PhD Theses

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14194/2796

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Author: search.filters.author.Gillham, Simon JohnSubject: search.filters.subject.Christian education

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    Deriving pedagogical models for theological education from a biblical theology of the acquisition, transmission and effects of the knowledge of God
    (South African Theological Seminary Johannesburg) Gillham, Simon John; Ferdinando, Kieth
    The practice of theological education throughout the world has been shaped predominantly by the research university model and has been characterized by fragmentation. Although numerous critiques have been made and alternative pedagogical practices proposed, there has been a paucity of integrative theological reflection on pedagogical practice. This study construct a biblical theological foundation for the knowledge of God, and adopts an integrative, multidisciplinary approach to developing pedagogical models of theological education that better align with what the Bible says about the knowledge of God (i.e. theology). This is done by first engaging in a biblical theological analysis of how the knowledge of God is acquired and communicated throughout the canon, and what effect the knowledge of God has on those who know him. The results of this analysis are then brought into conversation with the most significant contemporary pedagogical developments to determine which might best reflect a biblical understanding of how the knowledge of God is acquired and transmitted and so best serve the enterprise of theological education. The nature of divine self-revelation, the significance of Christian community and expectations about personal transformation emerge as key factors in determining pedagogical approaches. Developments in transformative learning which acknowledge situated cognition, experiential learning and problem-based learning are found to be particularly apt. The research concludes by proposing a new structure for theological curricula, organized around two poles (the word and the world) which lead toward one another, rather than the traditional silos of theological departments.
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