Companion to Practical Theolog - (Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion) by Bonnie J Miller-McLemore (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Through a series of essays contributed by leading experts in the field, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology presents an introduction to practical theology as a major area of Christian study and practice, including an overview of its key developments, themes, methods, and future directions.

• The first comprehensive reference work to provide a survey, description and analysis of practical theology as an area of study
• A range of leading scholars in the field provide original contributions on the major areas, issues, and figures in practical theology
• Reviews an extensive range of methods for studying theology in practice, along with sub-disciplines in theological education such as pastoral care and preaching
• Covers developments in the discipline in a range of global contexts and distinct Christian traditions
• Shows how practical theology is relevant to everyday life

From the Back Cover

The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology offers a comprehensive introduction to practical theology as a major area of Christian study and practice, including an overview of its key developments, themes, methods, and future directions.

There has been a remarkable growth in scholarship surrounding practical theology in recent years. Contributions by distinguished theologians from around the world reflect this growth. Their insightful essays clarify the myriad emerging uses and contributions of practical theology, including an expansion of the analysis of practical knowledge and lived religion in ministerial study, in the study of religion and theology, and in the wider public. In a path-breaking move to clarify a complex term, the volume is organized around four distinct meanings of practical theology: anactivity of believers seeking to sustain a life of reflective faith, a method of understanding theology in practice by religious leaders, a curricular area in theological education, and an academic discipline pursued by scholars.

With its combined organizational clarity and scholarly authorship, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology not only strengthens the discipline of practical theology but gives scholars in other areas and religious leaders in different settings fresh tools to understand the dynamics of theology as a living reality and the knowledge that evolves out of religious practice.

Review Quotes

"The energy, organization, intelligence, and wisdom of the editor have borne fruit in this very splendid book. It deserves to be widely read and used." (Reviews Religion & Theology, 7 April 2015)

"The first comprehensive reference work to provide a survey, description and analysis of practical theology as an area of study." (Native American Encyclopedia, 20 December 2013)

"This Companion has wide scope ... and is surely the most definitive definition of what practical theology entails to date ... An important addition to the shelves of those who teach practical theology or ministers as well as those engaged in the ministry themselves ... [It] offers a new way of seeing the subject, with sets of essays that are informative, novel, and take theology in new directions." (Regent's Reviews, 2012)

"This edited collection is a showcase presenting how contemporary scholarship of practical theology has been developed into a wide concept of practical theology ... For those who are interested in teaching Christian theology from a practical theological perspective, this book will be a useful reference." (Homiletic Journal, 2012)

"Miller-McLemore, a leader in the field, has edited an excellent handbook on Christian practical theology. Though the essays are short, they provide excellent overviews of the various topics and, more important, helpful bibliographies for students who wish to explore certain topics further ... Libraries supporting curricula in Christian theology and ministry should acquire this good introduction to the field. It is essential for acquisition for seminary libraries ... Recommended: upper-level undergraduates and above." (Choice, 2012)

About the Author

Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Pastoral Theology at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion. Winner of a prestigious Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology award, she is a national and international leader in pastoral and practical theologies and widely recognized for research on families, women, and children. Her publications include Feminist and Womanist Pastoral Theology (1999) and an upcoming collection of essays, Christian Theology in Practice: Discovering a Discipline (2012).