• Christianity,  Leadership,  Ministry,  Theological Education

    Minifigures and Ministers: Formation in the Church of England

    There was a time when a Lego figure was as simple as the plastic person you put in the house you’d built or sat in the car you’d made out of oblong and sloping bricks. There was a time when the great Archbishop Michael Ramsey’s description of a minister in the Church of England as a distinctively full time Christian, ‘the beacon of the church’s pastoral, prophetic and priestly concern’[1] was a fully adequate description. Today however, like Lego minifigures, ministers have evolved to be more diverse than Ramsey’s image. If Ramsey were to comment on ministers today, he would see much that he would recognise; some ministers are that…

  • Judaism,  Scripture

    Mitzvah – Making the Place More Holy: The Ultimate in Practical Theology

    The word “Mitzvah” is probably best known as part of a word that constitutes one of the main Jewish lifecycle events occurring when a child reaches the age of 13, the Bar Mitzvah (son) or Bat Mitzvah (daughter).  But what is a mitzvah? Basically, the definitions are: a precept or commandment or a good deed done from religious duty.   However in Judaism it is so much more about relationship than command. The beneficiary of the  mitzvah is not the person receiving the good deed, but the person doing it. That is because doing mitzvah is to make this place, Earth, more holy, adding sparks to the universe. By following the precepts it is…

  • Christianity,  East Asia,  Missiology

    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…

  • Black Theology,  Hinduism,  Indic Religions,  Scripture

    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…

  • Official Business

    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…

  • Official Business

    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…