Abstract:
Drawing on Thomas Kuhn’s concept of paradigms, this article explored two levels at which
paradigms influence contemporary practical theology. The first level is reflective practice,
where pastors and academics carry out the descriptive-empirical, interpretive, normative and
pragmatic tasks of practical theological reflection on particular contexts. The second level is
metatheoretical, where practical theologians make decisions about how they view the theory–
praxis relationship, interdisciplinary work, the relative weight of Scripture, tradition, reason,
and experience and the theological rationale that justifies their approach. The article concluded
by raising two challenges to the current paradigms of practical theology: the relationship
between Christian particularity and the common good, and the wound of reason.
Description:
This article was originally
presented as a paper at
the Annual Conference for
the Society for Practical
Theology in South Africa
in January 2009, under the
theme ‘Practical Theology
in South Africa: Perspectives
and Paradigms’. Prof. Richard
Osmer is the Thomas W.
Synnott Professor of Christian
Education at Princeton
Theological Seminary, USA
and a research associate
of Prof. Malan Nel in the
Department of Practical
Theology, University of
Pretoria, South Africa.
This article is published in the
Section Practical Theology
of the Society for Practical
Theology in South Africa.
