This thesis is concerned with practical theological education in non-confessional higher education. If non-confessional Practical Theology is to take seriously its mandate to shape all of its students’ orientation and future actions regardless of their position vis-à-vis religion, it needs to respond to the increasingly diverse character of younger generations’ religiosity and the presence of non-Christian students. However, available studies of learning and teaching in Practical Theology, especially those originating in North America, predominantly focus on a Christian and clerical paradigm that is inappropriate for students of all faiths and none. Instead, I propose a reflexive process of formation in critical conversation with external norms and values. The development of this pedagogical reorientation requires an inductive study of participants’ positionalities. I welcome this as an exciting opportunity to move on from the Christian and clerical heritage with its concomitant process of formation through integration of external norms and values. My conceptual framework for this thesis is made up of four elements. The value of ‘prefiguring flourishing’ shapes my praxis in research and education. This leads me to adopt ‘Transforming Practice’ as the theoretical model for the design of my critical action research process. The hybrid positionality of ‘insider-outsider’ instead of a binary emerges from the research as a key concept that captures contemporary developments in religious identities, and affirms plurality and contingency in identity construction and group dynamics. This links to ‘rhizomatic fragments’ as conceptualisation of the ordering process in human life story construction, and in the research process and its presentation in the thesis. Based on this framework, I show how critical, reciprocal conversation between theological scholarship and alumni perceptions of long-term learning outcomes of my teaching practice can generate normative pedagogical principles for non-confessional PT while also prompting revision of theological concepts. The normative principles inform my student-focused reorientation of the model and aim of non-confessional PT, relevant curriculum, and appropriate learning, teaching and assessment. Secondly, I demonstrate how triangulation between these alumni-based normative principles, theological scholarship and autoethnography can contribute to the educator’s personal and professional development to realise their values more fully in their practice. This involves first deconstructing my past identity in theological education and vis-à-vis religion, and second reconstructing a confident future-oriented identity as theological educator.

This research applied Mezirow’s transformative learning theory to theological education, in particular in situations where theological education is concerned with the purpose of formation. A field study among minority Christian women attending a Bible school in Pakistan found that the transformative pedagogy contributed to the formational aspects of the theological education programme and helped to integrate the fragmented curriculum, and the separation of theology and spirituality. Students’ epistemological, theological, and personal assumptions were identified at the beginning of the course and changes in these assumptions tracked over the year of study. Five areas of formation, namely relationship with God, thinking theologically, communicating the gospel, relationships with others, and self-understanding, were identified as a way of assessing how changes in assumptions impacted on formational change. Transformation occurred over the range of assumptions and areas of formation. Students’ assumption change was found to be idiosyncratic, responding to the transformative environment created by the teachers, according to particular developmental and formational needs students had. Fostering reflective ability, and the inclusion of reflection activities, as well as mentoring, contributed to students’ formation in the use of transformative learning pedagogy. Transformative learning proved effective even among students with less developed cognitive ability. The South Asian earthquake of 2005 was a significant trigger event which impacted on student formation in developing care and concern, understanding ministry, theodicy, and in developing epistemological complexity. Implications for further research on the use of transformative learning in different theological education settings, and to compare changes over a longer term are also considered.

This research applied Mezirow’s transformative learning theory to theological education, in particular in situations where theological education is concerned with the purpose of formation. A field study among minority Christian women attending a Bible school in Pakistan found that the transformative pedagogy contributed to the formational aspects of the theological education programme and helped to integrate the fragmented curriculum, and the separation of theology and spirituality. Students’ epistemological, theological, and personal assumptions were identified at the beginning of the course and changes in these assumptions tracked over the year of study. Five areas of formation, namely relationship with God, thinking theologically, communicating the gospel, relationships with others, and self-understanding, were identified as a way of assessing how changes in assumptions impacted on formational change. Transformation occurred over the range of assumptions and areas of formation. Students’ assumption change was found to be idiosyncratic, responding to the transformative environment created by the teachers, according to particular developmental and formational needs students had. Fostering reflective ability, and the inclusion of reflection activities, as well as mentoring, contributed to students’ formation in the use of transformative learning pedagogy. Transformative learning proved effective even among students with less developed cognitive ability. The South Asian earthquake of 2005 was a significant trigger event which impacted on student formation in developing care and concern, understanding ministry, theodicy, and in developing epistemological complexity. Implications for further research on the use of transformative learning in different theological education settings, and to compare changes over a longer term are also considered.

