Megatrends,Theological Education,and Libraries

No abstract available for this article.     

Spiritual Machines,Personal Bodies,and God: Theological Education and Theological Anthropology

Programs of theological education in Christian traditions are exploring “distanced learning” as one way to address certain challenges to their educational excellence. A major strand in a twenty‐year old discussion of the nature and purpose of theological education has urged that analysis of theological schooling's failures and assessment of proposed remedies ought to be framed explicitly in theological terms as part of an ongoing inquiry into what makes theological education properly theological. This essay tries to show how following that advice can make a practical difference in assessing the merits of distanced learning. It does so by raising questions about the theological‐anthropological assumptions, respectively, of theological education and of distanced learning.     

Theological Distance Education

SUMMARY

Theological institutions accredited by the Association of Theological Schools with distance education courses or programs continue to increase. Theological librarians, although often overlooked, play a significant role in their use of technology to meet the needs of distance students with the support of national library guidelines and accreditation standards. The current state of support to seminary distance programs includes traditional interlibrary loans, consortium relationships, proprietary full text journals, and free Internet resources. Distance learning for graduate theological education is here to stay. The continuing efforts of pioneering distance seminary librarians will guarantee quality, passionate service to students of tomorrow.     

Theological Pragmatism: A Critical Evaluation

Theological pragmatists like Daly, Kaufman, McFague and Reuther claim that the God we should believe in and the kind of images we should use to express our religious faith should be evaluated primarily on the basis of the consequences they have for the maintenance of certain political or moral values. These views are presented and critically evaluated. One difficulty is that their pragmatism seems to clash with our intuition and experience that there is no automatic fit between our moral aspirations and political visions, on the one hand, and how the world is actually structured, on the other. Their strong emphasis on political and moral considerations is, therefore, questionable and only plausible under certain specific circumstances.     

Philosophical Hermeneutics and Theological Education

This article explores the resources that the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans‐Georg Gadamer can bring to the challenge of teaching theology to undergraduates. The author offers a sympathetic reading of Gadamer but is influenced by the insights of liberation theology. In this interpretation of his work, Gadamer's contribution lies in his emphases on intersubjectivity and on praxis as the goal of historically conscious understanding — and thus of historically conscious theological education. To suggest what philosophical hermeneutics can tell us about the process of teaching and learning in theology, this essay examines Gadamer's approach to historicity, conversation, truth, objectivity, subjectivity, practical wisdom, and praxis.     

Theological Education: A Theological Framework for Renewed Mission and Models

Abstract : This essay explores renewed ways to reimagine theological education. Incarnation is used as a theological lens that engages anew “the transmission of Christian memory, the education for God's peace and justice, and the formation of church and community leadership.” Attention is given to apprenticeship, project‐based learning, distributed learning, and global learning, and concludes with implications for governance and faculty.     

Information Technology and the Theological Librarian

No abstract available for this article.     

Mainstreaming Gender in Theological Education

This article identifies themes and strategies for mainstreaming gender in theological education, based on the author's experience with theological education in Jamaica, the US, and Canada. It begins with the need to “visit the wounds” in such a way that realism about suffering can be accompanied by strategies for healing, transformation, and celebration of the reign of God already with us and in celebration of our agency to work toward it on earth as it is in heaven.     

Writing Discernment in Theological Education

How can we best address writing improvement for seminary students? This article describes the implementation of a Writing Assistance Program that teaches remedial skills in grammar structure and paper organization as well as mentors all students to develop their fullest writing potential. Four models of writing instruction are discussed and examples are given of the best use of each. The article concludes with lessons learned from the experience and tips for other seminaries.     

Theological Education as Missional Formation

Theological education is missional in nature. The disability perspective within theological education provides this missional aspect, which is vital for the growth and sustenance of the church. Since its inception, the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (WCC‐EDAN) has contributed to this great mission. This paper is an attempt to understand theological education as missional formation from the perspective of disability studies, especially the contributions of WCC‐EDAN.     

Mentoring in Caribbean Theological Education

This article addresses the issue of mentoring in theological education, drawing against the context of the Caribbean and the insights of Pan‐African Women, such as in the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, as well as support and accountability groups such as Caribbean Women Theologians for Transformation and the Caribbean and North America Council for Mission. Drawing on biblical models of mentoring, the article argues that while the ways that individuals are mentored during their theological education programmes can and will vary, women in leadership can be sounding boards, cheerleaders, advocates, facilitators, coaches, guides, role models, and even critics as they help to shape and develop other women leaders in the church.