This book guides scholars and teachers of theology and religion through a process of self-reflection that leads to intentional, transformative teaching, dialogue, and reform in theological education and religious studies.

This book guides scholars and teachers of theology and religion through a process of self-reflection that leads to intentional, transformative teaching, dialogue, and reform in theological education and religious studies.

Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contexts—from churches to non-profits. Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges.

More and more seminaries, Christian universities, and Bible colleges are opting to train future ministers and missionaries online. What happens when the movement toward online education is shaped by pragmatic or financial concerns instead of Scripture and theology? Ministry training can be reduced to a mere transfer of information as institutions lose sight of their calling to shape the souls of God-called men and women in preparation for effective ministry. How might online ministry training look different if biblical and theological foundations were placed first? Teaching the World brings together educators from a wide range of backgrounds and from some of the largest providers of online theological education in the world. Together, they present a revolutionary new approach to online theological education, highly practical and yet thoroughly shaped by Scripture and theology.

Theological education has always been vital to the Church’s life and mission; yet today it is in crisis, lacking focus, direction, but also resources and even students. In the early Church, there is no doubt that to lead worship one had to be able to read and interpret the Bible. In order to lead, it was necessary to know at least something about the history of Israel and the work of God in the Gospels, and interpret that history, making it relevant to daily living. Quickly the Church developed schools for its teachers, whether lay or clergy. A catechetical system was organized through which candidates prepared for baptism were given a basic form of theological education. Hence to be a Christian meant persons knew what and why they believed. But over the years, theological education has come to mean education for clergy and church professionals. It has drifted, seeking new moorings.

Online learning is a key feature of the contemporary educational landscape and has entered mainstream policy, provision and practice. But if online education is to reach mature development and evaluation, it must be open to critical appraisal. This book considers the implementation of online learning within adult theological education. This can be an area of challenge or contention, especially when established academic practices and cherished values are seen as threatened when handed over to online delivery. This opens questions about theology, pedagogy and online education. Does online teaching and learning bring or demand a new or transformed (disruptive) pedagogy or does it result in maintenance or replication (sustaining) of traditional values and existing practices? What might the opportunities and benefits be? Who stands to gain? Who stands to lose? And what evidence is there to evaluate the quality of ‘doing theology’ online? This book examines a long-standing programme of continuing professional development delivered fully online to adult practitioners working across Christian education and ministry settings. It builds upon the author’s international experience as an online educator for over a decade. Key themes relate adult learning to theological pedagogy, authority, and online community. The concept of interruptive pedagogy is presented as an interpretative model to critically appraise an approach to online education that draws on the best theological tradition yet also looks to the future.

In Creation, Power and Truth, Tom Wright invites readers to consider the crucial ways in which the Christian gospel challenges and subverts the intellectual, moral and political values that pervade contemporary culture. In doing so, he asks searching questions about three defining characteristics of our time: neo-gnosticism, neo-imperialism and postmodernity. Employing a robust Trinitarian framework, Wright looks afresh at key elements of the biblical story while drawing out new and unexpected connections between ancient and modern world-views. The result is a vigorous critique of common cultural assumptions and controlling narratives, past and present, and a compelling read for all who want to hear, speak and live the gospel of Christ in a world of cultural confusion.

Christian teachers have long been thinking about what content to teach, but little scholarship has been devoted to how faith forms the actual process of teaching. Is there a way to go beyond Christian perspectives on the subject matter and think about the teaching itself as Christian? In this book David I. Smith shows how faith can and should play a critical role in shaping pedagogy and the learning experience.

We live in a media culture, surrounded by ever-evolving digital technologies. While state schools and secular organizations have embraced the new teaching tools and models for learning that technology affords, religious institutions have struggled with how and why to do the same. All that we can't leave behind: Engaging technology in theological education is a breakthrough book that invites religious educators to both engage and adapt their pedagogy to incorporate new media and technology. Drawing from her expertise as a seminary professor and consultant to religious institutions on the use of technology in teaching, Mary Hess invites professors, pastors, seminarians, and anyone interested in religious education into critical reflection on ways of engaging technology to enhance learning and serve as critical interpreters within communities of faith.

Teaching Civic Engagement offers a new conceptual model, an examination of theoretical questions and concerns, and a variety of concrete teaching strategies to assist faculty in engaging questions of civic belonging and social activism in religion classrooms. The book explores the civic relevance of the academic study of religion.