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Quid pro quo: The Experiences of a Missionary in Japan
Quid pro quo (“A favor for a favor”) is a phrase that immediately brings to mind one of cinema’s most famous psychopaths, Hannibal Lecter, but for me it’s also a warning to the Christian missionary community. Quid pro quo has been used by missionaries in Japan for a long time, certainly since before I arrived fifteen years ago. We provide a service, usually cheap English lessons, and Japanese people provide an opportunity for us to share our faith with them. Perhaps they even make a verbal declaration for Christianity. They may do so not so much for salvation or due to faith, but to avoid the awkwardness of declining a…
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Constructing a Hindu Black Theology
In the context of Christianity, black theologians have offered understandings of scripture that promote black upliftment. One may then ask the question: can a Hindu to do the same? I argue that the answer to this question is “yes.” In this article, I examine the Bhagavad Gītā and the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, two central Hindu sacred texts, in order to construct a Hindu black theology. I first turn my attention to the notion of the spiritual equality of all living beings. Hindu thought recognizes that individuals have a physical and a spiritual aspect of their being. The spiritual aspect is the ātman, or the immaterial spiritual self, who remains distinct from…
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Thesis to Article: Advice for Authors from the Practical Theology Editorial Team
Most important is to recognise that: It is a further writing skill to turn an academic dissertation into an accessible, imaginative and thought-provoking journal article. Articles for Practical Theology (BIAPT’s affiliated journal) are around 6000 words and clearly need to keep the reader engaged from beginning to end as they are not reading because they have to mark your work! It is manifestly extremely difficult, if not impossible to summarise a whole thesis, whether at Masters or Doctoral level in a 6000-word article – and in any case the result may be highly unsatisfactory. You will need to choose one focus, argument, theme or question you wish to address and…
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Welcome to Practical Theology Hub!
Welcome to Practical Theology Hub! We are a new website that publishes essays on practical theology from across different traditions, faiths and religions whilst trying to bridge the gaps between the academic, clerical, and lay circles. Our about page provides a brief introduction to the site. It will tell you that: Practical Theology Hub is a space for anyone with an interest in practical theology to share their reflections and explore new ideas. The discipline of practical theology explores the dialogue that takes place between experience and belief and unites the social and physical sciences and the arts with theology in a conversation about experience and meaning making. An initiative…