This research applied Mezirow’s transformative learning theory to theological education, in particular in situations where theological education is concerned with the purpose of formation. A field study among minority Christian women attending a Bible school in Pakistan found that the transformative pedagogy contributed to the formational aspects of the theological education programme and helped to integrate the fragmented curriculum, and the separation of theology and spirituality. Students’ epistemological, theological, and personal assumptions were identified at the beginning of the course and changes in these assumptions tracked over the year of study. Five areas of formation, namely relationship with God, thinking theologically, communicating the gospel, relationships with others, and self-understanding, were identified as a way of assessing how changes in assumptions impacted on formational change. Transformation occurred over the range of assumptions and areas of formation. Students’ assumption change was found to be idiosyncratic, responding to the transformative environment created by the teachers, according to particular developmental and formational needs students had. Fostering reflective ability, and the inclusion of reflection activities, as well as mentoring, contributed to students’ formation in the use of transformative learning pedagogy. Transformative learning proved effective even among students with less developed cognitive ability. The South Asian earthquake of 2005 was a significant trigger event which impacted on student formation in developing care and concern, understanding ministry, theodicy, and in developing epistemological complexity. Implications for further research on the use of transformative learning in different theological education settings, and to compare changes over a longer term are also considered.

This research applied Mezirow’s transformative learning theory to theological education, in particular in situations where theological education is concerned with the purpose of formation. A field study among minority Christian women attending a Bible school in Pakistan found that the transformative pedagogy contributed to the formational aspects of the theological education programme and helped to integrate the fragmented curriculum, and the separation of theology and spirituality. Students’ epistemological, theological, and personal assumptions were identified at the beginning of the course and changes in these assumptions tracked over the year of study. Five areas of formation, namely relationship with God, thinking theologically, communicating the gospel, relationships with others, and self-understanding, were identified as a way of assessing how changes in assumptions impacted on formational change. Transformation occurred over the range of assumptions and areas of formation. Students’ assumption change was found to be idiosyncratic, responding to the transformative environment created by the teachers, according to particular developmental and formational needs students had. Fostering reflective ability, and the inclusion of reflection activities, as well as mentoring, contributed to students’ formation in the use of transformative learning pedagogy. Transformative learning proved effective even among students with less developed cognitive ability. The South Asian earthquake of 2005 was a significant trigger event which impacted on student formation in developing care and concern, understanding ministry, theodicy, and in developing epistemological complexity. Implications for further research on the use of transformative learning in different theological education settings, and to compare changes over a longer term are also considered.

Using Mezirow's (1991) transformative learning theory as a framework, this qualitative case study investigated conditions conducive to transformative learning experiences among theological students in an online program at a seminary. Learning Activities Survey developed by King in 1998, a Community of Inquiry framework proposed by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer in 2000, and semi-structured interviews were employed. Emails were sent to 85 students (81 current In-Ministry M.Div. students and four recent graduates), and 38 (44.7%) took the online survey. A typical participant in this survey was a married White male in his 30s. Of the 38 survey respondents, 30 (78.9%) indicated having experienced transformation during their study. Among those 30, class assignment (66.7%) and a person (60.6%) were two factors that influenced them the most in their transformative learning experiences. Data collected from the online survey and two online courses shed light on the semi-structured interviews conducted with 11 students. A qualitative analysis software ATLAS ti. and Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory were utilized to analyze the data. This resulted in a proposed integrative learning condition model which proposed two conditions conducive to transformation, being in-ministry and using integrative learning strategy. These two conditions were significantly influenced by physical presence. A surprising result was that physical presence does not indicate a three- or four-year stay on campus at a traditional seminary, but is a by-product of a blended, online program which gives students more opportunities to develop quality relationships both during their on-campus intensives and in their local ministries. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the idea of online theological education using a blended model which promotes integrative learning strategy and learners being in-ministry.

