Book Review: Theological Reflection and Education for Ministry: The Search for Integration in Theology

Abstract

Based on his academic, personal, and professional background, Paver proposes "theological reflection as a method of integration, and pastoral supervision as a vehicle for facilitating theological reflection" (3) as the answers to how to integrate theory and practice in a theological education context. He admits that theological reflection and pastoral supervision are not new concepts. They have been included for many years in theological curricula. However, Paver criticizes these two concepts as having not been fully understood and recognized for their contribution in helping students to do integration. Thus, he explains in detail the theoretical basis and the practical application of these two concepts (chapters 2 and 3). Paver emphasizes the importance of experience in the process of theological reflection. The summary of Paver's own reflection is outlined in Appendix 1. Paver's intention, in this book, is not solely to clarify, but also to implement his claims in a formal education setting. He develops a course, the Theological Reflection Seminar, as a way to prove his claims (chapter 4). Then, he expands his scope to the area of developing new curriculum that accommodates the integration of theory and practice (chapter 5). The whole presentation of this book is centered on helping theological students to form their own theology as a way to deal with their current personal and ministry situations and to get them involved in "ongoing discovery when [their] circumstances change" (144). With its title "Setting the Scene," the first chapter portrays the "scene," which the whole proposal of the book attempts to address. It starts with a dis