FE 103 Practical Theology Video

Summary

In this educational video, Tony Mory Alori discusses the intricacies of Practical Theology, emphasizing its evolving nature and resistance to simple categorization. He outlines its four core tasks: attentive (descriptive), interpretative, normative, and pragmatic, each with theological underpinnings. Alori connects these tasks to field education, illustrating how students can integrate practical theology into their internships and theological reflections, fostering a deeper understanding of their experiences within a theological context.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Practical theology is a field that is challenging to define due to its evolving nature, resistance to categorization, and multiple modern interpretations.
• 🔍 The field has transformed over the past 200 years, shifting from a 'theory to practice' model to a more contextual and integrated approach.
• 👨‍🏫 Practical theology resists specialization, aiming to bridge the gap between theory and practice, rather than being a distinct sub-discipline.
• 🌟 It is understood in various ways today: as a discipline, a method, a curricular area, and an activity in everyday life.
• 👂 The first task of practical theology is being attentive, which involves actively observing, listening, and understanding the context.
• 🧠 The second task is interpretative, where observations are analyzed and connected with broader academic disciplines and understandings.
• 📚 The third task is normative, engaging in theological reflection by putting experiences in conversation with established norms and traditions.
• 🛠 The fourth task is pragmatic, focusing on strategic responses and actions derived from the insights gained through the previous tasks.
• 🔗 Field education is integral to practical theology, providing a space for students to apply these tasks and reflect on their experiences.
• 🌐 The conversation between experience and norms can lead to the development of new theologies that address contemporary issues and challenges.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the class on practical theology and theological reflection?

The class focuses on the connection between practical theology and field education, emphasizing the methods and overview of practical theology and its relation to theological reflection as a tool for integrating field site work with classroom learning.

What is the significance of theological reflection in the context of field education?

Theological reflection is significant as it serves as a skill set for students to reflect on their work in field sites, integrating that experience with classroom work, following an action-reflection-action practice model of learning.

Why is defining practical theology considered challenging?

Defining practical theology is challenging due to the field's development over time, its resistance to categorization, and the various ways the term is used today, including as a discipline, method, curricular area, and activity in everyday life.

Who is credited with first speaking about practical theology, and how has the field evolved since then?

Fredrick Schacher in Germany is credited with first speaking about practical theology. The field has evolved significantly from its initial concept as a theory-to-practice model reflecting modernity to a more contextual and integrated approach in postmodernity.

What are the four tasks of practical theology as described by Richard Osmer?

The four tasks of practical theology according to Richard Osmer are: 1) the descriptive task (attentive task), which involves attentively observing and describing what is happening; 2) the interpretative task, which involves analyzing and understanding why things are happening; 3) the normative task, which involves theological reflection and putting experiences in conversation with norms and traditions; and 4) the pragmatic task, which is about strategizing and planning how to respond to the situation at hand.

How does the attentive task of practical theology relate to field education?

The attentive task in field education involves students being present and observant in their field sites, engaging all senses to understand the context and dynamics of the site, which is crucial for effective practical theology application.

What role does the interpretative task play in connecting field experiences with academic learning?

The interpretative task helps students analyze and connect their field experiences with academic learning by drawing on various disciplines and encouraging reflection on how field experiences relate to classroom teachings.

Why is the normative task considered the heart of theological reflection?

The normative task is the heart of theological reflection because it involves putting experiences in conversation with theological norms and traditions, allowing for a dynamic interaction that shapes and challenges both the experience and the norms.

How does the pragmatic task differ from the traditional application of theories in practical theology?

The pragmatic task in contemporary practical theology differs from traditional application by focusing on responding to specific situations with new practices rather than applying universal theories, emphasizing context and adaptability.

What are the theological justifications behind each of the four tasks of practical theology?

