Volume 20, Issue 2

This article reports on the current status and key findings of a growing body of empirical research on humility; argues for further interdisciplinary, collaborative research between empirical psychology and practical theology; and outlines several generative future research trajectories. Scientific studies of humility could be quite relevant to practical theology, particularly informing research on spiritual formation, intercultural competence, theological education, leadership development, and clinical care. At the same time, we argue for increased attention to theology and spirituality in psychological research on humility, particularly given the strong role of religious and spiritual traditions/communities in promoting humility as a virtue and recent feminist practical theological critiques of humility constructions. Engagement between social scientists and theologians enables sharper reflection upon the moral values implicit in the expanding body of empirical research on humility. Such collaborative, interdisciplinary work is essential in shaping research-based interventions in clinical and religious practice.

This article examines practical theological hermeneutics through the lens of Catholic spirituality. Key to understanding the movement from description to analysis to revised praxis is the ways in which interpretive communities understand the connections between divine reality and human reality. In light of this, the article explores the relationship between epistemology and pneumatology found within Christian tradition by proposing an approach to practical theological hermeneutics rooted in the Ignatian practice of spiritual discernment. By doing so, this article seeks to contribute the potential contours of a distinctive Roman Catholic contribution to practical theology, and in a broader sense, show how the practice of discernment presents studies and methods in practical theology with a way of understanding connections among practical wisdom, habitus, research, and theological interpretation.

The article focuses on the work orientation and changes therein among the clergy in Finland, and on its implications for practical church work. The article is based on a survey conducted among the clergy in Finland (N=878). The research shows that clergy make distinctions between various work tasks that are in line with the traditional distinction between “function” and “performance”. The results show that liberal theological orientation, which is linked to performance-orientation, is increasing. The aspects of work which seem to be most threatened are evangelization, missionary work, and reading and teaching the Bible. There are also many areas of work that are likely to remain stable and unite the clergy regardless of their gender, age or theological orientation.

The twenty-first-century saw the considerable rise of the movement of peoples largely due to the structures and processes of globalization. The gifts and challenges associated with the massive flow of people on the move, almost half of whom are Christians, constitute a locus for exploring Christian mission and ministry. The following text explores some of the faces of Christian mission and ministry as a result of, or in response to, the gifts and challenges posed by contemporary human mobility. The text shows how an authentically inclusive church that works for justice, particularly for the most vulnerable migrants, constitutes the key expression of Christian mission and ministry in the context of global migration.

Indonesia is the site of recent violent conflicts between Christians and Muslims. Women, largely absent from official peace proceedings, nevertheless play a key role in on-the-ground efforts to transform violent conflict, through their everyday work as both formal and informal educators teaching their communities and the next generation how to regard and interact with those who became enemies in conflict. A practical theological framework of everyday religious practice situates the religious dimensions of these conflicts and also of women’s peacebuilding practices. This paper draws upon ethnographic research with women peacebuilders in the Moluccas, exploring intersections of gender with practices of religious education that contribute to the transformation of violent conflicts.