Through centuries of Christian theology, prayer has held an important role in theology and the ministerial vocation. However, foundational literature on Protestant theological education for ministry does not offer a clear role for the practice of prayer in the theological classroom. In order to explore the relationship between theology and prayer in the context of theological education, this dissertation first explores the wider conversation around prayer in theology, the ministerial vocation, spirituality studies, and theological education. Second, it analyzes the role of prayer in foundational texts that have influenced and continue to influence the Protestant theological education conversation. Third, in order to gain a deeper understanding of how a practice of prayer functions within a theological framework, this dissertation analyzes three Protestant theologians for the relationship between theology and prayer. Fourth, by placing the analysis of the theological education texts, theologians, and voices from practical theology, spirituality, and contemplative studies into conversation, this dissertation offers a proposal for how prayer can function within a theological classroom. Chapter one draws upon multiple voices across theological traditions within Christianity and argues for the importance of prayer in the work of theology and in the ministerial vocation. It provides an overview of the role of prayer within practical theological methods and theological education, and also explores the split between theology and spirituality. Chapter two analyzes seven foundational texts discussing Protestant graduate ministerial theological education for the role of prayer. Chapters three, four, and five explore the writings of three Protestant theologians--Karl Barth, Eugene Peterson, and Marjorie Suchocki--for how their understanding and practice of prayer functions within their respective theological frameworks, and what their under-standings offer to theological education for ministry. Chapter six places these theologians into conversation with scholars in spirituality studies, practical theology, and scholars from the new field of contemplative studies in order to offer a contemplative pedagogical framework. Using a four-movement dynamic based on lectio divina, the flexible framework balances four modes of attention: first person introspective reflection, second person dialogic prayer, third person objective investigation, and attentive rest.

This thesis explores chosen practices of silence in contemporary Christian women’s lives, insubstantially addressed within the literature of feminist and practical theologians. A survey of their discourse, which predominantly addresses the imposed silencing of women and the attendant quest for authentic voice to name their experiences, is supplemented by interdisciplinary exploration of silence within wider theologies, Quaker Studies, linguistics, and the talking and arts therapies. Employing feminist research methodologies, this qualitative study utilises descriptively rich material from semi-structured interviews to consider the function of silence within research interviews, to identify and map women’s engagement within a spectrum of practices of silence, to explore their role in the women’s spiritual journeys, and to highlight difficulties reported in sustaining this discipline. Data analysis shows that although frequently associated with solitude, practices of silence are valued as transformational in the women’s relationships with God, self, and others. A metaphor of a web is proposed to represent the process of relational change, and silence’s potential in developing relationally responsible communities is advocated. Explanations for feminist theologians’ neglect of chosen silence are derived from the analysis, and this discipline is invited to re-engage with silence as a resource for discovering authentic identity beyond egoic selfhood.

In this thesis I (1) identify some problems in the Popperian scientific method; (2) develop, as an alternative, and to a level of usability, a phenomenological method of knowing; (3) use this method to make a series of inferences about the nature of the human self; (4) compare and contrast my inferences with those of other scholars working on the same themes; and (5) let some of my inferences suggest ways of developing the method further. I show (1:1) how the scientific method is underpinned by a paradigm of ontic dualism; (1:2) how this paradigm has led to a certain conception of the human self; and (1:3) how this conception has led to the normalization of harmful ways of acting in the world, and thus to a planet made up of living beings who cannot find a steady fit with each other's life-ways. I develop an alternative method by building on the work of (2:1) Goethe, (2:2) Holdrege, (2:3) Ellis and (2:4) Heidegger. In essence this method consists of recalling and making inferences from one's experience. (3:1) I undertook a set of six activities (sometimes spoken of as 'Sufism'). (3:2) I try to understand my findings in the light of the ideas of four scholars: the teacher who leads these activities, Murshid Saadi, eleventhcentury polymath ibn Sina, anthropologist Tim Ingold and philosopher David Abram. (3:3) I make fifteen inferences about the human self, falling into seven themes: monism, mood, willing, perceiving, speaking, growing, and substantiveness. (4) Comparing and contrasting my conclusions with those of other scholars suggests that they are valid. (5) I develop the method further by incorporating into it the delineation of classes of phenomena and the delineation of patterns of phenomenal change. I end by discussing some implications for ethical human life-ways.

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Prayer is a central element of all religions (Coleman, 1999; Engebretson, 1999). Alongside the sense of the theological importance of prayer there has been increased recognition of the psychological function and personal benefit of prayer for adults (Pargament, 1997). This thesis reports on research that investigated the theological and psychological perceptions of prayer held by children, shown through their understanding of the meaning and function of prayer. This thesis contributes to the research field of children’s spirituality. As there is little existing research literature on children and prayer, the findings of this study provide valuable new understanding and propose new aspects of theory with implication for professionals involved in the education and the welfare of children. The research reported in this thesis represents the first Australian research on children’s perception of the meaning and function of prayer. The choice of participants reflects the diverse philosophical and religious traditions found in the Australian, multifaith society. Semi-structured interviews were video-recorded with 60 participants from primary school Year Five (10-12 years). Five male and five female participants were selected from each of six different schools in the Melbourne metropolitan area. These were: the Catholic, Independent (Christian), Christian (Parent-Controlled or Community School), Jewish, Islamic and the Government schools. Students completed a drawing exercise and a written sentence completion exercise as part of the interview, and the three sources of data were analysed qualitatively using the method of Grounded Theory. The data was interpreted in the light of a detailed literature review on the nature and function of prayer as part of children’s spirituality. The review also examined relevant sections of the literature of religious education and literature on contemporary Australian life. This study has provided Australian data on the meaning and function of prayer for children as part of children’s spirituality. Considerable agreement has been observed through the data, between children educated in a variety of school systems which embraced different philosophical and faith traditions. In the multicultural Australian community said to be secularized, prayer for these children has been shown as a valued aspect of life. The personal experiences of prayer for many were seen to be associated with the community of faith to which the participants belonged, and for others, prayer was learnt eclectically and practised in a private individualistic manner. All participants indicated that they had prayed and all contributed ideas about prayer through the interviews. All participants perceived prayer to function as an aid in life. Prayer was used by participants at significant moments in their life, and the words or thoughts in prayer helped to clarify and articulate deep feelings. Eight elements of theory (in accord with the literature on Grounded Theory ) have been generated through this research which are presented as recommendations for professionals engaged in religious education and student welfare.