The theological justifications behind the four tasks are: Priestly listening for the attentive task, seeking wisdom for the interpretative task, discernment for the normative task, and leadership for the pragmatic task, each drawing from Christian theological perspectives.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to Practical Theology and Field Education

The video script begins with a welcome address to the FY 103 class on Practical Theology and Theological reflection. The speaker introduces Tony Moryoralori, a doctoral student in Practical Theology, who will discuss the connection between practical theology and field education. The conversation emphasizes the importance of theological reflection as a tool for integrating field site work with classroom learning, following an action-reflection-action practice model. The session aims to provide a framework for understanding practical theology's role in field education.

05:02

📚 The Challenge of Defining Practical Theology

Tony Moryoralori delves into the complexities of defining practical theology, acknowledging the evolving nature of the field over the past 200 years. He discusses three challenges: the field's development, its resistance to categorization, and the varied contemporary uses of the term. The conversation highlights the difficulty of pinning down a single definition due to the field's dynamic nature and its intersection with various theological and practical disciplines. Instead of a rigid definition, the discussion suggests focusing on the characteristics of practical theology.

10:04

🔍 The Four Tasks of Practical Theology

Tony introduces Richard Osmer's framework of the four tasks of practical theology: the descriptive, interpretative, normative, and pragmatic tasks. The 'attentive' task involves observing and understanding the context, the 'interpretative' task seeks to analyze and connect observations with broader knowledge, the 'normative' task engages with theological and ethical norms to reflect on the situation, and the 'pragmatic' task strategizes responses to the context. This framework is proposed as a way to understand practical theology's application in field education and theological reflection.

15:06

🤔 The Interpretative Task: Making Connections

The discussion continues with the second task of practical theology, the interpretative task, which involves analyzing and interpreting the observed context. This task encourages students to connect their field site experiences with their academic studies, fostering a deeper understanding. The conversation underscores the importance of drawing on various disciplines and sources to enrich the interpretative process, moving beyond personal perspectives to include broader traditions and historical contexts.

20:08

🌟 The Normative Task: Theological Reflection and Norms

The third task, the normative, is central to theological work, focusing on the conversation between observed experiences and theological or ethical norms. This task is about wrestling with the tension between personal beliefs and encountered realities, potentially leading to a reevaluation or evolution of norms. The conversation highlights how this process can lead to new theological insights, such as in liberation, queer, and feminist theologies, which emerged from challenging traditional norms with new experiences.

25:10

🛠️ The Pragmatic Task: Responding to the Context

The final task discussed is the pragmatic task, which is about formulating a response or plan based on the previous tasks of attentive observation, interpretation, and normative reflection. This task is about applying practical theology in a contextual way, moving from theory to a new practice that is responsive to the specific situation at hand. The conversation suggests that this task is about leadership and strategic planning, aiming to enact change in the field site or any context where practical theology is applied.

🔗 Integrating the Tasks in Field Education

The conversation concludes with a reflection on how the four tasks of practical theology can be integrated into field education and theological reflection. The speaker shares a visual aid that summarizes the tasks and their theological justifications, emphasizing the importance of understanding these tasks to enrich field work and theological reflection. The session aims to foster rich discussions and challenges students to engage deeply with the material, understanding practical theology's role in their field education.

Keywords

💡Practical Theology

Practical Theology is an academic field that seeks to bridge the gap between theological theory and practice. It is concerned with how theological concepts are applied in real-world contexts. In the video, it is discussed as a discipline that is constantly evolving, with a history stretching back at least 200 years. The conversation emphasizes the difficulty in defining it due to its dynamic nature and resistance to categorization, as it aims to heal the fragmentation between theory and practice.

💡Theological Reflection

Theological Reflection is a process of deep thinking and contemplation on experiences, beliefs, and practices within a theological context. It is described in the video as a skill set that students are encouraged to develop, particularly in relation to their fieldwork. The video emphasizes that theological reflection is not just an academic exercise but a tool for integrating classroom learning with real-world experiences.

💡Field Education

Field Education refers to the practical component of theological training where students apply their academic knowledge in real-world settings, such as churches, hospitals, or community organizations. The video discusses how field education is integral to the learning process in practical theology, allowing students to engage with the 'other' in a context outside the classroom.

