This introduction to the field of practical theology reclaims a theological vision for the life and work of the church. Pete Ward dispels the myth that practical theology is a distraction from the "real" tasks of ministry or from serious academic theological work. He argues that practical theology is part of the everyday life of the church and that there are a variety of possible approaches, helping readers evaluate the approach that is most appropriate to their ministerial context and theological tradition. This reliable, accessible resource will work well for those in training or in ministry.

Why speak about a new practical theology, when practical theology seems to be as old as theology itself? Is another "new approach" really necessary? The work aims to set practical theology on a new foundation as it explores the discipline's modes of discourse, leaving aside the question of contents. Practical theology is examined from the point of view of its workings, as it attempts to grasp and give account of faith practices. In the course of this examination, questions relative to the linguistic apparatus are raised. Is this apparatus always coherent? Does it allow for the creation of a relevant theological discourse? On what philosophical traditions does it depend? Experience, language and belief are key notions around which the whole system revolves. The perspective adopted here is largely indebted to contemporary American philosophy. Pragmatism (Peirce, James, Dewey, Rorty) and Analytic philosophy (Quine, Goodman, Putnam, Davidson) are employed in a quest for new epistemological footings. While the result is at times disconcerting, it brings with it a surprisingly rich contribution to reflection in the field. This book offers theologians a tool which allows them to construct theological discourses which are anchored in faith practices. It fills a void in contemporary theology. Many theologians, no longer content to simply teach at a university, have chosen to work in close collaboration with Christian communities or with groups interested in the relationships between religion and society. Up to this point, theologians such as these have not had the tools at their disposal which would allow them to take account of their own practices. Opening out into many fields, "PracticalTheology. A New Approach" will also be of interest to any researcher, philosopher or scientist, who is interested in the questions surrounding the construction of discourse based on human practices, whatever their provenance.

This work by a leading figure in the field offers one of the first attempts to formulate a complete theory of practical theology for scholars, teachers, students, and those directly involved in pastoral ministry.. "Designed to serve as a reference tool, this volume provides the necessary theoretical discussion for work in the entire discipline of practical theology. Gerben Heitink first surveys the historical development of practical theology from the thought of Schleiermacher to the present. He then outlines the theoretical aspects of practical theology, looking especially at the hermeneutical, empirical, and strategic points of view. Finally Heitink discusses the various contexts in which practical theology takes place.

Through societal inequalities and the misuse of power, a psychological burden of disablement is imposed upon people of faith with epilepsy: this disempowerment is challenged by this work and an attempt has been made to highlight distorted applications of scripture and practice.

Opening the Field of Practical Theology introduces students to practical theology through an examination of fifteen different approaches—ranging from feminist to liberationist, Roman Catholic to evangelical, Asian American to Latino/a. After an introduction to the field of practical theology and its broad range of practice today, the book features chapters written by leading experts in the discipline. Each chapter has an identical structure to facilitate comparison, covering historical context, key features and figures, norms and sources of authority, theory-practice, contexts, interdisciplinary considerations, areas of current and future research, and suggested readings. Opening the Field of Practical Theology is an ideal introduction to the field, highlighting the diverse ways practical theology is engaged today.

In this landmark volume, internationally recognized scholars address key intellectual and practical conundrums that not only trouble practical theology but also reflect biases and breakdowns in the construction of theological knowledge in academy and religious communities at large. With critical facility and unheralded honesty that includes reflexivity about their own lives in the academy, the authors tackle complex issues that refuse easy solutions— racism, hierarchy of theory over practice, devaluation of small case studies, risks of interdisciplinarity to scholarly identity, inequities between Christian traditions, unreflective Christian-centrism, and tensions between the production of scholarship and public service. Outcomes of these issues will have serious implications for the discipline and the study of theology for years to come. Contributors include Tom Beaudoin, Eileen R. Campbell-Reed, Faustino M. Cruz, Jaco Dreyer, Courtney T. Goto, Tone Stangeland Kaufman, Joyce Ann Mercer, Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Phillis Isabella Sheppard, Katherine Turpin, Claire E. Wolfteich.

Postfoundationalist Reflections in Practical Theology seeks to explore the implications of a Postfoundationalist theology for the discipline of Practical Theology. While moving beyond the modernist and postmodernist debates, it charts a way forward for a theology that is bound by neither relativism nor certainty. It believes that Practical Theology is well suited to this task by its very nature and methodology.

This groundbreaking study offers an innovative critical analysis of poetry as a resource for reflective practice in the context of continuing professional development. In the contemporary drive in all professions for greater rigour in education, training, and development, little attention is paid to the inner shape of learning and meaning-making for individuals and groups, especially ways in which individuals are formed for the task of their work. Building on empirical research into the author’s professional practice, the book takes the use of poetry in clergy continuing ministerial development as a case-study to examine the value of poetry in professional learning. Setting out the advantages and limitations of poetry as a stimulant for imaginative, critical reflexivity, and formation within professional reflective practice, the study develops a practical model for group reflection around poetry, distilling pedagogical approaches for working effectively with poetry in continuing professional development. Drawing together a number of strands of thinking about poetry, Practical Theology, and reflective practice into a tightly argued study, the book is an important methodological resource. It makes available a range of primary and secondary sources, offering researchers into professional practice a model of ethnographic research in Practical Theology which embraces innovative methods for reflexivity and theological reflection, including the value of auto-ethnographic poetry.

The contributors of this volume reflect on the writings of Hans van der Ven on the foundations of practical theology, the empirical paradigm within practical theology, and specific subdisciplines within practical theology, especially religious education, moral education, church development and ministry.