Volume 27, Issue 2

This article provides a comprehensive examination of the current state of research in Polish practical theology, focusing on the significant pastoral challenges confronted by the Catholic Church in Poland today. Comprising two parts, the study begins with a descriptive analysis of the institutional framework of Polish theology. It highlights the contemporary landscape of Polish ecclesiastical universities and theological faculties, addressing concerns regarding didactics and the declining enrollment of theology students. Additionally, the article explores the recent evaluation principles employed by the Ministry of Education and Science for assessing Polish theological faculties. The second part of the article presents a research-based investigation into the primary pastoral problems in Poland, drawing on selected literature sources. These issues encompass: (1) the decreasing number of dominicantes and communicantes , (2) the Church’s engagement in the digital realm, (3) challenges associated with youth ministry, (4) the decline in student participation in religious education classes, (5) the absence of adult catechesis, and (6) the complexities surrounding the use of religious language. In response to the titular inquiry regarding Poland’s status as a bastion of Christendom, the study offers a cautiously affirmative response, considering certain reservations. Research findings demonstrate that the profile of Polish Catholics has undergone an inevitable evolution towards secularization in recent years, with Polish pastoral care not always keeping pace with this shifting mentality.

Practical Theology today is inescapably and urgently conducted in the shadow of global climate emergency. This is made more acute by the emergence of the concept of ‘Anthropocene’, or the recognition that climate change is now being decisively driven by human intervention. This article explores aspects of contemporary ‘cli-fi’ culture which have emerged in response to environmental crisis. In their use of the language of ‘apocalypse’ to frame the nature of climate emergency, they carry strong resonances with Biblical literature and Christian theology. Can a dialogue between these different genres generate constructive theological wisdom that might direct us towards more equitable and sustainable ways of living?

The changes in the pedagogy of research supervision in the university context are now reflected within the practices of theological seminaries and accredited colleges. A neglected analytical framework that could illuminate the supervisory relationship is provided by Winnicott’s Object Relations Theory and Bion and Diamond’s Organizational Psychodynamics, as they interconnect identity, stress and creativity – factors that are germane to the researcher experience. Object Relations also parallels faith development. Given the significant personal investment demanded by research, a crisis of identity for the religious student is simultaneously a crisis of faith. Conversely, a Christian faith experience could sustain the research journey through the appropriation of divine Grace. Some suggestions are provided as to how this could be manifested within the research culture.

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the problem of disenchantment, perhaps most notably in the extensive work of Charles Taylor. This article examines the disenchantment narrative as formulated by Max Weber and appropriated by Charles Taylor, and augment this with the perspective offered by Jason Josephson-Storm and other interlocutors, to generate a reading suitable for theological use. It suggests ways in which the human person and society might be affected by disenchantment. Finally, it explores means by which prayer might be used as a resource for dealing with the causes and symptoms of disenchantment, following the example of Andrew Prevot’s careful exploration of prayer as a source of Christian thought. Prevot’s concept of doxological theology (‘thinking prayer’) is particularly useful for resisting what he identifies as three crises of modernity: secularity, the fate of Western metaphysics, and socioeconomic and identity-based violence. This describes the imperative for studies in this area: insofar as the process of disenchantment contributes to the systematic violence and dehumanisation inherent in modernity, it is vital to explore the mechanics of that process and possible tools to combat it.

This paper argues for the retention of the monologue sermon as an effective means of congregational formation, against a background of increasing criticism. Firstly, it allows for sustained focus on a topic in ways that discussion-based alternatives do not. Secondly, it appropriately values expertise and godly authority in a culture which has subjectivised truth and devalued expertise. Thirdly, it can allow congregations to hear voices they otherwise would not. Fourthly, it models the hermeneutical process for the congregation. Finally, as a sober address on behalf of God, it has permission to issue confronting challenges.

Convening is a mode of practical theology inquiry that stages a counter-performance to the spectacle of prominent logics that order ecclesial life: brand Christianity, silos, and competition. Three parts organize this argument: Part I sets the stage with a preliminary portrait of convening, noting the contextual features of this inquiry. Part II introduces Augustine’s City of God as an interpretive lens to understand convening as a counter-performance to prominent spectacles on display. Part III redescribes convening by combining Augustine’s theological vision of spectacle, performance, latreia , and pilgrimage with the introductory portrait in order to perform what is possible when people of faith gather for collective inquiry.

This article seeks to continue the unfolding of the tangled relationship of spirituality and religion but from the vantage point of Christianity (religion), and more specifically, from Christian practice and from the perspective of representatives of institutionalized religion (clergy) and rather unchurched participants in organized religious practice. While first-wave scholars argued that religion and spirituality are at odds with each other, second-wave scholars rather consider the relationship between the two more blurred and hybrid. Following the lead of this latter group of scholarship, I make the case that contemporary spirituality at the intersection of “individualized spirituality” and “institutionalized religion” can be understood as a new-old spirituality and that religion is being changed by spirituality. This entails that people are approaching old Christian practices in new ways and new places often urged by a new kind of motivation. By attending to issues of subjectivity and regarding experience as a significant source of authority without leaving the theistic framework of religion altogether, this new-old spirituality is available and attractive to constituencies as varied as clergy, children, incarcerated, and young people. Hence, it can be argued that religion is not only giving way to spirituality. Religion is also softened and revitalized by spirituality, as empirical studies in the Scandinavian countries show a resurgence and revitalization of religious practice, both inside and at the margins of institutionalized religion, and, thus, a sacralization of the congregational domain.

Many studies have demonstrated the significant involvement of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) during pregnancy and delivery. In several countries, including Indonesia, the role of the TBA cannot be easily replaced by Skilled Birth Attendants (SBAs), reducing the capacity of the health sector to reduce the maternal mortality rate. The TBA has a religious and social connection with the community in her area which is often undervalued by the medically-trained SBA; this disconnect interferes with the provision of quality care. In this paper, with the use of a narrative approach, a TBA reveals her reflection and perspective as rooted in the community where she lives. This ethnography provides living evidence that the point of view of modern health professionals often fails when faced with the world view of the community. TBAs have social power that cannot be separated from the social context where they live. Therefore, an analysis of the religious aspects of a TBA’s practice should enrich the effort to decrease the maternal mortality rate. The religiosity of a community is closely connected with the community’s perspective on health.