, role attainment, career development, and competency are employment matters and are the purview of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. However, the learning process provides participants with frameworks for self-assessment and feedback loops to evaluate the teaching team, the process, and the content.

Georgian National Idea in the Tiflis Seminary of the Post-Reform Time: The Optics of the Russian Language and Literature

This article examines the case of seminarian David Kezeli who compiled the anti-Russian proclamation To the New Generation of Georgia, confiscated in December 1873. Although the St Petersburg and Caucasian authorities interpreted the case differently, they were united in their inattention to the situation of the Tiflis Theological Seminary. The internal problems of the theological educational institution, including the problem of the disloyalty of the “native” teachers, were to be solved by the officials of the Synod’s Educational Committee and the Exarch of Georgia. The author aims to show the ambivalence of the anti-Russian views of the Georgian seminarians and analyse the Kezeli case as part of the processes in religious education initiated by the 1867 reform. Special attention is paid to the discussion about the establishment of the Georgian language class, the idea of which either led to a consensus among the teachers or to a confrontation described in the Synod documents as a struggle between the Russian and Georgian “parties”. The origins and limitations of anti-Russian sentiments among seminarians are considered in relation to conflicts among teachers, the rules of access to educational and extracurricular literature, and the status of the Russian and Georgian languages. The author concludes that in the first years after the reform, young graduates of the theological academies were inspired by the opportunity to change the content of theological education by introducing the achievements of modern science into it. This goal united teachers of Russian and Georgian origin. They worked together both on projects for Georgian language classes and on compiling lists of advanced literature to be purchased for the student library. Georgian teachers, such as Jacob Gogebashvili, were prepared to become conduits of “human Russification”, arguing that only the Russian language allowed their students to access modern science. The transformation of interaction into conflict, which took on the form of a confrontation between the Russian and Georgian “parties” in the seminary, was explained on both sides by its participants’ personal ambitions. They were fighting for power and money, not for the promotion of the Georgian national idea or the defence of Russian interests in the region. David Kezeli was wholly a product of this situation. After completing his studies at the theological school and moving to the seminary, he felt hostility towards his teachers, seeing in them “Famusovs” who were trying to educate him as a “Molchalin”, while he was constructing himself as a “Bazarov”, the only “nihilist” in Georgia. The anachronism of Kezeli’s “nihilistic” identity emphasises his attachment to the generation of “fathers” who determined the literature available to him and provided him with a tool to master it, i. e. the Russian language.

Syncretism and Cultural Resilience: The Coexistence and Evolution of Traditional Itolimin and Christian Burial Practices in Esanland, Nigeria

Purpose of the Study: This research aims to uncover how traditional second burial rites coexist with and have adapted to Christian funeral norms, reflecting the socio-religious negotiation in a postcolonial context. Methodology: Employing a qualitative ethnographic approach, the study gathered data through semi-structured interviews with local chiefs, elders, and adults, alongside observations and an extensive review of related literature. Participants were selected based on their deep knowledge of Esan customs and involvement in the Itolimin practice. Main Findings: The study revealed that Itolimin, while embracing certain Christian elements, remains a vital cultural practice that reinforces the community's moral and social order. The rite's evolution showcases the Esan people's ability to blend traditional and Christian values, thereby preserving their cultural identity amidst religious changes. This syncretism illustrates the community's broader cultural resilience and adaptation approach in a rapidly changing religious landscape. Applications of this Study: Insights from this study apply to the broader discourse on funeral practices in postcolonial societies, providing a framework for cultural preservation amidst religious transformation. It is relevant for policymakers and public health officials regarding community health and burial practices. The findings also offer a basis for developing contextual theological education that respects indigenous beliefs within Christian teachings. Novelty/Originality: This study provides a unique contribution to the understanding of funeral rituals within African postcolonial societies by documenting the living tradition of Itolimin. It highlights how syncretism acts as a dynamic cultural force, shaping the way communities like the Esan negotiate identity and religious practice in a contemporary Christian-dominated context.

A Beautiful Death

ABSTRACTThis article is about the death of a graduate school for spiritual formation and theological education. I ask what the death of this school can teach us about teaching theology and religion for the sake of student transformation and more loving pedagogies. I also ask how, when an institution dies, it can die beautifully. The underlying thesis of this article is that there is, alive in our classrooms (and ourselves, perhaps), a spiritual wound that can be named an experiential death of divine love—and that this wound is manifesting as unshepherded fear, rage, and discontent. I suggest that this spiritual wound be tended through skillful pedagogical tenderness, flexibility, and liberative co‐creation with students to cultivate a presence of love and feed the spiritual hungers of our time. I also suggest that a school (and a teacher) dies beautifully when its death is allowed and free to become a scene of beautiful instruction.

