Review of de Roest, Collaboratice Practical Theology: Engaging Practitioners in Research on Christian Practices (original) (raw)

2021, Barentsen, Jack. “Review of de Roest, Collaborative Practical Theology: Engaging Practitioners in Research on Christian Practices (Leiden, Brill, 2020).” European Journal of Theology 30, no. 2 (2021): 385 – 87.

Book Review H. de Roest, Collaborative Practical Theology. Engaging Practitioners in Research on Christian Practices

Practical Theology, 2020

At the heart of Collaborative Practical Theology is the claim that it has not been common in the discipline to investigate Christian practices collaboratively (129), and the book makes the case for the benefits of doing so. It aims to achieve this first with a historical survey of academic practical theology that identifies the lack of connection between "theological education, practitioners and everyday believers" (ibid) in spite of the discipline's orientation towards lived religion and its aim for relevance to practitioners. At the same time, practical theology's foundations and development support collaborative approaches. In the second part, de Roest offers concrete suggestions why and how to conduct collaborative practical theological research.

Can Theology Be Practical? Part II: A reflection on renewal methodology and the practice of research

2017

In this second keynote address, I shall focus especially on the nature of Renewal as it informs practical-theological research. Practical theology can be used in an individual manner as a form of reflective practice or it can be used as an educational process in a congregational context. These uses of practical theology are important and have their place in the range of how practical theology is used. However, in this address I am assuming that we are talking about the role of research in practical theology in different contexts. In other words, like other academic disciplines, we can talk about practical-theological research as a process of investigation leading to insights that are effectively shared. But in this case we are also aiming to use these insights to renew theological praxis in the life of the church and its mission in the world.

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