💡Descriptive Task

The Descriptive Task, also referred to as the Attentive Task in the video, is the first of the four tasks of practical theology. It involves being attentive to the context and activities within a particular situation. The video uses the example of students being asked to walk around their field site to observe and listen to their surroundings, which is a way of engaging in the descriptive task.

💡Interpretative Task

The Interpretative Task is the second of the four tasks of practical theology. It involves analyzing and understanding why certain things are happening in the context being observed. The video suggests that this task draws on various academic disciplines and encourages students to connect their field experiences with their classroom learning to gain a deeper understanding.

💡Normative Task

The Normative Task is the third of the four tasks of practical theology and is central to theological reflection. It involves putting the observations and interpretations into conversation with one's norms, ethics, or sacred texts. The video discusses how this task is about wrestling with the tension between experience and norms, which can lead to the modification of norms and the development of new theological insights.

💡Pragmatic Task

The Pragmatic Task, the fourth task of practical theology, is about formulating a response or plan of action based on the previous tasks. It is about moving from theory and reflection to practice. The video suggests that this task is not just about applying universal theories but about creating context-specific responses that are informed by the particular situation and the norms identified.

💡Action Reflection Action Practice

Action Reflection Action Practice is a model of learning mentioned in the video that emphasizes the cyclical nature of practical theology. It involves acting in a context, reflecting on that action, and then using that reflection to inform future actions. This model is central to the video's discussion of how practical theology is applied in field education.

💡Fragmentation

Fragmentation in the video refers to the division of theology into specialized areas, which can lead to a separation between theory and practice. Practical theology resists this fragmentation by seeking to integrate different aspects of theological study and practice. The video discusses how practical theology aims to heal this separation and promote a more holistic approach to theology.

💡Postmodernity

Postmodernity is a philosophical perspective that the video contrasts with modernity in its discussion of the evolution of practical theology. While modernity often sees theory and practice as separate, postmodernity, which began in the mid-20th century, encourages a more contextual and integrated approach. Practical theologians in the postmodern era view theory and practice as interconnected, which influences how practical theology is understood and taught.

Highlights

Introduction to the class on practical theology and theological reflection.

Tony Mory Alori, a doctoral student in Practical Theology, joins the class to discuss the connection between practical theology and field education.

Theological reflection as a tool for integrating field site work with classroom learning.

The action-reflection-action-practice model of learning for the field education class.

The challenge of defining practical theology due to the evolving nature of the field.

The historical development of practical theology from modernity to postmodernity.

Practical theology's resistance to categorization and its aim to heal the fragmentation between theory and practice.

Practical theology understood in four different enterprises: as a discipline, a method, a curricular area, and an everyday activity.

The four tasks of practical theology: descriptive, interpretative, normative, and pragmatic.

The attentive task of practical theology involves being present and observant in a given context.

The interpretative task involves analyzing and understanding the context within a broader perspective.

The normative task is the heart of theological reflection, engaging with norms and values to make sense of experiences.

The pragmatic task focuses on developing a response to the situation after theological reflection.

The importance of living in the tension between experience and norms for creative theological development.

The theological justifications behind each task: Priestly listening, wisdom, discernment, and leadership.

Encouragement for students to engage with the challenges and conversations around practical theology.

