Theology of Mission in the Classroom: Embodied Cultural Contestations?Posted on April 25, 2014 by Robert SalerWhat does theologizing about mission mean for the seminary classroom?I would suggest that it means that discussions of theology and mission need to take a cue from history courses and emphasize that culture, like the history of the church, is not a peaceful stream of predictable events but a contested series of contingencies, complex theologies, and variegated worldviews. We must “complicate” talk of culture in the classroom with the same rigor with which we complicate the theological discourses native to our seminaries.
Sleep in Academia: The Brain We’ve GotPosted on April 21, 2014 by A+ Brooke Lester, Curator(See also Part One: Waking Up to the Problem.) It’s sometimes said in “recovery” circles that “You can’t fix the brain you’ve got with the brain you’ve got.” But let’s see if we can’t try to think clearly—our crippling sleep deficit notwithstanding—about the brain. Anybody who can manage a Google or YouTube search can discover…
Sustainable Theological Education: Part 3—Tending the Soil and its Natural AssetsPosted on April 21, 2014 by Jennifer ShepherdIn this three-part series of posts, I have used Matthew 13 and the parable of the sower, seed, and soil to suggest a two-stage model for pedagogical “soil” analysis in our classrooms so that we create sustainable theological education. When we help students recognize and discover the makeup of their personal interpretive soils we create sustainability by equipping students with the skills to continually reuse what they have learned to analyze, confirm, support, and uphold what they believe….
The Wonderful—Yet Misunderstood—World of WikisPosted on April 11, 2014 by Chris ParisIn academia, the word “wiki” often conjures up images of students copying and pasting assignments from Wikipedia, daring the plagiarism police to catch them. The word reminds others of that revolutionary vanguard of the fifth estate known as WikiLeaks—with some welcoming a new age of electronic social justice and others arguing that some dams should never crumble. Wikis can be powerful tools for cataloguing and disseminating information. However, with their ability to inform and misinform, some may wonder about their value for research and classroom collaboration….
Metacognition and the End of the “Pastor?”Posted on April 6, 2014 by George ElerickThere are many seminarians, clergy persons, and even their congregations who believe that the weight of responsibility for inculcating theology comes down to the role of the pastor. This is highly problematic due to the fact that it creates psychic stress within the individual to perform a saviour-like role. In today’s ever-changing landscape is there a way in which we can respond to both the culture we live and the beliefs we hold so dear? Maybe one possible response lies in metacognition…