Tension between theory and practice in theological education is an unfortunate yet common occurrence, with educators sometimes finding themselves on one extreme or the other. Some academics can be so immersed in high-level theological discourse that they hardly interact with the main questions of the average church-goer, while others are so keen to be engaging and relevant they fail to be rigorous in their scholarship. Regardless of the reasons the results are the same – failure to present the good news with a powerful, credible voice. To address this tension between academia and the church, a group of Eastern European theologians came together in the spring of 2013 in Berekfüdő, Hungary. This publication is a collection of 10 edited papers presented at that conference. While topics are addressed from a European context the principles behind them are far-reaching, providing important insight for the global church and academy alike.

Tension between theory and practice in theological education is an unfortunate yet common occurrence, with educators sometimes finding themselves on one extreme or the other. Some academics can be so immersed in high-level theological discourse that they hardly interact with the main questions of the average church-goer, while others are so keen to be engaging and relevant they fail to be rigorous in their scholarship. Regardless of the reasons the results are the same – failure to present the good news with a powerful, credible voice. To address this tension between academia and the church, a group of Eastern European theologians came together in the spring of 2013 in Berekfüdő, Hungary. This publication is a collection of 10 edited papers presented at that conference. While topics are addressed from a European context the principles behind them are far-reaching, providing important insight for the global church and academy alike.

Tension between theory and practice in theological education is an unfortunate yet common occurrence, with educators sometimes finding themselves on one extreme or the other. Some academics can be so immersed in high-level theological discourse that they hardly interact with the main questions of the average church-goer, while others are so keen to be engaging and relevant they fail to be rigorous in their scholarship. Regardless of the reasons the results are the same – failure to present the good news with a powerful, credible voice. To address this tension between academia and the church, a group of Eastern European theologians came together in the spring of 2013 in Berekfüdő, Hungary. This publication is a collection of 10 edited papers presented at that conference. While topics are addressed from a European context the principles behind them are far-reaching, providing important insight for the global church and academy alike.