Transcripts

hello FY 103 Welcome to our class on

practical Theology and Theological

reflection today um we have here Tony uh

Mory

alori who is working on um doctoral

studies in Practical Theology and he's

going to um reflect with us about

the connection between practical

Theology of which field education is a

part and perhaps more importantly the

methods and overview of practical

Theology and its relation to what you'll

be asked to do which is around

theological reflection so theological

reflection is a tool a skill set uh

something that we're going to be asking

you to do as a way to reflect on the

work work you'll be doing in field site

uh integrating that with the kind of

work you're doing in the classroom so

it's action reflection action practice

model of learning that we are going to

be inviting you to for this whole year

so before we launch into that um Tony

actually thought it was a good idea to

give um some framework from which we

could understand what we're doing and

how we're doing what we're doing so with

that that uh welcome Tony so glad to

have you here and to videotape this

together and I look forward to this this

time of reflection thoughts and

clarifications about uh what we're

hoping to do together in our field

education

class yeah thank you Dean I am so

excited to be here as well so

first practical theology what is

practicable theology and what theology

is Not Practical is there impractical

theology if there is practical theology

I mean I always love to say that as a

practical Theologian um that uh sort of

a modifier practical uh that that's

attached to theology I'm always curious

as what is that and and and why does it

matter yeah and that that is a very

important question to start with and

before we say what is practical theology

I think the question itself

raises um

it there is a challenge in defining

practical theology there is like as we

ask what practical theology is I think

it's important to just deal with the

challenging uh with the challenge of

defining what the field is and um I am

writing a paper right now and in in the

first section I am saying that there are

at least three reasons um

that makes defining practical theology

challenging the first reason is that the

developing of the field uh is is is very

um makes the the definition changing all

the time and uh throughout the at least

200 years there are a lot of different

definitions if we just survey the books

of practical theology about what

practical theology is um I have like

just document of the different

definitions that I have been gathering

in the past four years since I started

working on practical Theology and it's a

10 page Google doc single space just

definitions and there are a lot of

things in common and there are a lot of

things are different so the first reason

is the development of the field makes it

difficult because the the concept has

changed a lot the first person who

actually spoke about practical theology

in in in the term like said practical

theology is Fredick schacher in Germany

and since then the the the field changed

a lot from starting it as you started

saying the uh as a theory to practice

model which actually reflects modernity

where SCH maker left where uh they think

at that time that the the theory and

practice are very different and Theory

lives in detached reality SE separate

from practice and the role of practical

theology as understood at that time was

just the mere application of theory to

practice that changed a lot in

postmodernity starting from the mid 20th

century we started seeing practical

theologians speak about practical

theology in a very different way as you

said in a very contextual in a model

that really acknowledges practice theory

pratice instead of just Theory to

pratice so that's the first reason the

second reason is um that practical

theology actually resists any kind of

categorization as you also implied in

the very beginning um there is a

practical Theologian uh I like him a lot

his name is Terry villing he draws on

Edward Farley another older practical

Theologian who observe that theology has

become fragmented and specialized like

saying this is practical theology this

is systematic theology this is biblical

studies and that lead to the question so

what does practical theology specialize

in what is the specialty of practical

theology however practical theology

itself seeks to heal this fragmentation

seeks to heal this separation between

the the theoretical and the Practical so

that makes it difficult to Define is

there any impractical theology or all

theology

if we are trying to heal this

fragmentation is practical the third

reason is connected to the first two is

that there are a lot of ways this term

um used these days and the best person

who spoke about this is practical

Theologian at Vanderbilt University uh

Bonnie Miller meore and um she says that

practical theology is understood today

in at least four different Enterprises

four different locations it's understood

as a discipline among Scholars people do

PhD and Ms in Practical theology as a

method of doing

theology as a curricular area for

Seminary so we have different um like

subdisciplines and this is how practical

theology was understood for a long time

like religious education uh preaching uh

spiritual counseling so all these were

subis

and practical Theology and the fourth

area is an activity in the everyday life

so she says practical theology can can

be understood in these different uh ways

again as a discipline as a method as a

um curricula uh in seminaries and

theology schools and as an activity uh

