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"Discourse in Ritual Studies" offers an introduction into the study of public worship from the perspective of ritual studies.The contributing authors confront an action-oriented and empirical approach of ritual studies with perennial and normative questions that characterize the study of liturgy.
In The Concept of Religion Hans Schilderman edits a volume on the definition and empirical study of religion within the changing landscape of modern society. Now that we can no longer assume a simple harmony between the scientific concept of religion, church doctrine and practiced belief, issues concerning the definition and measurement of religion are becoming crucial issues to academic institutions. The contributing authors present empirical studies studying issues of lifespan and socialisation at school settings; of vocation and profession at church and hospital settings; and culture and nation of society at large. The volume offers a beautiful sample of the empirical study of religion; a conceptual and illustrative overview of the academic field for students and scholars in religion.
Values-rich journeys can be described as pilgrimage, spiritual travel, personal heritage tourism, holistic tourism, and valuistic journeys. There are many motivations for undertaking these journeys; the most important being personal values, life experience, personal and social identity, lifestyle, social and cultural influence. This book presents contributions that address pilgrim motivation, identity and values as they are shaped by the broader sociological, psychological, cultural and environmental perspectives. The focus of the book is the travellers themselves and their inner world through the lens of their pilgrimage. The research presented focuses on the typology of pilgrim journeys as ways in which identity and values are presented to a post-modern consumer society, providing interesting and challenging perspectives on the identity of pilgrims in the 21st century.
Empirical theology offers fresh and stimulating insights into the concerns of both the Church and the Academy. It does this by accessing relevant empirical evidence using the tools of the social sciences, and placing this evidence in the context of theological critique and contemporary debate. In this pioneering collection of focused essays, leading experts of empirical theology illustrate key perspectives within this rapidly expanding discipline. The first section of the book explores theoretical issues underpinning the main methods of obtaining empirical data, and the use of these data within theology. The other two sections display the role both of qualitative studies, and of the analysis of quantitative data, in exploring a range of theological beliefs and religious, social and educational concerns.
In this publication, researchers and academics from South Africa, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands provide theoretical explanations and examples of empirical research with regard to the fundamental question of the role of theological normativity in empirical research in theological fields.
The search for meaning in later life: An empirical exploration of religion and death draws on thorough qualitative and quantitative research among older Dutch adults. The scarcity of vital narratives of ageing and the fragmentation of religious `grand narratives' appear to complicate their search for meaning. Moreover, increased longevity and the medicalisation of death challenge many older adults to decide about the right timing of death. This study qualitatively and quantitatively explores narratives of ageing and of religion expressed by older Dutch adults and their attitudes toward death, euthanasia and life prolongation.
Changes in the religious landscape present challenges to conceptualization, methodology and empirical research of religion. The volume, Religion inside and outside Traditional Institutions, which includes contributions to the 2nd conference of the International Society for Empirical Research in Theology (ISERT) in Bielefeld, Germany, responds to these contemporary challenges. While the concept of religious praxis is their common theme, they include a focus on deinstitutionalized religion. The contributions in the first part present and discuss a variety of innovative conceptual, paradigmatic and methodological approaches. Distinguished reports from quantitative and qualitative empirical research make up the second part of this volume. Taken together, they may inspire conceptual and methodological discussion and encourage further research in empirical theology. Contributors include: Johannes A. van der Ven, Leslie J. Francis, Hans-Günter Heimbrock, Tobias Kläden, Chris Hermans, Hans Schilderman, Kees de Groot, Don S. Browning, Stefan Huber, Ulrich Feeser-Lichterfeld, Anke Terörde, Angela Kaupp, Astrid Dinter, Carsten Gennerich.
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
The contributors of this volume reflect on the writings of Hans van der Ven on the foundations of practical theology, the empirical paradigm within practical theology, and specific subdisciplines within practical theology, especially religious education, moral education, church development and ministry.
Practical theology starts its theological reflections from practices, aims at analyzing empirically practices, and is directed towards the transformation of these practices. From this practice-orientation there is a strong connection between practical theology and the social sciences. Social constructionism is a growing theory within the social sciences. This volume offers a theological and social scientific reflection on this emerging concept of social constructionism.