Negotiating Christian Cultural Identity through Imaginative Theological Reflection

Rev Canon Dr. Nigel J Rooms

The question I have been interested in for some time and which this paper addresses is; how can ordinary Christians develop a ‘christian conscientization’ about their cultural (and possibly national) identity without physically leaving their own land or place?

My proposal is to use a method of theological reflection (hereafter referred to as TR) from the field of ‘practical theology’ which I discovered while researching the Education for Ministry course (hereafter EFM) for my doctoral studies. EFM uses a method of theological reflection that requires the facilitator to lead the participants into many different human ‘worlds.’ EFM normally takes place for participants over four years and uses a methodology called “Theological Education by Extension.” Participants study written material at home before attending the weekly group TR session.

However for the purposes of this paper we are only concerned with the method of theological reflection which the course employs. This is described in some detail in a book called The Art of Theological Reflection by Killen and De Beer (1994) and so I won’t go into much further detail here. Essentially the method creates a metaphor or image which is interrogated with theological ‘perspective questions’ (but which are not couched in theological language).

This creates and imaginary world in the mind of learners which is lived in and explored. The same process is then completed with a piece of Scripture or tradition that is related to the metaphor and then the results from the two created ‘worlds’ are compared and contrasted. From this new insights and truths for living emerge, according to Killen and De Beer...

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Submitted comments

As an EfM trainer for 15 years in the US, I received your article via an EfM student from my EfM Online group who lives in the Bahamas. I was intrigued by your question: "How transferable is this process to cultures other than the English?" I used one of our many TR methods in Haiti last year. I was being translated into French for a group of college seniors in a theology class. They were at first quiet and shy but when I prompted with several questions (not just those perspective questions you noted) the room erupted in discussion and the faculty member had quite a time capturing all the positions, insights, and implications for personal action that resulted. The next day one of the students walked quite a few miles to tell me personally about the personal impact of that work. I'm sure through your research you are aware that the program is in Australia, NZ, Canada, Scotland, and all over the US - and now, thanks to online classes, even in the Bahamas! I hope you will follow up with the EfM UK organizers for more information. I have forwarded this to quite a few EfM folk and Methodist folk that I know in the UK and also to John de Beer who remains in the US training network. Blessings to you and thanks for your good article.

C Lee
Wilmington, Delaware USA
5 August 2009