Amanda Hontz Drury – författare

"I have seen and I testify . . ." (John 1:34)The idea of giving one''s testimony often evokes summer church camps, evangelistic revivals, mission trips and baptisms. Like an eyewitness called to testify in a courtroom, sharing a testimony of faith is for specific people at special moments.But what if our view of testimony is all wrong? According to Amanda Drury, testimony is not merely about describing something that happened in the past. It is a practice that forms our present and future identity. Testimony changes us, and without it we risk having a stunted and stale faith.Drawing on work in sociology, psychology and theology, Drury develops an understanding of testimony as an essential practice for Christian spiritual formation, especially for adolescents who are in the process of developing their identity. Recent studies reveal a staggering inability for adolescents to articulate their religious beliefs. Now more than ever, churches need to recover the practice of testimony as anintegral part of communal worship.

Most students of practical theology recognize Richard R. Osmer as the originator of the "e;consensus model"e; of practical theology, one of the most accessible and widely used models of practical theological reflection in the world. Yet Osmer's influence extends beyond practical theological method. Over his long career, his writing and teaching spanned Christian education, youth ministry, spirituality, and evangelism as well, giving each of these congregational practices new theological substance. A pastor as well as a scholar at heart, Osmer writes with the American congregation in mind, insisting on making theology central to every Christian practice. Consensus and Conflict traces Osmer's multi-faceted intellectual career from his days as seminarian through his professoriate at Princeton Theological Seminary and his role in the founding of the International Academy of Practical Theology. These themes unfold against the backdrop of ecclesial change that Osmer barely anticipated as a young pastor in New England and western North Carolina. The contributors to this volume bear witness to Osmer's indebtedness to social sciences, theologians like Moltmann and Barth, his wide range of interests ranging from confirmation to redemptive agriculture to church planting, and his deep hope that the theological disciplines will play a more vital role in practical theology's future. Contributors: Bo Karen LeeRichard R. OsmerShin-Guen JangKyoo Min LeeThomas HastingsAngela ReedJessicah DuckworthTheresa LatiniNathan StuckynathanDrew Dyson:Gordon MikoskDarrell Guder