7 research outputs found
The theoryâpractice distinction and the complexity of practical knowledge
Over the past few decades, theologians have recognised the value of practice but have been
optimistic about the ease with which practice is incorporated into theology. People use all sorts
of adjectives to characterise the complex relationship â âintegrally relatedâ, a âdeeper reciprocityâ,
âbound up in thickly intertwined waysâ â but connecting the two is not as easy as these words
suggest. This article returns to the age-old question about the relationship between theory
and practice. But it studies this question from the angle of practice. Although many scholars
have analysed the distinction between theory and practice as it functions conceptually, few
have examined challenges in relating the two as they emerge in practice. The article argues that
there is an inevitable distinction between theory and practice that receives considerably less
attention and needs more understanding and even respect. It also argues that the discipline of
practical theology adds a distinctive angle on this discussion because it considers how the
concepts function practically.Prof. Dr Miller-McLemore is
participating in the research
project âGender Studies and
Practical Theology Theory
Formationâ, directed by Prof.
Dr Yolanda Dreyer,
Department of Practical
Theology, Faculty of Theology,
University of Pretoria.http://www.hts.org.zaam2016Practical Theolog
Negotiating sacred roles:a sociological exploration of priests who are mothers
In 1992, in a historic move, the Church of England voted to allow women's ordination to priesthood and in 1994 the first women priests started to be ordained. Despite much research interest, the experiences of priests who are mothers to dependent children have been minimally investigated. Based on in-depth interviews with seventeen mothers ordained in the Church, this paper will focus on how the sacred-profane boundary is managed. Priests who are mothers have a particular insight into the Church hierarchy as they symbolically straddle the competing discourses of sacred and profane. However, instead of reifying these binaries, the experiences of these women show how such dualisms are challenged and managed in everyday life. Indeed, in terms of experience, ritual, ministry and preaching, priests who are mothers are resisting, recasting and renegotiating sacred terrain in subtle and nuanced ways. Mothers thus not only negotiate the practical and sacramental demands placed on priests, but also illuminate how the sacred domain is regulated and constructed
âA tale of two citiesâ : the evolution of the International Academy of Practical Theology
This essay appraises the history of the International Academy of Practical Theology (IAPT),
arguing that competing aims have pulled it in different directions. The essay arose initially out
of a roundtable on IAPT at an international congress in SĂŁo Leopoldo, Brazil, in preparation for
the next biennial conference there in 2019. Why is there a need for the IAPT? What are some of
its developments? Why is it important for South America and Brazil? In response, the essay
suggests that the IAPT has struggled to sustain at least two prominent commitments â a desire
to enhance practical theologyâs scholarly visibility and acumen and a real need to become a
genuinely international organisation in terms of representation and inclusion. A secondary
argument woven through the essay is that collegial friendships across complicated differences
of location and perspective have the capacity to moderate and even heal conflicts.Prof. Dr Miller-McLemore is
participating in the research
project, âGender Studies and
Practical Theology Theory
Formationâ, directed by Prof.
Dr Yolanda Dreyer,
Department of Practical
Theology, Faculty of
Theology, University of
Pretoria.http://www.hts.org.zaam2017Practical Theolog