Fieldwork in Theology
- Theology
- World Religions
- Publisher: Baker Academic (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2015
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Publisher's Description
In this addition to the acclaimed The Church and Postmodern Culture series, leading practical theologian Christian Scharen examines the relationship between theology and its social context. He engages with social theorist Pierre Bourdieu to offer helpful theoretical and theological grounding to those who want to reflect critically on the faith and practice of the church, particularly for those undertaking ministry internships or fieldwork assignments. As Scharen helps a wide array of readers to understand the social context of doing theology, he articulates a vision for the church's involvement with what God is doing in the world and provides concrete examples of churches living out God's mission.
Endorsements (2)
“Scharen’s book does the seemingly impossible—combine a presentation of Pierre Bourdieu’s work with an introduction to ethnography from a theological perspective. Doing one of these would have been achievement; doing both well while having each feed the other is a double gift. It is sure to be a touchstone for theological ethnography for some time to come.”
“Contemporary theological work inevitably involves assumptions about the world and the people in it. We cannot avoid importing our understandings of human beings into our theology. Yet many theologians conveniently ignore this fact and rely on speculation and anecdote to accomplish their work. Fortunately, scholars like Christian Scharen acknowledge the crucial importance of adequately grasping the social world. By treating disciplined observation as a spiritual exercise, Fieldwork in Theology forces us to see immersion in the world not as a secular academic assignment but as a profound responsibility to discern the movement of God in our midst.”
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