Archive for May, 2004
Monday, May 31st, 2004
McFague’s seminal approach to narrative theology was laid out in 1975 in her book, “Speaking in Parables: A Study in Metaphor and Theology“, published by Fortress Press, and has been republished by SCM Press in 2002.
McFague was until very recently Dean of the Divinity School and the Carpenter Professor of Theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee. Although she’s retired, she’s become Distinguished Theologian in Residence at Vancouver School of Theology.
In “Speaking in Parables”, McFague lays out an approach for intermediary or parabolic theology: theology which relies on various literary forms – parables, stories, poems, confessions – as a way from religious experience to systematic theology. McFague brings a commitment to bringing the Word to life for ordinary people, grounded in a existential, personal and sensuous reflection on life.
McFague refers often to poetry (Gerard Manley Hopkins), stories (Tolkien) and parables (such as those written by Kavka).
McFague reminds the theologian that metaphor and symbol should be used as food for thought – contemplated, probed, reflected upon, rather than manipulated, translated and reduced. Theologians, she says, need to learn to express insights in autobiography as much as in systematic propositions.
Speaking in Parables has recently been republished by SCM, 2002, but the 1975 version is also available online at Religion Online:
Speaking in Parables: A Study in Metaphor and Theology: Online
McFague’s later books include: The Body of God: An Ecological Theology (1993), and Super, Natural Christians: How we should love nature (1997). Her most recent book is Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril (2000)
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Wednesday, May 26th, 2004
When you hear the phrase “theological reflection” it is usually applied to to theological students in the context of field education. Yet most people writing about theological reflection expect that the predominant context will be groups of people in congregational settings working together to make sense of their lives. So why do we expect the professional theologians to talk theology while everyone else just ‘does it’?
James Hopewell, before his death in 1984, challenged his peers in theological education circles to think beyond clericalism. Seminaries needed to think beyond the formation and equipping of ordained ministers. When working through the stories, symbols and meanings of ministry experience, groups should be considering not just individuals, but whole congregations.
Hopewell distributed the draft of an essay to his colleagues in 1983 - proposing that the new paradigm of theological education should be the development of the life and faith of the congregation. His research was published in more detail after his death in the book “Congregations: Stories and Structures“, edited by Barbara Wheeler in 1987. The essay was responded to by his colleagues in another book, “Beyond Clericalism: The Congregation as a Focus for Theological Education“, edited by Barbara Wheeler and Joseph Hough in 1988. Barbara Wheeler and Edward Farley continued the conversation in the collation of essays: “Shifting Boundaries: Contextual Approaches to the Structure of Theological Education“, in 1991.
Much of Hopewell’s thesis comes from the experience of beginning a new church plant with a team of lay members, each of whom helped shape the culture of a thriving church over four years. He saw the impact of narrative - shared stories - on the culture and ethos of this congregation in the same way he’d seen earlier in African villages. Context was not just something to be considered when entering strange cultures - it was a factor in the local American congregation. Also a factor in the American seminary.
The implications of Hopewell’s thesis have deepened as theologians have learnt to take the congregation seriously. Nancy Ammerman’s congregational studies are now standard texts. Alban Institute’s work on the local congregation has become a core part of our learning. Don Browning, still the academic, encourages his readers and fellow scholars to take congregational theology seriously. Theological reflection is the domain of local teams of mission agents who may or may not include ordained clergy.
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Tuesday, May 18th, 2004
Ken Pohly’s first book, Pastoral Supervision, came out in 1977. It was at the time a groundbreaking text for Christian leaders and educators considering the practice of professional supervision. Pohly provided a theological foundation for supervision while helping his readers learn the development of supervision in a broad range of disciplines. He picks up on the strong contributions of narrative theology and applies them to professional supervision for ministers.
Pohly’s latest book, Transforming the Rough Places: The Ministry of Supervision, 2001, is an updated version of Pastoral Supervision. He provides an overview of the writing in several fields relating to supervision and provides an excellent series of bibliographical appendices.
Kenneth established the Pohly Center for Supervision and Leadership Formation at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He’s from a United Methodist context.
Ken Pohly - United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio
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