What does it mean to lead a truly "life-giving way of life"? What kinds of learning and teaching will best prepare ministers to foster such a way of life in their congregations? How might teachers of practical theology best understand and undertake their task to educate and form ministers? Respected scholars and ministers explore such questions in For Life Abundant, probing and clarifying the significance of practical theology in the classroom, in the wider academy, and in actual ministry settings.Contributors: Dorothy C. Bass Kathleen A. Cahalan David D. Daniels III Craig Dykstra Serene Jones Thomas G. Long Peter W. Marty Gordon S. Mikoski Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore James R. Nieman Christian R. Scharen Ted A. Smith John P. Witvliet David J. Wood

In a time when academic theology often neglects the lived practices of the Christian community, this volume seeks to bring balance to the situation by showing the dynamic link between the task of theology and the practices of the Christian life. The work of thirteen first-rate theologians from several cultural and Christian perspectives, these informed and informative essays explore the relationship between Christian theology and practice in the daily lives of believers, in the ministry of Christian communities, and as a needed focus within Christian education.Contributors: Dorothy C. Bass, Nancy Bedford, Gilbert Bond, Sarah Coakley, Craig Dykstra, Reinhard Hütter, L. Gregory Jones, Serene Jones, Amy Plantinga Pauw, Christine Pohl, Kathryn Tanner, Miroslav Volf, Tammy Williams

What does it mean to lead a truly "life-giving way of life"? What kinds of learning and teaching will best prepare ministers to foster such a way of life in their congregations? How might teachers of practical theology best understand and undertake their task to educate and form ministers? Respected scholars and ministers explore such questions in For Life Abundant, probing and clarifying the significance of practical theology in the classroom, in the wider academy, and in actual ministry settings.Contributors: Dorothy C. Bass Kathleen A. Cahalan David D. Daniels III Craig Dykstra Serene Jones Thomas G. Long Peter W. Marty Gordon S. Mikoski Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore James R. Nieman Christian R. Scharen Ted A. Smith John P. Witvliet David J. Wood

In a time when academic theology often neglects the lived practices of the Christian community, this volume seeks to bring balance to the situation by showing the dynamic link between the task of theology and the practices of the Christian life. The work of thirteen first-rate theologians from several cultural and Christian perspectives, these informed and informative essays explore the relationship between Christian theology and practice in the daily lives of believers, in the ministry of Christian communities, and as a needed focus within Christian education.Contributors: Dorothy C. Bass, Nancy Bedford, Gilbert Bond, Sarah Coakley, Craig Dykstra, Reinhard Hütter, L. Gregory Jones, Serene Jones, Amy Plantinga Pauw, Christine Pohl, Kathryn Tanner, Miroslav Volf, Tammy Williams