The Professional Christian or the Christian Professional? Assessing Spiritual Formation in Theological Education

Christian theological training institutions broadly agree that they provide holistic education which fosters students’ spiritual formation. The integration of spiritual formation and academic study is augmented through experiential learning facilitated in community-based settings. Bringing together biblical, ethical and pedagogical insights, this paper examines the complexities of formally assessing students’ spiritual formation in confessional theological education within UK Higher Education contexts. It asks questions as to what extent, and how, meaningful character assessment is possible, especially when students might engage with community-based practice settings that may not occupy a Christian worldview. Finally, it makes recommendations to move the conversation forward.

Reimagining Theological Education in an Interreligious Setting: A Hindu Perspective

ABSTRACTHindu sacred scriptures are a rich interweave of cosmological revelation that is embedded in melopoeia (melodic poetry) and sung in designated meters during rituals, liturgical services, festivals, and personal prayers. Revelation is conveyed through enigmatic dialogues, debates, parables, anecdotes, legends, and narratives. These occur between mendicants and saints, kings and mystics, and sometimes fables that include the natural world. These narrative accounts appeal to the young and the old and influence the body–mind–sense complex. A growing body of evidence attests to the positive effects of music and storytelling in the classroom setting. Drawing from these data and Hindu understandings of sacred mantric sound and storytelling, I discuss my experiments with musical frameworks and storytelling in my classes at the Graduate Theological Union, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, and Starr King School for the Ministry in California. I contend that the incorporation of parables, tales, legends, and narratives within a musical melodic framework, as is used in Hindu texts, is an effective means of imparting Hindu–Christian theological education.

Take My Yoke and Learn of Me: Matthew 11:28-30 and Hospitality in Theological Education in Indonesia

This research was motivated by the situation of theological education in Indonesia, which still perpetuates traditional models of education, where learning still tends to be one-way, authoritative, and more focused on cognitive-academic development with “a rote learning approach.” This has left learners (a group of learners) alienated, marginalised, and even feeling pressured in the learning process. This condition makes it difficult to provide theological education that is hospitable and transformative in the lives of learners. Meanwhile, the Bible has shown that hospitality is an important theme in both the Old and New Testaments. God is a hospitable God and offers hospitality to his people. According to the author, hospitality also needs to be presented in theological education in Indonesia. From the theoretical framework of hospitality and theological education, the author analyses Matthew 11:28-30 to find the principles of hospitality relevant to theological education in Indonesia. The author examines various thoughts on hospitality through a literature study. The selected text was studied using an exegetical approach and inductive interpretation. Based on the analysis, it was found that Jesus' learning environment differs from that of the Scribes. Jesus' learning environment is inclusive, liberating and collaborative. The implication is that theological education with hospitality provides a learning atmosphere that is liberating, uplifting, takes into account the uniqueness of the students, and provides a comfortable atmosphere.

Building Communities of Generative Interdependence

Since the late 1990’s, colleges and universities have implemented mutually beneficial community engagement as a core dimension of educating students to develop professional skills grounded in working with communities to address pressing issues of social inequality and environmental regeneration. Such community-based learning programs are being expanded to counter rising authoritarianism, white nationalism, and violent extremism and to support generative, interdependent forms of democracy. In this essay, I explore how such programs could benefit by learning from the ethical insights of Indigenous traditions. I give examples of such work in theological education, and in middle school through higher education.

When signature pedagogies clash: Making way for the oral majority with connected learning

In McCloskey’s classic Make Way for Ducklings, two mallards attempt to raise their brood in busy Boston. The ducklings struggle with city life, and the family needs help navigating that environment to travel to a safer island home. Throughout the story, kind advocates stop traffic and make way for these vulnerable residents. Likewise, a large group of vulnerable adults finds the literate world less than inviting. Adults with limited formal education (ALFE, al-phee) or oral learners often need others to make way for them as well. Whether due to war, catastrophe, cultural beliefs, learning disabilities, or family circumstances, oral learners may lack educational opportunities and prefer non-textual ways of learning. Ranging from refugees to the average day laborer, billions participate in this shared identity and vastly outnumber highly literate adults. The ways ALFE learn differ significantly from that of cross-cultural workers who seek to share God’s Word with them. Global servants tend to learn by lecture and discussion, critical analysis, or tackling exegesis and preaching, signature pedagogies of western theological education. However, these familiar pedagogies are foreign to oral learners. What happens when two sets of signature pedagogies meet and clash? Do literates make way for oral learners, or are these adults forced into a reading mode? This article explores the foundational learning culture of ALFE and the signature pedagogies they prefer. Research-backed advice equips advocates to make way for ALFE and serves to inform the training of global workers to utilize connected learning pedagogies.

