{"title":"A Response: Threshold Concepts in Religious Education and Theology","authors":"Richard Rymarz","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1213952","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1213952","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a response to other contributions in this volume on the theme of using threshold concepts in religious education. It draws together some common threads that have emerged in this volume and notes the value of using threshold concepts, especially in certain context areas. It also provides a sense of the future of threshold concepts in religious education as well as some of the ongoing and emerging challenges in this area such as ensuring that classroom practice reflects what is proposed in the curriculum both for schools with religious affiliation and public schools. In Quebec, for instance, in very recent times the province has introduced a mandatory course in ethics and religious culture. This is an extremely ambitious programme with a wide range of proposed topics such as the nature of secularity and its impact on religious worldview and, perhaps the most complex, better understanding of indigenous religions.","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126445203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Exodus in the Bible's Teaching and Our Teaching of the Bible: Helping to Reconcile Faith and Critical Study of the Bible Through Threshold Concept Theory","authors":"Rachelle Gilmour","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1213951","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1213951","url":null,"abstract":"For students coming from a religious background to Biblical Studies, it can sometimes be difficult to reconcile faith and critical study of the Hebrew Bible, struggling with the concepts of multiple voices within the text, and multiple methods of interpretation in scholarship. This article will explore the use of the Exodus event as a Threshold Concept in the Bible's teaching, and propose that it can be used as a helpful model for students encountering critical study of the Bible. It will be shown that the Exodus event has differing accounts and multiple interpretations throughout the Bible, and that these function according to the characteristics of a Threshold Concept, by being transformative, integrative, troublesome and affective [Meyer, Jan H. F., and Ray L. Land. 2006a. ‘Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: An Introduction’. In Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts an Troublesome Knowledge, edited by Jan Meyer and Ray Land, 3-18. London: Routledge]. This analysis of a Threshold Concept within the Bible can be used as a model in the classroom for the transformative nature of story, providing a framework for contemporary interpretation of the Biblical texts.","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129207310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘Dissolving Boundaries’ – An Analysis of Threshold Concepts Within Disability Theology","authors":"Zachariah P. Duke, P. Mudge","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1211331","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1211331","url":null,"abstract":"This article focuses on an analysis of threshold concepts (TCs) within disability theology. It explores a range of ideas linked to TCs and the experience of people living with a disability (people LWD). The world in which Christian parishioners encounter people LWD (the focus of this article), could be described as a ‘liquid world’ which is fuzzy, uncertain, unstable and marked by ‘dissolving boundaries’ (Barnett, R. 2012. “The Coming of the Ecological Learner.” In Transitions and Transformations in Learning and Education, edited by P. Tynjälä, M.-L. Stenström and M. Saarnivaara, 9–20. Dordrecht, NL: Springer) The authors argue that, despite such boundaries, or perhaps because of them, certain thresholds need to be crossed by members of faith communities in order for a person LWD to feel as if he/she genuinely belongs to a community. Nevertheless it is acknowledged that some people involved might be both people LWD and parishioners. The three interrelated thresholds examined within this article are — empowerment, hospitality and neighbourliness. The article links these thresholds with TC theory, and also addresses two related topics — a definition of disability within the discipline of theology, and Jesus as the model for threshold crossing within the Christian tradition. Reflections on TCs in this article are deliberately grounded in the most recent collection of TC theory from Land, R., J. H. F. Meyer and M. T. Flanagan, editors. (2016. Threshold Concepts in Practice. Rotterdam, NL: Sense). Finally, the article considers some relevant, practical responses which, it is argued, members of Christian faith communities ought to consider, so that people LWD feel that they genuinely belong to that particular community. It concludes with a summary of key insights and some possible future research directions.","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"142 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122946656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Threshold of Conscience: A Radical Challenge for Education in Theological Ethics … and Beyond","authors":"D. Fleming","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1213950","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1213950","url":null,"abstract":"In this article I propose that the phenomenon of conscience, as understood in Catholic theological ethics, functions as a threshold concept within that discipline. As such, it shares the characteristics identified by Meyer and Land [2006a. “Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: An Introduction.” In Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge, edited by J. Meyer and R. Land, 3–18. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis] as pertaining to threshold concepts, and thereby presents substantial challenges for education within theological ethics. The article begins by analysing conscience as a threshold concept. It then puts forward a teaching intervention which is informed by threshold concepts theory and other relevant pedagogical research.","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"142 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121416938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘Tell Me the Landscapes in Which You Live and I Will Tell You Who You Are’ – Online Theology Students Crossing Thresholds in Religious Education and Spirituality Against an Australian Desert Context","authors":"P. Mudge","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1211329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1211329","url":null,"abstract":"This article proposes that in the crossing of learning thresholds, it is possible to identify a number of significant intersections between three key areas – (1) stories about teaching challenges provided by an initial survey of 60 selected online adults studying religious education (RE), spirituality and theology; (2) the crossing of the Australian bush, frontier, or desert landscape; and (3) threshold concept (TC) theory. This survey of online teacher views revealed five specific teacher learning challenges that could be compared with five selected features of the Australian bush or desert landscape. Narratives of teacher learning challenges were extracted from a range of online discussion scripts, while certain features of the Australian landscape emerged from a later, unplanned literature analysis of that topic. This article examines two of these thematic clusters, related to liminality and to ‘stretching’ of teachers, in relation to desert literature and TC theory. The article closes with a series of conclusions and discussion points emerging from the research.","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"34 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126334158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cognition or Spiritual Disposition? Threshold Concepts in Theological Reflection†","authors":"Quentin Chandler","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1213949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1213949","url":null,"abstract":"The article explores threshold concepts in theological reflection. Threshold concepts and a conversational model of theological reflection are defined and some features shared between them are identified. A doctoral research project among students for licensed lay ministry is summarized. Three threshold concepts in theological reflection are identified relating to the interpreted nature of texts, the complexity of theological reflection, and its pervasiveness. These are related to some key features of threshold concepts. The article then turns to threshold concept negotiation in the author's learning about theological reflection. Two further threshold concepts are identified relating to an internally held disposition or habitus of faith and spirituality. The article concludes with a reflective conversation with a biblical text before suggesting that exploration of habitus may have relevance for threshold concept transitions beyond theological reflection.","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124920272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial Note","authors":"John P. Falcone","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1246807","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1246807","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127639001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gender, Religion and Education in a Chaotic Postmodern World","authors":"Katja Stuerzenhofecker","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1158500","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1158500","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130145949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Encyclopedia of Christian Education, 3 Volumes","authors":"A. Wright","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1158504","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1158504","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124458543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Towards a Theology of Competition: The Case of Anglican Theological Institutions in England","authors":"H. Worsley","doi":"10.1080/17407141.2016.1158499","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17407141.2016.1158499","url":null,"abstract":"Beginning with the current state of competition in English Theological Education Institutes (TEIs), which is mirrored on both sides of the Atlantic, this multidisciplinary article introduces an initial theological reflection into competition by considering history, social theory and theology and by looking through the lenses of sport, schools and business. The competitive climate that has emerged within Anglican TEIs over the last few centuries is observed by considering an historical overview. That climate is then discussed in terms of social theory using Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy and then with the insights of theology. The way forward is discussed with awareness of how a Christian theology of theological education must include a theology of competition. The aim is to open a discussion rather than to answer the question, though various theological leads are suggested.","PeriodicalId":224329,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adult Theological Education","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129400013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}