We are constantly engaged in processing data and sensory inputs all around us, even when we are not conscious of the many neural pathways our minds are traveling. So taking a step back to ponder the dimensions and practices of a particular way of thinking is a challenge. Even more important, however, is cultivating the habits of mind necessary in a life of ministry. This book, therefore, will grapple with the particular ways that the theological disciplines invite students to think but also the ways in which thinking theologically shapes a student's sense of self and his or her role in a wider community of belief and thought. Thinking theologically is not just a cerebral matter; thinking theologically invokes an embodied set of practices and values that shape individuals and communities alike. Thinking theologically demands both intellect and emotion, logic and compassion, mind and body. In fact, this book - as part of the Foundations for Learning series - will contend that these binaries are actually integrated wholes, not mutually exclusive options.

Writing Theologically introduces writing not just as an academic exercise but as a way for students to communicate the good news in rapidly changing contexts, as well as to discover and craft their own sense of vocation and identity. Most important will be guiding students to how they might begin to claim and hone a distinctive theological voice that is particularly attuned to the contexts of writer and audience alike. In a collection of brief, readable essays, this volume, edited by Eric D. Barreto, emphasizes the vital skills, practices, and values involved in writing theologically. That is, how might students prepare themselves to communicate effectively and creatively, clearly and beautifully, the insights they gather during their time in seminary? Each contribution includes practical advice about best practices in writing theologically; however, the book also stresses why writing is vital in the self-understanding of the minister, as well as her or his public communication of the good news.

Reading is one of the basic skills a student needs. But reading is not just an activity of the eyes and the brain. Reading Theologically, edited by Eric D. Barreto, brings together eight seminary educators from a variety of backgrounds to explore what it means to be a reader in a seminary context-to read theologically. Reading theologically involves a specific mindset and posture towards texts and ideas, people and communities alike. Reading theologically is not just about academic skill building but about the formation of a ministerial leader who can engage scholarship critically, interpret Scripture and tradition faithfully, welcome different perspectives, and help lead others to do the same. This brief, readable, edited volume emphasizes the vital skills, habits, practices, and values involved in reading theologically. Reading Theologically is a vital resource for students beginning the seminary process and professors of introductory level seminary courses.

Through close textual engagement, theological exposition, ethical reflection, and interdisciplinary collaboration, this book presents a constructive theology of divine speech in the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians in critical conversation with contemporary issues of sociopolitical, ecclesial, and theological importance. In particular, the authors attend to pericopes in Acts and Paul that open up fresh ways of thinking about divine discourse, preaching, and advocacy in light of contemporary matters of theological and ethical import. In addition to classical modes of textual and theological analysis, the authors attend to the sociopolitical and sociolinguistic aspects of speech as they arise in these pericopes. As such, the authors are simultaneously deconstructing these texts through postcolonial and post-structural analyses to expose these texts to an alterity at work therein, an alterity that has been muted by centuries of biblical interpretation.

Fortress Press's Foundations for Learning series prepares students for academic success through compelling resources that kick-start their educational journey into professional Christian ministry. ln Exploring the Bible, preseminarians and other students about to begin training in ministry join sage guides and scholars Eric D. Barreto and Michael J. Chan on a journey through Scripture. More than simply a practical guide to reading the Bible, this book will help readers claim their unique interpretive perspective and discern a living word from God. We never read the Bible by ourselves. In the encounter of ancient texts and people today, we discern alongside others how these texts speak into our communities. Contexts matter. Histories matter. Cultures matter. Peoples matter. All these matter in interpretation when we seek to proclaim some word of gospel about a God who has breathed life into us. Barreto and Chan invite us to bring our full, authentic selves to a text that will affirm and challenge us, confirm and transform us, delight and concern us. There, God speaks, and we can hear God's word in a new way.