The Christian Century

I believe I had a rare experience in my doctoral program in theology. I was given a seminar on the art of teaching. Often the challenge of mastering a discipline is so great that no attention is paid to this main activity of the theological professor’s vocation. I still remember a comment that was made during the seminar: “Teaching is imparting knowledge; helping people to learn means teaching them to teach themselves.” That valuable distinction became increasingly important to me as I entered the teaching profession. Practical Wisdom: On Theological Teaching and Learning offers theological educators the opportunity to reflect on their vocation.