One of the satisfactions of teaching over the long term is the chance to re-visit certain theological questions again and again. Every college course I’ve taught over the last eight-plus years has somehow taken the relationship between Christianities and cultures as a basic theme, and for this new spring semester that will continue to be the case with my courses at Fordham. I still feel as energized by exploring this relationship as I did my first term teaching (at Boston College) in 2001, and still sense its importance for the everyday life of faith, for ministry, and for academic theology, as well as for the cultures that are influenced by those who try to live as Christians.

Two courses in particular will try to see these fields anew: an undergraduate course I’m teaching on practical theology, and a graduate course on research into the practice of faith.

Here is how I describe the focus of the undergraduate course: “Practical theology explores how practices structure Christian life, for the sake of wiser practice. It focuses on making theological sense of ‘secular’ and ‘spiritual’ practices in the lives of individuals, communities, churches, and cultures. Practical theology is, then, a Christian theology that critically inquires into practices for the sake of more ‘faithful’ practice, and at the same time allows that inquiry to be reflexive, critically interrogating how the Christian tradition understands itself practically. In other words, it brings theology to bear on cultural practices of significance to Christian life in the present, and in that encounter sees theology itself as a culturally and historically contingent and contested practice. In these and other ways, practical theology is a significant and growing domain of theological inquiry today. It is both a specific field within contemporary Christian theology, and a particular perspective through which one can interpret all theology.”

Informed readers will recognize that in this description I have interpreted a discipline that is often seen in the U.S.A. as a very churchy enterprise, and brought out those elements of it that will seem to be most relevant for the undergraduates I expect might take it. (They will get some of the more churchy material along the way.) We will focus on an array of basic methods in practical theology, noting how they show up in practical theologies and also in students’ lives. With undergraduates especially, I end up teaching practical theology as a kind of philosophy of Christian practice, which is not too far from how I myself view its enterprise.

One of my graduate courses this spring is a seminar, “Pastoral Theology and Practice.” Here is how I describe its focus: “What kind of theological attitude best serves the scholarly study of pastoral work? The development of a scholarly and researchful awareness about faith praxis in local situations is increasingly seen to be one essential answer to this question. This seminar explores some fundamental questions and approaches to conducting research into ministry today. Particular attention is paid to the cultivation of theological attention to the practice of faith. Our study of methods of research will also give occasion to foreground how to become researchful scholars. By the end of the course, students will have a deepened knowledge of practical theology and of some ways it construes the scholarly study of pastorally significant experience. Students will gain an introductory knowledge of approaches to research as understood in the doctor of ministry model, and will study in depth two models for doing practical theology for pastoral life: a more theoretical approach to ‘ordinary theology,’ and a more practical approach to ‘pastoral ethnography.’ We will make this knowledge a ‘living knowledge’ through conversation, presentation, and writing that relates the course texts to students’ knowledge, practice, and contexts. By the end of the course, students can think of themselves more deeply as theological researchers—into pastoral life, ministry, or faith praxis.”

With this class, I am attempting to help graduate students who are doing theological research into pastoral work to learn some models for such research and rehearse them through analysis and reflection. The question of faith between experience and culture is ever in the foreground.

Each time I undergo a course with a new group of students, I find that the Christianity/culture problematic offers new ways of thinking through the relationship between “secular music” and “sacred theology.” As a new semester begins, I look forward to new learning and the rites of the classroom, and hope that Rock and Theology will benefit, at least indirectly, as well.

Tom Beaudoin

New York City, New York, United States

1 Comment »

• 

  Dear Tom

  Greetings,
  This is Habib writing from Iran. I am working on practical theology of Islam. I was for two years fellow of IASC in UVA (2007-2008). Now, I am looking for some materials and methodological resources in this regard. It would be apprecieated if you send me the Syllabus of your courses and also another texts that you see benefit for me.

  Best,
  Habib

  Comment by Habib — January 13, 2010 @ 12:30 am

  
  

  ---

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website