Resources

Journal Issue.

Click Here for Book Review Abstract: There is still resistance in Christian institutions to interreligious dialogue. Many feel that such a practice weakens Christian faith, and promotes the idea that Christianity is merely one among many different religious options. When it comes to higher education, there is the fear that both college and seminary students will “lose their faith” if they are invited to study other religious traditions from a positive perspective. Unfortunately, this attitude belies the current culture in which we live, which constantly exposes us to the beliefs and practices of others. Kristin Johnston Largen sees this setting as an opportunity and seeks to provide not only the theological grounding for such a position but also some practical advice on how both to teach and live out this conviction in a way that promotes greater understanding and respect for others and engenders a deeper appreciation of one’s own faith tradition. Largen’s synopsis of interreligious education and suggested action includes contributions by Mary E. Hess and Christy Lohr Sapp. Hess and Sapp provide practical commentary regarding the successful implementation of Largen’s proposed approach. As a group, Largen, Hess, and Sapp create a text that extends pedagogical innovation in inspiring but practical ways. (From the Publisher)

This report analyzes educational borrowing of theological students, updates data from the previous study and offers suggestions for how schools can decrease student borrowing and mitigate some of the effects of debt among their students.

Revenues and expenditures of schools are analyzed for this ten year period. Enrollment trends, including extension sights and distance education, are reviewed. Qualitative factors that contribute to financial stability are examined, including findings from six schools whose financial performance was remarkably consistent and solid for this decade. (From the Publisher)

Click Here for Book Review Abstract: Could we have imagined how much theological education would change in the new millennium? Shifting needs of students, classrooms, and churches have demanded constant revisions of the curriculum, course design, classroom technology, and pedagogical strategies. Saint Paul School of Theology felt the tide of change within our own walls and designed a project called "Proleptic Pedagogy" to address three distinct pedagogical challenges for the future of theological education. First, instead of fitting new technologies into old pedagogies, how are teaching and learning transformed by shifting needs of students who are "digital natives," "digital immigrants," or distance learners? Second, instead of reactive strategies, what pedagogy proactively eliminates "accommodations" because courses are designed with flexibility and openness to diverse learning styles, disabilities, and needs? Third, instead of engaging student diversity with the tools of the 1960s, what new teaching and learning strategies anticipate future student racial and ethnic demographics and interracial educational experiences? This volume of essays narrates our classroom stories, teases out pedagogical issues, examines pedagogical literature, reflects on theology of pedagogy, and constructs pedagogical proposals—with an open invitation for other theological educators to join our conversation about the future of theological education. (From the Publisher)

Journal Issue.

Students usually begin their path to theological or rabbinical school long before they first appear on the radar of most schools. They have been nurtured along the way by parents and professors, churches and clergy, and their interest in ministry often begins at an early age. Recruiting the best students for the future will require long-term strategies and major investment on the part of the seminaries, denominations, and religious communities. Theological Student Enrollment: A Special Report from the Auburn Center for Study of Theological Education is a companion piece to this report. (From the Publisher)