A New Geography of Theological Education and the Ethics of Community-Centered Learning

Institutions and scholars working in the area of community-based education are keenly attuned to the ethics of engaging those communities and their members. The concern is that the local community not be exploited but be treated with respect and understood as a mutual partner in the program. Yet continually, as we argue in this essay, such programs tend to repeat the very instrumentalization they are hoping to avoid because their design focuses more on student-centered experiences of individual growth and enrichment constructed upon a relational geography that privileges the ends of the learning institution. Such a dynamic shapes community-based theological education too, the institutional location we focus on in this essay. Hence, we propose that our institutions of learning need to be (re)located within local communities if we are going to shift this structural dynamic. To develop more just and transformative learning institutions, we argue, requires a new geography of education by developing community-centered modes of knowledge production through action-research practices that foster collaboration, solidarity, and collective action to forge a shared ethic. Moving in this direction will require a new geography of education for community-based learning. As an example, we offer a sketch from our own work at The Black Mountain School of Theology & Community.

Culture and Online Theological Education: The Democratization of Education or a New Imperialism?

Culture and Online Theological Education: The Democratization of Education or a New Imperialism?

“It’s different than a doctor saying ‘You’re making the right choice’”: A qualitative study of chaplains’ experience caring for patients undergoing abortion in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia

ObjectivesHealth care chaplains are faith providers with theological education, pastoral experience, and clinical training who provide spiritual care to patients, their families, and medical staff. This study sought to characterize chaplains’ experiences providing spiritual care for patients experiencing abortion and pregnancy loss and to explore how chaplains gain competency and comfort in providing pastoral care for this patient population. Study designResearchers conducted in-depth, semistructured, qualitative interviews with currently-practicing chaplains recruited via convenience sampling in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. We analyzed interviews using directed content analysis and coded using both inductive and deductive coding. ResultsWe interviewed 13 chaplains. The majority were Protestant and identified as Democrats. Participants often personally struggled with the acceptability of abortion but emphasized the importance of spiritual care for this patient population. They recognized that religious stigma regarding abortion prevented referrals to chaplaincy. Though desiring to contribute, chaplains reported little formal education in pregnancy support counseling. They relied on foundational pastoral care skills, like holding space, values clarification, connecting with patients’ spirituality, words of comfort, ritualistic memorialization, and resource provision. All desired more training specific to abortion and pregnancy loss in chaplaincy education. ConclusionsChaplains from varied faith backgrounds have a diverse set of skills to support patients experiencing abortion or pregnancy loss, but feel underutilized and lacking in formal training. Though not all patients require pastoral support, chaplains can be critical members of the care team, particularly for those patients experiencing spiritual distress. ImplicationsChaplains have a paucity of training in supporting patients experiencing abortion and pregnancy loss. Chaplains want to be involved with patients experiencing abortion but feel excluded by both patients and practitioners. Standardization of pastoral care training is important to ensure adequate spiritual support for patients who desire such services.

Peran Orang Tua Dalam Membangun Fondasi Keagamaan Anak-Anak: Perspektif Teologi Pendidikan Agama Kristen

This study discusses the crucial role of parents in building the religious foundation of children, focusing on the perspective of Christian religious education theology. Parents are viewed as primary agents in shaping the faith and spiritual values ​​of children. Through a theological approach, this study explores how parents can fulfill their role as religious educators within the household. Concepts such as communal prayer, scripture reading, and other religious practices are important in building the religious foundation of children. Additionally, the study outlines the importance of parents understanding Christian theology as the basis for the religious education of their children. By considering the principles of Christian religious education theology, parents can guide their children towards healthy spiritual growth and strengthen their relationship with God. Practical implications of this study include the implementation of contextual and relevant religious education methods tailored to the needs of children, as well as parents' efforts to consistently serve as models of faith for them. Thus, a profound understanding of the role of parents in building the religious foundation of children from the perspective of Christian religious education theology can provide valuable guidance for religious education practices at the household level.

Moderation in early eighteenth-century English Dissent: Philip Doddridge and his academy curriculum

ABSTRACT ‘Moderation’ in late seventeenth-century Britain indicated, at least in religious circles, an attitude of benevolence and restraint towards those who differed on questions not essential to the Christian faith. During the early part of the following century, the term was extended to cover essentials of the faith. In that context, Philip Doddridge designed the curriculum of his Dissenting academy, operative in Northampton from 1730 to 1751, to eschew the use of creeds and confessions of faith, as tending to bigotry, and to pursue moderation in the teaching of philosophy, ethics and theology through the use of an extensive and eclectic range of sources of differing, and often mutually conflicting, views, with the aim of promoting in his students an epistemic humility leading to greater charity and unity among Christians and the use of reason subject only to the authority of Scripture. The article explores the sources that Doddridge used in some of the principal topics addressed in his lectures in order to demonstrate his method and its implementation, thereby illustrating his pursuit of moderation in English Dissent in the first half of the eighteenth century.