Theology as Congregational Theology. Critical Evaluation of Experiences in Anabaptism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbtref.70.2.10Keywords:
Anabaptism, discerning community, theological education, congregationalism, pastoral trainingAbstract
This year we celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism. One of the basic principles of the Anabaptists was their desire to practise theology as congregational theology. It was not the individual theologian and preacher but the congregation as a “discerning community” that was responsible for critically examining how the Word of God should be interpreted and what the theological foundation was to which the faith community should orient itself.
Can we learn from the Anabaptists to practise theology in a way that is true to life and relevant to everyday life? And what would be the outstanding features of this approach that differ from today’s largely academic theology, and could they enrich it? The search for such approaches has broken out worldwide, especially today, since, in the words of the American-Croatian theologian Prof. Miroslav Wolf, university academic theology is suspected of having lost both the academic community in which it arises and the church, its primary customer. Whereas just a few decades ago most pastors were prepared for their ministry at theological colleges, today’s congregations tend to opt for their own young people without theological training when in doubt.
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