Thesis advisor: Jane E. Regan / In theological education in the United States, writing is taught primarily as an individualistic pursuit in which students demonstrate knowledge acquisition and conformity to the standards of academic English. This creates significant problems for students who hail from educational, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds unlike that of the dominant academic context. To address these problems, educators must expand beyond our vision of writing as a utilitarian product created in solitude to see it as a process of student ethical transformation that assists students to construct voices that connect to who whey are and better relate to their audiences and their contexts of ministry. Several resources are explored to support theological educators in enacting this pedagogical shift: 1) composition theory and linguistics describing writing as a socio-rhetorical activity that can aid students in the generative struggle of creating voices; 2) intersectional theory for an analysis of the construction a major theological figure’s prophetic voice; and 3) South African Ubuntu theology to reframe writing as an intentional relational process concerned with the ethical dimensions of communication. The final chapter outlines a practical process of pedagogical change for learners in the classroom and for theological institutions themselves. Given the radical change in the context of ministry and the demographics of our student bodies, theological educators must transform how we teach writing in order to recognize and respond to the educational needs of our diverse students as they prepare for a wide range of vocational callings; to enliven theological writing in the academy; and to increase writing’s relevance and responsiveness to the world and church in which we live and share our lives of faith. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.

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 study utilizes a systematic review method to assess literature about the Protestant Christian tradition to enhance theological education in the African context. It explores the development and transformation of African theological education in the period 1910 to 2012. A ‘follow the money trail method of investigation’ was utilized to expose the theological issues that African theologians fundraised for African theological education through the Theological Education Fund/Ecumenical Theological Education of World Council of Churches. These were perceived as crucial in developing an African theological education that promotes the principles of a just and equitable African Christian community. The primary data was extracted by utilizing an approach that demanded searching various media sources which included electronic databases. The search strategy for electronic databases was developed from the key words and phrases of the research question. The search yielded about 10, 821 results and having carefully perused through them, 169 primary sources were included in this study. This was significant as it helped make sense of a large body of literature and was a means of isolating and synthesising the main theories and pragmatics of African theological education. The insights gained from this study are significant as a contribution to the current search for a vision of African theological education that promotes the principles of a just and equitable African Christian community in the twenty-first century. The study makes two unique contributions in the search and vision for African theological education. The contribution lies in constructing an example of an African pedagogy of community of life which is based on education for life-giving. This pedagogy is based on the Bemba understanding of insaka which is a process of life-giving-learning methodology. This theme is as relevant for global Christianity as it is to the Bemba people in their quest for life-giving theological education. Another critical contribution lies in the understanding that through Africanization, African theological education has been in a process of acquiring its own unique character or theological identity. African theological education has shifted from a merely dogmatic orientation to praxis orientation. This is based on a theological pedagogy that recognises that doing theological education involves critical engagement in a missional process of liberation—of seeking fullness of life in its interpenetrative dimensions as spiritual-material starting with the least of the community, but embracing the whole of God’s creation. To achieve this, theological education has to cut across denominational allegiances, privileging of academic disciplines, and embracing the insaka pedagogy of life through ecumenical and trans-disciplinary approaches. The viability of African theological education resides in its critical engagement with the concrete societal challenges of the African peoples. As a result, this study argues that creating a just and equitable African Christian community to a large extent depends on embracing the life-giving pedagogy as an imperative in African theological education. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 240-255).