The purpose of this research study was to examine differences in perceptions of spirituality outcomes between online and in-person students taking theology courses at a Christian liberal arts college in the Midwestern United States. Using a validated instrument, the Religious Education Survey (RES), 71 students were surveyed. A one sample t test…

This study addresses current trends in theological higher education by proposing a potentially viable mechanism for institutional reform, namely the Montessori method. Although Maria Montessori is widely known as an early childhood educator, this study suggests that her approach aligns quite well with the telos of theological education, the…

This article argues for the deep integration of encounters with religious diversity into theological education. Some seminaries and theological schools, like Emmanuel College in the Toronto School of Theology, have made it a matter of institutional mission to prepare students to provide leadership and spiritual care in contexts of religious…

The following article describes how empirical research can give new impulses to Islamic religious education. These impulses could lead to a reconciliation of the Islamic religious heritage with the fast-changing reality of Muslims in non-Muslim countries and societies. Due to the presence of Muslim children in public schools and the urgent…

This paper highlights two emerging models for how religious education is evolving in new venues to reach new audiences today. The first is an online course that equips a new generation of chaplains to accompany community organizers and activists on the front lines of social change by providing spiritual and emotional support. The second is…

This article is part of broader research on "The Interrelationship of Theology and Praxis in the Context of Sustainable Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue"1 in which we explore two essential concepts: sustainability and interreligious dialogue. We have narrowed this broader topic to study how facilitation of students' spirituality…

We examined Israeli Reform rabbis' reflections on what components of their training most influenced the development of their rabbinical identity. Theoretical perspectives applied in planning the study and analyzing the data were: professional identity formation; pedagogies of training clergy; and taught vs. learned curriculum. We identified four…

The disciplines of theological education, spiritual formation, and online learning are brought into conversation with one another in this qualitative study addressing whether and how online seminary courses attend to students' spiritual development. Primary data was collected through a series of interviews with faculty experienced in both…

The environmental crisis challenges us to look at our relationships with the rest of the world, human, animal, vegetable, and mineral. That the resources of our faith could apparently not foresee or prevent the environmental crisis leads many to suspect that this faith is complicit with the crisis, and it prompts us to reexamine our theologies to…

Undergraduate students today often enroll in introductory religious studies or theology classes because they want the time and space to reflect on their personal spiritual questions. Such a motivation can clash with the faculty's desire to introduce students to rigorous academic study of their field. Barbara Walvoord has proposed four "voices"…

This essay provides an overview of the distinctive challenges presented to teaching and learning in religious and theological studies by the conditions and characteristics of "millennial" students. While the emerging literature on this generation is far from consistent, it is still instructive and important to engage, as students that…

Seminary education requires that students learn a complex body of theological knowledge, engage in the practices of ministry, and develop as persons of faith and vocation. Utilizing the six aspects of significant learning experiences defined by L. Dee Fink--foundational knowledge, application, integration, the human dimension, caring, and learning…

There are many challenges for educators in using distance and online education to adequately prepare students for their future professions. These challenges are accentuated in disciplines that prepare people for relational professions, which require people skills and a certain maturity of character. Educators in many disciplines, including…

This paper explores the concept and practice of "embodied pedagogy" as an alternative to the Cartesian approach to knowledge that is tacitly embedded in traditional modes of teaching and learning about religion. My analysis highlights a class I co-teach that combines the study of Aikido (a Japanese martial art) with seminar-style discussions of…

This paper aims to offer a "liveable" theology for the Christian teacher; that is, it seeks to articulate a theology of teaching in contemporary contexts which can serve the spiritual and faith development of Christian teachers in their vocation. A first section gives some brief account of "teaching" in the Christian theological tradition,…