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Practical theology starts its theological reflections from practices, aims at analyzing empirically practices, and is directed towards the transformation of these practices. From this practice-orientation there is a strong connection between practical theology and the social sciences. Social constructionism is a growing theory within the social sciences. This volume offers a theological and social scientific reflection on this emerging concept of social constructionism.
Religion can play a dual role with regard to conflict. It can promote either violence or peace. Religion and Conflict Attribution seeks to clarify the causes of religious conflict as perceived by Christian, Muslim and Hindu college students in Tamil Nadu, India. These students in varying degrees attribute conflict to force-driven causes, namely to coercive power as a means of achieving the economic, political or socio-cultural goals of religious groups. The study reveals how force-driven religious conflict is influenced by prescriptive beliefs like religious practice and mystical experience, and descriptive beliefs such as the interpretation of religious plurality and religiocentrism. It also elaborates on the practical consequences of the salient findings for the educational process.
How can we work toward mutual understanding in our increasingly diverse and interconnected world? Pastoral theologian Melinda McGarrah Sharp approaches this multifaceted, interdisciplinary question by beginning with moments of intercultural misunderstanding. Using misunderstanding stories from her experience working with the Peace Corps in Suriname, Dr. McGarrah Sharp argues that we must recognize the limits of our own cultural perspectives in order to have meaningful intercultural encounters that are more mutually empowering and hopeful. Bringing together resources from pastoral theology, ethnography, and postcolonial studies, she provides a valuable resource for investigating the complexit...
In Collaborative Practical Theology, Henk de Roest documents and analyses research on Christian practices as it can be conducted by academic practical theologians in collaboration with practitioners of different kinds in Christian practices all around the world.
Resilience is one of the hottest terms in the modern humanities, social sciences and beyond. The reason for this is the current situation at various levels, from ecological, health, economical to political, which requires the formation of resilience from individuals, communities, countries, institutions and humanity as a whole. The term resilience refers to a new realistic paradigm in tackling the challenges required by the modern world, in which changes are happening faster and faster and are becoming less transparent and predictable. Therefore, the paradigm of stability and protection against disturbances is no longer realistic and has been replaced by the paradigm of resilience. People, natural and social systems can no longer be protected from ruptures, but must become as resilient as possible. This, in turn, raises a number of issues involving ethical questions and challenges for religions. This book addresses these issues in a holistic and interdisciplinary way that fits the multifaceted nature of resilience.
Although there has not been war in Swedish territory for many years, this does not mean that the country has no veterans who have experienced the challenges of war zone deployments or suffer from combat trauma. The Invisible Wounded Warriors in a Nation at Peace gives a rare look at the international operations of the Swedish military, while offering the reader a unique and deeper understanding of life with PTSD. The book uses terms such as moral injury to further describe the complexity. Complex PTSD after deployment in a conflict zone is a uniquely complicated web of problems that can have medical, psychological, moral, existential and spiritual dimensions. The book discusses what this might mean from an identity and pastoral care perspective. Jan Grimell is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Sociology at Uppsala University. He has also conducted postdoctoral research in spiritual care at the Unit for Research and Analysis within the Church of Sweden. He is affiliated with Linnaeus University and the Amsterdam Centre for the Study of Lived Religion at Vrije Universiteit.
A new wave of religious energy is sweeping through the western nations. Although God is disappearing from religious discourse in western culture, both as a word and as a concept, there is a definite undercurrent of religious ardour, which is growing in strength. It focuses all the more attention on the issue: what or who is God in the modern era? This is the question examined through systematic studies, practical theology and empirical research, that are presented here through anthropologically relevant theology. Renowned international authors make it plain in this book: the question of God is exciting again! This book is published in honour of Johannes A. van der Ven on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
The book describes the fundamental tenets of Catholic Radicalism, defined as an understanding of Christianity from a perspective which dismisses the traditional supernatural image of God. The essentials of Catholic Radicalism are extracted from the works of Vito Mancuso, a lay Italian theologian, whose intention is to rebuild Christian theology starting from the natural and physical reality of this world. Mancuso insists that he is a Catholic theologian despite his conviction that God should be seen today in atheistic terms, which help us understand the world from a rational perspective. The use of reason in theology is compulsory for Mancuso in order for theology to make sense in the skeptical society of our times, which is characterized by a powerful lay consciousness.
The battle of the heart can be seen as the core problem of the Christian religion in modern culture. According to Augustine, the complex mixture of longings are the driving forces of human lives. These longing are not an intellectual puzzle, but rather a craving for sustenance. The contributions locate the battle for the heart and transformation of society and church in the context of an ethnic, multi-religious, socio-economical divided Africa. Where are the authentic voices of leaders who can change the heart? How to mend a 'broken' heart? How to transform congregations towards inclusion of difference? Can we embrace the dignity of difference as attitudes that enable transformation of church and society?