Reenvisioning Theological Education : Exploring a Missional Alternative to Current Models

by Banks, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780802846204
• ISBN10: 0802846203
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-08-01
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

This study challenges the conventional wisdom on the nature of theological education and offers an exciting new proposal for renovating the way theological education is conceived -- and practiced -- today.

In the first section of the book Robert Banks provides the most exhaustive and up-to-date survey of the positions advanced in the educational debate during the last fifteen years and offers an analysis of the debate as a whole, including insightful critiques of some of the traditional assumptions of theological education.

The second section explores how ministry formation took place in biblical times. This investigation lays the groundwork for a more satisfactory -- and largely unexplored -- approach to education that Banks calls the "missional model". The third section of the book fleshes out this missional model through a reconsideration of the key concerns and issues in the educational debate, and shows why this new model of theological education is more holistic, inclusive, and practical than current versions.

The final section of the book suggests

Author Biography

Robert Banks is executive and academic director of Macquarie Christian Studies Institute, Sydney, Australia, and senior international fellow at the De Pree Leadership Center, Fuller Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(262)
The Changing Theological Education Scene Today	4	(4)
Theological Seminaries and Divinity Schools	4	(3)
Bible Institutes and Lay Centers	7	(1)
The Emergence of a More Wide-Ranging Discussion	8	(9)
From Operational to Theological Concerns	10	(1)
A General Outline of the Book	11	(6)
PART ONE REASSESSING THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION: THE PRESENT STAGE OF DEBATE
Retrieving Aspects of the ``Classical'' Model	17	(17)
The Centrality of Theological Wisdom	19	(5)
The Significance of Personal Formation	24	(4)
The Orientation to Social Transformation	28	(3)
Some Critical Questions	31	(3)
Revising Aspects of the ``Vocational'' Model	34	(12)
A Focus on Practical Theology	34	(5)
A Preference for Contextualized Apology	39	(4)
Some Critical Questions	43	(3)
Developing a More ``Synthetic'' Model	46	(12)
The Search for Visionary Discernment	46	(4)
The Quest for Concrete Divine Understanding	50	(4)
The Promise in Idea-Forming Practices	54	(2)
Some Critical Questions	56	(2)
Some Final Responses to the Debate	58	(15)
Elements on Which There Is Agreement	58	(1)
Several Significant Reservations	59	(5)
Two Additional Rejoinders	64	(9)
Conclusion	69	(4)
PART TWO BACKING INTO THE FUTURE: A BIBLICAL ANGLE OF VISION
The Relevance of a Biblical Starting Point	73	(10)
On the Margins of the Debate	75	(4)
In Defense of a Scriptural Approach	79	(4)
Ministry Formation Before Christ	83	(11)
Early Jewish Roles	84	(6)
Community Representatives	84	(2)
Specialized Callings	86	(4)
Later Jewish Groups	90	(2)
The Pharisees	90	(1)
John's Followers	91	(1)
Some Preliminary Conclusions	92	(2)
Ministry Formation by Christ	94	(18)
The Disciples of Jesus	94	(8)
Who Were the Disciples?	95	(2)
How Were the Disciples Recruited?	97	(2)
What Did Discipleship Entail?	99	(2)
How Were Disciples Distinguished?	101	(1)
Jesus as Teacher	102	(6)
Some General Comments	108	(4)
Ministry Formation After Christ	112	(17)
The Colleagues of Paul	114	(3)
Who Were Paul's Colleagues?	114	(1)
On What Basis Were They Recruited?	115	(1)
How Did He Relate to His Colleagues?	116	(1)
What Was the Purpose of the Group?	116	(1)
Paul as Teacher	117	(5)
Some Common Features	122	(7)
Conclusion	125	(4)
PART THREE DEVELOPING A MISSIONAL MODEL: FROM THE MARGINS TO THE CENTER
Beyond Mission-Oriented and Missiological Education	129	(13)
Developing a New Trajectory in Theological Education	129	(2)
Some Mission-Oriented, Missiological, and Mission-Friendly Approaches	131	(11)
Echoes of a Mission Orientation	131	(2)
Insights from the Discussion of Missiological Education	133	(4)
The Relevance of Praxis-Based and Professional-Training Approaches	137	(5)
Recasting Major Issues in the Debate	142	(15)
Distinctive Characteristics of the Missional Model	142	(2)
Revisiting Central Themes in the Debate	144	(5)
Unity and Fragmentation	144	(3)
Pluralism and Contextualization	147	(2)
A Further Look at the Hermeneutical Issue	149	(8)
Is the Missional Model Anachronistic?	149	(2)
Is the Model Vulnerable to a False Distinction?	151	(1)
Is a More Academic Model Required Today?	152	(1)
Is Biblical Illiteracy a Determining Factor?	153	(4)
The Nature of Learning in a Missional Model	157	(12)
A More Immediate Connection Between Action and Reflection	159	(4)
A More Complex Relationship Between Theory and Practice	163	(6)
Reconceiving Teaching as a Missional Practice	169	(20)
Teaching as Sharing Life as Well as Knowledge	171	(3)
Teaching as Active as Well as Reflective Practice	174	(15)
Some Basic Considerations	175	(1)
Some Particular Suggestions	176	(6)
Conclusion	182	(7)
PART FOUR BRINGING ABOUT SYSTEMIC CHANGE: SOME GUIDEPOSTS TO REFORM
Reconfiguring the Student Profile	189	(10)
Differences in the Students' Maturity and Experience	191	(4)
Variety in the Kinds and Vocations of Students	195	(2)
Some Additional Comments	197	(2)
Rethinking Personal and Communal Formation	199	(9)
The Role of Personal Formation	199	(5)
The Scope for Community Building	204	(4)
Refashioning Key Institutional Cultures	208	(15)
The Culture of the Educational Institution	211	(3)
The Culture of the Professional Guild	214	(4)
The Culture of the Wider Church	218	(5)
Reshaping the Theological Curriculum	223	(26)
Curriculum Goals and Outcomes	224	(3)
Experiments in Curriculum Change	227	(6)
Reframing the Curriculum	233	(4)
Integrative Postgraduate Study	237	(12)
Conclusion	241	(8)
CONCLUSION
Further Barriers to Institutional Reform	249	(5)
Financial and Personal Constraints	249	(1)
Space and Time Considerations	250	(4)
Other Avenues for Change	254	(9)
Informal Opportunities	254	(1)
Institutional Openings	255	(3)
Innovative Organizations	258	(5)
Index	263