An Arab evangelical way to understand and practice theological reflection
PhD student Caleb Hutcherson studied the experience of Arab evangelical theology students in Beirut (Lebanon) with Theological Reflection (TR). Because a lot of the students struggled with theological reflection, Hutcherson designed and conducted this critical, contextual study of the practice of TR in the experiences of Arab evangelical theology students from the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary as a constructive way to understand and enhance practical theological reflection in and for Arab-Muslim contexts. His analysis of the participants’ talk about and practices of theological reflection led to formulating the notion of “divinely ordered connectivity” as a central organizing principle. This contextually attentive notion provides a way of understanding how the Arab evangelical participants make sense of the practice of TR, and how they use it in practice.
Hutcherson: "From my description and analysis, the study tells a story of how the nature of TR the participants both intersects with and challenges socio-cultural orientations and theological norms common to their contexts."
Implications for reflection and practice
Hutcherson identifies a number of implications both for the theology and practice of theological reflection among Arab evangelicals, as well as for the field of practical theology. Hutcherson: "It helps scholars of practical theology to better understand the uniqueness of Arab evangelical practices of TR. It also helps teachers to design theological education in ways that help students develop a more transformative approach to doing theology. And it also helps us to think about how an Arab evangelical practice of TR might be enhanced. In doing so, the outcomes of my research support recent claims about the significance of attending to the particularities of practical theological reflection in a given context for enhancing its practice and theory."
More information about the thesis
Supervisors:
- prof.dr. B.J.G. Reitsma
- dr. S.M. Blythe
- dr. W.B.S. van de Wetering
On 30 June 2022, 11:45, Auditorium. The PhD defence can also be followed online.