Opening the Field of Practical Theology introduces students to practical theology through an examination of fifteen different approaches-ranging from feminist to liberationist, Roman Catholic to evangelical, Asian American to Latino/a. After an introduction to the field of practical theology and its broad range of practice today, the book features chapters written by leading experts in the discipline. Each chapter has an identical structure to facilitate comparison, covering historical context, key features and figures, norms and sources of authority, theory-practice, contexts, interdisciplinary considerations, areas of current and future research, and suggested readings. Opening the Field of Practical Theology is an ideal introduction to the field, highlighting the diverse ways practical theology is engaged today.

Why is the very kind of knowledge that people need to live well - practical wisdom - often the least understood, the hardest to learn, and the most devalued kind of knowledge? In this book five distinguished practical theologians examine the wisdom that is basic for faithful Christian living, question why it has been largely devalued, and advocate for its renewal. After first showing several concrete situations in which this kind of wisdom is visible - marriage, church, community, culture, and more - the authors then delve into the reasons for the decline of practical wisdom and set forth constructive cases for its renewal through biblical imagination and spiritual practice.

The concept of "vocation" or "calling" is a distinctively Christian concern, grounded in the long-held belief that we find our meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in God. But what about religions other than Christianity? What does it mean for someone from another faith tradition to understand calling or vocation? In this book contributors with expertise in Catholic and Protestant Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, and secular humanism explore the idea of calling in these various faith traditions. The contributors each search their respective tradition's sacred texts, key figures, practices, and concepts for wisdom on the meaning of vocation. By seeking comparative insights from diverse faith traditions, say Kathleen Cahalan and Douglas Schuurman, we can all increase and improve our efforts to build a better, more humane world.

Ministry is often examined in terms of who the minister is, not what the minister does. But the vocation to ministry must be understood as a call to identity as well as to practice, one that is rooted in Jesus' life and ministry as well as the Spirit's charisms. In"Introducing the Practice of Ministry" Kathleen A.Cahalan defines ministerial leadership as carried out through the practices of teaching, preaching, pastoral care, worship, social ministry, and administration for the sake of nurturing the life of discipleship in the community of believers. In her examination of charisms for each of the practices of ministry, Cahalan presents readers with a Trinitarian foundation, noting that the practices of discipleship and ministry have their origin in the very practices of God."

"Kathleen A. Cahalan is associate professor of theology at Saint John's University School of Theology, Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. She is author of "Formed in the Image of Christ: The Sacramental-Moral Theology of Bernard Haring "(Liturgical Press, 2004) and "Projects That Matter: Successful Planning and Evaluation for Religious Organizations "(Alban Institute, 2003). She is the past-president of the Association of Practical Theology. ""

The Christian life is an imitation of Christ's response to God - a religious response to God's initiative. We are called to make al responses - religion and morality - acts of adoring worship and praise. This sacramental theology is the fundamental moral theology of Bernard Haring, CSsR, whose contributions as a twentieth-century theologian have prepared the way of renewal in Catholic theology today.

Part One of this book introduces Bernard Haring and his place in the history of Roman Catholic moral theology. Part Two examines the central concepts of Haring's sacramental-moral theology: responsibility, Christ as Word of God and High Priest, the human person as word and worshiper, and the sacraments as dialogue and response. In Part III the author illustrates how Haring takes a minor category - the virtue of religion - and places it at the center of moral life.

Chapters under "Part I: Bernard Haring and Roman Catholic Moral Theology" are Reassessing Bernard Haring's Moral Theology, - and "Moral Theology and Sacramental Practice. - Chapters under "Part II: The Dogmatic Foundations of Haring's Sacramental-Moral Theology" are *Word and Response: The Theological Foundations of the Religious-Moral Life, - and *Sacraments as Word and Response. - Chapters under "Part III: The Christian Moral Life and the Virtue of Religion" are *The Theological and Moral Virtues and the Virtue of Religion, - and *The Interior and Exterior Acts of the Virtue of Religion. - Chapters under the Conclusion are *Bernard Haring and Contemporary Proposals in Liturgy and Ethics: Critique and Contributions. -

"Kathleen A. Cahalan, PhD, is assistant professor of pastoral theology and ministry at St. John's University, School of Theology 'seminary, Collegeville, Minnesota.""

Opening the Field of Practical Theology introduces students to practical theology through an examination of fifteen different approaches-ranging from feminist to liberationist, Roman Catholic to evangelical, Asian American to Latino/a. After an introduction to the field of practical theology and its broad range of practice today, the book features chapters written by leading experts in the discipline. Each chapter has an identical structure to facilitate comparison, covering historical context, key features and figures, norms and sources of authority, theory-practice, contexts, interdisciplinary considerations, areas of current and future research, and suggested readings. Opening the Field of Practical Theology is an ideal introduction to the field, highlighting the diverse ways practical theology is engaged today.

Projects That Matter introduces project leaders and teams to the five basic elements of project design and describes in detail a six-step process for designing and implementing a project evaluation and disseminating evaluation findings. Written for the nonexpert, leaders in religious settings will find Cahalan's guidance clear and invaluable. Presenting evaluation as a form of collaborative inquiry, Cahalan show how leaders can use evaluation design to develop effective project plans and prepare case statements for donors or grant proposals for foundations. She introduces project planning and evaluation as mission-related practices and invites leaders to consider how their tradition's particular mission and beliefs influence the way they plan and evaluate. Cahalan concludes the book by making explicit her own theological presuppositions that the virtues of discernment, stewardship, and prudence are essential for good project planning and evaluation"