Book Review
Book Review: Beyond Profession
Aleshire, Daniel O. Beyond Profession: The Next Future of Theological Education. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021. Summary Beyond Profession is a reflection regarding the future of theological education in North America by Daniel O. Aleshire, former executive director of the Association of Theological Schools. Aleshire begins with his journey in theological… read more
Book Review: Challenging Tradition
Challenging Tradition: Innovation in Advanced Theological Education, eds. Perry Shaw and Havilah Dharamraj. Carlisle, UK: Langham Global Library, 2018. Summary Challenging Tradition, this book’s title, indicates that this is not another traditional resource on theological education (TE). Rather, it is a thought-provoking volume that evaluates the current trajectory of doctoral studies and suggests creative new… read more
Book Review: Asian Christian Theology
Asian Christian Theology: Evangelical Perspectives, eds. Timotheo D. Gener and Stephen T. Pardue. Carlisle, UK: Langham Global Library, 2019. Asian Christian Theology (ACT) seeks to “approach Christian theology that is biblically rooted, historically aware, contextually engaged, and broadly evangelical” (2) and reassesses “traditional areas of Christian teaching in light of the Asian church’s distinctive… read more
Book Review: Deininger, F. and Equizabal, O., Editors (2013). Leadership in Theological Education, Vol. 1: Foundations for Academic Leadership.
The first volume on Leadership in Theological Education series focuses on the role of the Academic Dean in the life of the seminary including sections on the foundations of theological leadership, the responsibilities and characteristics of academic leadership, and the general leadership practices of the Dean, with worksheets and Reflective Questions for Action Points for… read more
Book Review: Taking Up the Mantle: Latin American Evangelical Theology in the 20th Century
In Taking Up the Mantle, J. Daniel Salinas weaves together complex threads of a Latin American Evangelicalism that has roots in religious divisions in Europe in the 17th century, reached Latin America in the missionary movements of the 19th century, and remains somewhat fragmented today. Despite theological conflicts between what Salinas refers to as the three… read more
Theological Education in the Western Hemisphere: Select Histories and Current Trends – A Review Essay
Theological education in North America particularly, but also across the EuroAmerican West more generally, is undergoing sea changes. This review attends to some of the developments, focusing specifically on four recent books published by Wipf and Stock.1 Consideration of these volumes will help document historic trajectories in the field and spotlight charted venues into relatively… read more
Forming the Practice of Theological Education
As a teacher, Ted Ward valued and practiced holistic inquiry into truth, learning in community, and responsible service (not just knowledge for knowledge’s sake). He was one of the chief influences on my life. A Different View of Education: I will not forget my first seminar as a new doctoral student with Ted. My notion… read more
Book Review: Ferenczi, Jason. Serving Communities: Governance and the Potential of Theological Schools.
I have been serving for more than a decade as the President of a theological school in the Majority World: Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon. Questions of contextual relevance have been at the forefront of our thinking for many years. As our context changes rapidly, we have been able to respond through innovative… read more
Book Review: González, Justo L. The History of Theological Education
If we imagine the great Church Fathers and ancient theologians graduating summa cum laude from the most prestigious seminaries of the ancient world, then Justo González has a surprise for us. Seminaries are actually a recent development, established less than 500 years ago to prepare those called to ministry. How in the world did the… read more
Book Review: Shaw, Perry. Transforming Theological Education: A Practical Handbook for Integrative Learning.
In Transforming Theological Education: A Practical Handbook for Integrative Learning, Perry Shaw, Professor of Christian Education at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) in Beirut, Lebanon, addresses problems familiar to theological educators around the world. These challenges include providing alternatives to the classic tripartite curriculum (i.e., biblical, dogmatic, and practical theology), overcoming an almost exclusive reliance… read more