among uh everyday life people who try to

understand faith and reflect on their

faith so all that to say uh there is a

difficult there is a like very inherent

difficulty in defining the field so I

think it's much better to think about

what are the characteristics of

practical theology instead of talking

about a definition of practical theology

yeah that's great thank you um and

you're right and having so many

subdisciplines I mean they wouldn't even

call a sub disciplines they would say

there are disciplines that come under

the umbrella of practical theology um as

you say you know religion and society as

one in our in our own curriculum we have

five disciplines that are living under

the discipline of of uh or the field of

practical theology so as we think about

the characteristics right and this is

where I think our uh field

education um

class we are trying me follow

the the kind of characteristics of

practical theology so it might be

helpful to lay out you know what is

happening in our classes uh for two

semesters and what we're trying to do in

our classes um so and we are really

working with these various

characteristics of practical theology so

tell us what are these characteristics

of practical

theology yeah um

to understand the characteristics uh

I will use um a method that is used by

the Practical Theologian Richard bosmer

and uh I just made some modifications in

the language that he uses I think to

make it a little bit more comprehensive

so Richard osmer says that there are

four tasks of practical theology

practical theology does four things and

it's helpful to think about these four

tasks as descriptive more than

prescriptive so it's not a way to say

this is the only way we can do practical

theology it's just describing what

practical theology does in general and

um how we can understand what we're

doing in a way or another within this

big umbrella of what's called stask

practical theology the first task for

osir is what he called the descriptive

task the second task is the

interpretative task the third is the

normative and the fourth is the pragat

so I think it will be helpful to go

through these one by one and see how

these four tasks of practical theology

are are helpful or not helpful for what

we doing in the field because the whole

goal of this goal is to is to help the

students to see how can this method or

how practical theology can be used in

their internships in their field

education in their work as they're doing

that in the different sites right and

it's uh they are tasks and it's also a

lens right I mean they you can see

through these these discrete and

interconnected task so yeah so tell us

about the first task yeah so the first

task the first task I like to call it

the attentive task of practical theology

in in instead of descriptive and the

reason I prefer the the the adjective

attentive because I think it

expands descriptive to something more

than just head centered uh uh activity

related to just describing what is going

on in language maybe in the more

academic field when we think about

practical theology in Academia

descriptive can be helpful but if

practical theology is a broad activity I

think the first characteristic of it is

that it is attentive to what's happening

attentive to a certain context attentive

to a certain activity um

in the everyday life if let's say I am

doing practical theology I would

be attentive to any conversation I am

sitting at I will be listening I will be

seeing I will be observing I will be not

focused only on myself but able to see

what is happening around me and that's

very important in the field it because

like as much as in uh our age where we

understand that it's impossible not to

see things in our own lenses we know in

the postmodern era that our perspective

is always impacted by my background and

by my culture and by the way I am shaped

that's very important and we cannot

ignore this but also we need to

acknowledge that it's very important to

be able to allow the other to be other

without objectifying them and seeing

them only in my lens I will always see

the other in my

but I also need to allow the other to be

that other and the first task of

practical theology is to be attentive to

that other in that in in in our case in

field the other is the particular

situation we are dealing with our site

that can be in the hospital that can be

in a church that can be in a mosque that

can be in any site I need to be

attentive I need to ask what is going on

before I deal with anything else so

that's the first task practical theology

is describing is to be attentive seeing

listening and ask the question of what

is involed yeah and as I think about the

field site mapping assignment that that

that we're asking students to do in I

think week four or five I can't remember

what the week is uh first task is

attending or attentive to the

surrounding we ask students to walk

around the perimeters of their field

site now walk or drive or however around

the perimeter of their field site to

attend to what's going on right

listening for sites uh looking for and

listening and sense like what do you

smell I mean so these are all various

different way of attending and I like

attending attentive because it I think

it's more

embodied right because we attend with

our whole bodies we're not just

describing it you know verbally but

there's some visceral engagement that's

going on as you're kind of looking at

the field site uh the perimeter the

neighborhood that we ask people to do so

that the step of attentive or and

attending um is is is really key to to