It is a well established fact that the practice of the eucharistic prayer in the roman, rite is seriously underdeveloped. This survey of complete or partially through -composed settings of the eucharistic prayer attempts to shed some light on why and how composers have responded to the wide-spread opinion that the eucharistic prayer is rarely experienced as the high point of the eucharistic celebration as it was intended. Divided into two parts, the study initially considers the official aims and norms of the post-conciliar liturgy, both in general and as they pertain to the eucharistic prayer, noting some tension between the aims and their realisation. Three broad themes are identified for the entire work: ritual structure, the role of music and participation. The texts of the eucharistic prayers are then discussed to see how the official expectations are realised. A survey of the theoretical writings on rnusic and the eucharistic prayer concludes the first part. The second part focuses on over 100 musical settings, both published and unpublished d the eucharistic prayer. After offering a general chronological overview of the music, noting its forces and general characteristics, the music is scrutinised to see whether its various parts are celebrated or submerged by music, the broader shape of the compositions is examined and then a discussion concerning participation issues follows. The use of tabulated data aids the discussion. While acknowledging that there are many ways to evaluate the usefulness of such compositions and that this study does not touch on their actual reception and performance, it is hoped the current work will offer some insights into the variety of existing responses to the challenge of the setting the eucharistic prayer and offer some suggestions as to how this important work may continue.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-108).

This dissertation is an historical and theological analysis of the Sinner's Prayer. Chapter 1 introduces the topic, provides an example of the Sinner's Prayer, and proposes the importance of this study. The methodology and limitations of the study are also discussed. Chapter 2 traces the history of evangelism from New Testament times. Significant movements and persons are discussed as they have importance for the development of a theology and methodology of evangelism that lead the way to the introduction of the Sinner's Prayer. Gospel tracts receive attention because they are representative of the popular approaches to evangelism. The case presented is that the Sinner's Prayer originated in the early twentieth century as a result of efforts to simplify and reproduce methods in evangelism. Billy Graham is given primary credit for popularizing the prayer. Chapter 3 provides a theological analysis of the Sinner's Prayer. The doctrine of prayer is discussed. Biblical soteriology receives significant attention. Theological objections that have been raised regarding the Sinner's Prayer are also discussed. Theological correctives are offered to those who will continue to use the prayer as a tool in evangelism. Chapter 4 discusses the use of methods in evangelism, noting limitations, dangers, and ethical considerations. This chapter stresses the need for reform in the way the Sinner's Prayer is typically used. This work contends that the Sinner's Prayer is of recent origin. It reflects the theological and methodological shift in evangelism that occurred during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Theologically, most versions of the Sinner's Prayer fail to reflect the biblical directives for salvation. In the manner in which it is typically use, the prayer has become a barrier to effective evangelism. If evangelists will continue to make use of the prayer, reform is critical.

I identify three significant components of Heaven’s spatiality that determine the boundaries of and conditions for “legitimate” spiritual experience, all of which are embodied in what Dickinson calls “the apparatus” of prayer (Fr 632). First, the locations of Heaven and Earth are determinable, absolute, and inflexible, thus marking the distance that separates human from God as static and constant; second, in order to engage God, the supplicant must turn towards Heaven (and away from Earth); and third, specific spatial and emotional protocol are established by assigning God socially constructed roles such as King or Father. Dickinson dismantles the spatiality of Heaven in her poems and letters by undoing these three components; yet even in the act of disassembling, she embraces and recycles their respective ideologies as a way of claiming sole ownership of her religiosity.

This study examines the role of religious poetry and pedagogy in maintaining the English Catholic community during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. English Catholics faced legal sanctions, social isolation, and physical harm for practicing their faith, and the Catholic church began a campaign to maintain, educate, and minister to the community covertly through the use of Jesuit missionaries and published pedagogical texts. The influence of such experiences can be seen in the literary works of John Donne, Robert Southwell, Richard Crashaw, and Elizabeth Cary, as well as in the instructional works by lesser-known Catholic writers including John Fowler, Thomas Wright, John Bucke, Henry Garnet, Gaspar Loarte, John Mush, Jeanne de Cambray, and Agnes More. These texts also show a stylistic influence upon one another wherein pedagogical texts utilize poetic language, and poetic texts instruct the reader in religious practice through modeling and example. Through a careful reading of these works, I examine the early modern literary landscape of England in its Catholic context. Finally, I argue that the question of Protestant/Catholic identity led to the development of a religious poetics that emphasized the role of the individual within this crisis and, more importantly, in his or her relationship with God.