Learning to Sing in a Strange Land: Practicing a Pedagogy of Conscious Relinquishment

Willie James Jennings’s After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging (2020) and Cindy S. Lee’s Our Unforming: De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation (2022) have been landmark literary encounters for me of late. Each in their own way have challenged two working assumptions around teaching within a theological institution. The first is an epistemological assumption about a so-called ‘body’ of specialised knowledge students need to learn. The second is the assumption of the inherent superiority of Western ways of processing and acting in relation to all things biblical, theological, or spiritual. Adopting a professional stance of conscious relinquishment may sound like a contradiction in terms. However, to frame the Christian gospel with a lively sense of congruity, admissions of unknowing or limitation, are essential to the way our teaching is conveyed — embodied. The Gospel of Mark with its latent theme of transformative movements forward is an ideal conversation partner for this overarching theme

SECTION 1: ACPE

Introduction to articles related to ACPE

The Importance of Safety for the Practice of Spiritual Care

This paper argues for the explicit integration of safety—particularly ontological safety—into spiritual care. Drawing on Maslow, Rogers, Porges, and Wimberly, it explores how chaplains can cultivate safety through presence, co-regulation, and reauthoring personal mythologies. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is proposed as a framework for fostering ontological safety in chaplaincy and beyond

SECTION 2: ASSOCIATION FOR THEOLOGICAL FIELD EDUCATION (ATFE) AND ASSOCIATION FOR REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION (ARPTE)

Articles from ATFE and ARPTE authors

Jesus and the Paradigms of Loneliness

The author explores the various ways that he has addressed and dealt with feelings of isolation, grief, and loneliness. His approach to his owning these feelings offers excellent suggestions for encouraging people to engage their own feelings

Adapting Assessment Tools

This article describes the process of redesigning student assessment tools for field education at the Catholic Theological Union (CTU). The author recognized that existing evaluation tools did not adequately capture the nuances of student development in ministerial settings. Through research, focus groups, and collaboration with site supervisors and faculty, CTU transformed its evaluation tool into an assessment tool that better supports student growth.The new assessment framework uses a five-point Likert scale ranging from "Basic" to "Integration," measuring 27 specific competencies across theological, pastoral, and personal formation. The digital tool provides more nuanced feedback for students while streamlining data collection for program assessment. Initial feedback indicates that the tool better facilitates growth-oriented discussions and provides clearer pathways for improvement

“I felt like I was being pushed into a box I have escaped”: ADHD and the Rule of Life in Education for Spiritual Formation

The notion of a “rule of life” has rocketed into broad popularity in recent years, but the commitment to structure and consistency that it often entails can prove detrimental for those with ADHD. This article addresses how a practice that has formed Christ-followers for centuries might be reimagined for neurodivergent individuals in theological education for spiritual formation

Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems and Meditation for Staying Human, Convergent, 2024

Book Revie

Going Deeper: A Reflection on Educational Cornerstones and Adaptations in Changing Landscapes of Practice

Field education thrives on theological reflection and integration, with its outcome expressed in vocational practices. Current realities, such as post-COVID technological changes and virtual and in-person communities, invite adaptations in a rapidly changing landscape of practice. This reflective essay represents an instructor's perspective seeking to go deeper in uncertain times. Tripodi also reflects the perspective of one of her supervisor-mentors, whose invitation reflects the unlearning/learning pedagogy inviting transformation in liminal spaces. Spiritual practices such as Lectio Divina, Ignatian spirituality, or mindfulness exercises are one means for such transformation. They allow the instructor, intern, and supervisor-mentor a renewed spiritual grounding from which new forms can emerge. Using Gorman's poetry, grief concerning current contextual realities is acknowledged. Following the Talmudic sense, the instructor, intern, supervisor-mentors, and internship communities are called to acknowledge reality and actively participate in providing care and service. This service becomes the source of hope through the work for the common good. Deepened self- and communal awareness provide a source of wisdom that allows new adaptive processes to emerge. By modeling these practices, the instructor strives to create a safe, brave, mutual learning space where all are learners and instructors

Norvene, Claiming Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power, By Andrew B. Turner

Book Revie