begin thank you what is the second task

after you've attended so yeah after we

ask what is going on the second task

asks why is this going on and we try I

still remember last year when we did fil

Ed we try to postpone that a little bit

because we don't want to just jump into

the

Judgment uh uh but at some points we

need to not only see and listen we need

to analyze we need to have this

analytical uh skill to be able to

understand why is this going on um and

uh we can we can uh name this task or

feature the

interpretative task of practical

Theology and

um in the way we deal with it I think we

can draw on different disciplines in

Academia we like we draw on social

science psychology in field Edge we

encourage students especially in what

they will see every class the wlm the

weekly learning moments to answer the

question how is this related to your

other classes how is what you see here

or you dealt with today in the class or

in the field site connect to your

classes and that's the role of the

interpretative it's take the the episode

it takes the the the context that we saw

and it puts it in connection with other

things that makes it

more clear uh more obvious more uh I can

explain it more I can understand it more

so that's second task the

interpreta yeah and as you say uh in the

second semester of the field dead when

we do field site

analysis uh that an analytical piece

that critical and analytical piece that

understanding of power uh Dynamics in it

understanding the history of it and so

again the interpretive is not

just uh self- referential right we don't

just interpret from our own perspective

but we are bringing these

other uh facts and uh documents and

historical um you know data to bear or

Traditions uh to bear on the on the on

the interpretive task and of course we

have our own lenses too but also drawing

on the the yeah traditions and other um

um external to

ourselves that we draw on for our for

interpretations like why is it going on

right that's the that's the critical

critical thinking critical analytical

task so what is a third task yeah I just

want to say that uh I like what you said

about that we use external uh resources

because I think that's makes it more

communal as well it's not only my point

of view which is very important like at

the end I am describing what is going on

or or attending to what's going on from

my own lens but I think the second

question helps me expand my own

perspective and just rely on others

either disciplines or people who are

able to see that in a different so yeah

that's the second task the third task is

very important and I will explain why

without it actually uh there is

something extremely missing the third

task is the normative task of practical

theology

and normative task is what we really

mean by theological

reflection the difference between what

we're doing in a seminary or theology

school or Divinity School uh what makes

our work different is not the first or

the second or the fourth all of them are

very important and we cannot actually do

without them but what makes us doing

like theological work is the normative

task a normative task is mainly asking

us to put what we saw and attended to

and then explained in conversation with

our norms and our Norms can be theology

can be ethics can be sacred text can be

whatever is normative whatever is

authoritative in my own life or my own

tradition

and the task is to put that in

conversation all the time and allow the

two what I explored and attended to in

conversation with the norm and make

these two affect each other in a in a

conversation that is

continuous um and again I know that

sometimes we have resistance to anything

called Norms but we can think about

social justice as we can think about

love as Norms we can think about any

high value that is bigger than myself

any higher value any higher ethic that

is bigger than my own limited lens that

is important in my tradition as a

normative that is making theological

sense of the thing that I am seeing

describing attending to and

understanding and I think at times when

you put those in conversation like your

experience and attending to the

experience and the Norms as we have

understood our Norms to be sometimes the

experience can challenge the Norms yes

right and Norms can challenge the

experience and we want fully to have

this kind of circular uh uh energy and

process right because um we might hold

on to certain beliefs and norms and we

we encounter a different experience that

says wait a minute this is at odds with

the Norms that I was holding that my

traditions say what is a norm and I need

to figure it out either I get rid of the

Norms or I cannot rely on the experience

or you figure out that that they all the

the way to kind of have this

conversation whereby they are shaped by

each other right sometimes the Norms

will start to crumble yeah and maybe

different kind of norms will arise as as

we experience very different experiences

right and so this conversation as you

say in theological reflection is the

heart of doing that reflection is that

wrestling with what we know to be true

when they get challenged by what we see

and what we experience yeah yeah and

living in that tension without getting

rid of any of the two poles I think this

is how Liberation theology was born how

queer theology how feminist theology

they started from an experience they not

that there's something wrong in the

experience there is oppression there is

way of patriarchy that not dealing with

women well there is oppression to the

lgbtq community they acknowledge the

