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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Theology
Notes
- Abstract:
- Theology is a way of thinking about the world, our place in the world, and God's purpose for the world and for us. My goal as a teacher is to encourage and enable students to ask theological questions, develop their own answers, and—because we live in a changing world—to ask new questions, or answer them differently, tomorrow or five years from now. My preferred method is dialogue education as practiced by Paulo Freire and his followers, to which other teachers have added new insights from the natural and social sciences. This thesis project takes my students' social context as a starting point and draws from it four common themes of our local culture: identity and agency, vulnerability and security, wealth and poverty, and adversarialism and restorative justice. Those themes are explored in the light of three themes from the Judeo-Christian biblical tradition: creation, covenant, and the reign of God. In this encounter between our culture and the biblical tradition, my students and I reflect on the following questions among others: (1) What can one person do about the world's problems? What can we do together, through our web of connections? What are we already doing in our families and communities, the ecosystems in which we are "planted"? What is God doing, and what is our role of stewardship or partnership with God? (2) Why are we so vulnerable to events beyond our control? What kind of security can we build for ourselves? Are suffering and misfortune a punishment from God? What reassurance does scripture offer? (3) With prosperity already slipping out of our grasp, why should we take responsibility for the whole world and future generations? What role do stewardship, neighborliness, and compassion play in today's world? (4) In our adversarial society, how can we depolarize the debate over who is right—and begin trying to make things right? In what ways is God's purpose expressed by retributive justice, and/or by unlimited forgiveness and the love of enemies? In the final chapter we look for "signs of the times": the specific wisdom that each side of the dialogue—local culture and the biblical tradition—offers to students and teachers. The dialogue has increased my respect for the students' local perspective; it also challenges me to help them deepen their awareness of what God is doing, and what they can do, in this changing world.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (D.Min.)--Barry University, 2012.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-132).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Margaret D. Wilde. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- BT93 .W55 2012_WildeMargaret ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- BT93 .W55 2012 ( lcc )
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