Reconstructing Practical Theology: The Impact of GlobalizationThis book argues that the discipline of Practical Theology needs to be re-shaped in the light of the impact of various influences created through the encounter with globalization. Essential to this is an engagement with the insights of other disciplines, e.g. sociology, politics, economics and philosophy. The content and authority of the Christian tradition is being challenged by the blurred encounters with more fluid lifestyles, alternative spiritualities and indeed other faiths as mediated through information technology and the breakdown of attachments to all forms of institutional life. Traditional ways of belonging and relating to places and structures are being eroded leaving the established patterns of ministry, worship, church organisation the province of an ageing population while those who are now more inclined to search for communities of interest avoid being drawn into the practices and structures of formal religion.What is the future for practical theology in this rapidly changing context? Does the central concept of faithful presence maintained by the ordained ministry become of less or perhaps more significance in this unstable setting? How might Christian congregations contribute to the growing call for social capital as part of the UK government agenda of social cohesion? How is Christianity to assess the development of environmental spiritualities in the face of the growing importance of ecological issues in the political arena? Addressing such issues John Reader presents the latest thinking on a range of subjects now dealt with under the heading of globalization. |
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Reconstructing Practical Theology: The Impact of Globalization John Reader No preview available - 2017 |