experience and this experience

challenged the norm but it did not get

away of the norm there is still Norm

there's still theology in all of them

but the experience itself of wom of

people who are oppressed lgbtq people

challenged that Norm so the norm did not

go away but was modified in a way that

there is still Norm we still have

Theology and we have the experience and

they are shaping each other yeah maybe

the the the fact of the Norms didn't go

away but the norm as it was understood

was upended right yeah so so even though

we throw away what we consider to be the

norm we don't get rid of the norm itself

right so I think that because to say

that we don't have Norms is kind of not

being honest we all have values that we

hold we all have some that are

indispensable that are not

non-negotiable that we hold and those

are the Norms right and um sometimes

that comes up against the experience

what we see and that tension living in

that tension is a very creative process

of of and not always having the right

answer or the right way to land and it's

that discomfort of of that space of

tension space which yeah I think we

encourage and um we try to Foster

because something comes out of that that

space right and that goes to the fourth

Point fourth task so what's the fourth

task yeah one final point about the

normative um that I don't know if it

will be helpful for all our students but

I would say in

my Christian faith for me the norm is

not as you said the fact itself the norm

is what God is doing in this particular

situation and what God is doing will

always be a norm and uh is always

related

to something about Liberation something

about love so that's that's if I want

the fact that's the fact and the the the

details of what God is doing is what is

I am tackling and handling and grappling

with and uh living in that tension but I

still have the norm that God is doing

something to liberate this situation to

make it better to make it go forward and

um I need figure out what that

is yeah thank you yeah so the first task

is uh what OS called the pragmatic task

of practical theology uh how what is the

plan how can we move forward

um and the traditional practical

theology again when it was only a linear

going from Theory to practice uh that

pragmatic task was just application of

universal uh theories that um like

people in the west thought this is what

Systematic Theology is and your task in

any kind in any context in any situation

is to apply these Universal truths uh in

a way that is just acknowledging the

technique of the uh of of the

application um pragmatic task in

Practical theology as we understand it

today in a contextual way is a response

to the particular situation that we

dealt with from the very beginning so we

started with attending we tried to

understand what is going on we placed

that into conversation with the norm

with the tradition so we can move to a

new practice so we can move to to um a

new way of being a new way of dealing

with the uh um the situation we are

dealing with in our field site or in any

place we are trying to apply practic

theology yeah so in other words if you

were to say in these questions which I

think you started what is going on why

is it going on what should be going on

yes and what are we to do yes right

those are the the questions that we're

asking

uh each of us to wrestle with uh as we

embark on our field education and our

theological reflection um that we do

together yeah let me share my screen to

put all these together to bring the

whole conversation

uh so these are the four tasks that osir

talks about and you see uh below

something called function which is the

theological

uh uh justification or the theological

root of the Tas according to osar who is

speaking from a very Christian uh

background so the task descriptive or

what we called attentive the question

what is going on and the theology behind

it is Priestly listening he SE that uh

uh and of course he's not talking about

like the priest in in the in the

clerical way he he's saying that anyone

who is doing practical theology he has a

Priestly listening

task uh the interpretive task ask why is

this going on and it draws from sely

wisdom it needs to be it's it invites me

to go out of myself and to draw on

different kind of sources as we saw and

that what wisdom is uh the the third is

the normative what ought to be going on

and this is discernment

uh this is what it means uh what we mean

by discernment in this particular

context of course discernment is much

bigger than this but in this particular

context it's uh drawing on the Norms on

the tradition and finally uh the

Strategic how might we respond and this

is leadership um and we have a session I

think in field about leadership uh and

we can connected to these core tasks so

what is going on why is this going on

what ought to be going on and how might

we

respond thank you this is very helpful

as a puristic and a paradigm to uh point

to as we are doing our field work

together as we are in this course

together and doing theologic reflection

on the the internship and the tasks that

we are working on um throughout the

semester and throughout the year any

last thoughts as you think about this

and for the class I'm looking forward to

the conversation in the class and I am

sure there will be a lot of Rich

conversations about this I'm sure there

will be some challenges but before we

challenge let's really understand what

practical theology is and then we will

have a conversation and uh uh see how it

can be helpful or not helpful in our

work thank

you thank you de