This is a research project by Marvin Oxenham (PhD) on the place of character education in Christian theological education This is an open participatory project that uses blogging functions to connect with practitioners and those interested in the topic in order to collect wisdom, perspective and feedback. The research that has inspired this blog is now…
What can we learn from the narratives about Martha in relation to the virtue of prudence?
Are you looking for ways to motivate colleagues in theological to consider character and virtue as important? Here is a 9 minute motivational video that you can share. I recorded this video for the series of ICETE Academy nanocourses that I am currently producing. I plan to roll out these courses over the next few…
I recorded the video below in March 2020 in Italy, during the COVID-19 outbreak. I do not purpose to rehearse or analyse the global situation that is rapid evolution, nor offer broad theological frameworks of discussion. More modestly, I have tried to think through what virtue looks like in times like these. In particular, how…
Today is World Kindness Day. Kindness is a moral virtue, together with compassion and generosity. It is a typical virtue of Christianity, alongside forgiveness and humility and it is included in the virtues of St Francis’ Rule. It is also one of the three main virtues in Islam, (together with justice and charity). It is…
What is the internet doing to our brain? How, in particular might millennials be struggling with new challenges around intellectual virtues such as thoroughness and attentiveness?
How does our vision of the missio dei influence our relationship to the cultures we live in? How can all this tie into a vision of character and virtue education?
The research that has inspired this blog is now published in the book Character and Virtue in Theological Education. In this book, written as an academic epistolary novel, Dr Oxenham explores the vision, tradition and practice of character and virtue education as applied to theological education. You can order through the following: Amazon.com (or through searching…
This video explores the magic blend between the atonement and the formation of virtuous character. ‘Virtonement’- is a new word that brings together two very old words: the education of virtuous character – as a central theme in philosophy- and the atonement – as a central doctrine in theology. In short, virtonement, speaks of unity…
Spiritual theology is the discipline that thinks theologically about spirituality, what it is, how it relates to who we are as human beings, how it informs the purposes of our lives, what practices are associated with it and what we can expect. There is a lot of overlap between spiritual theology and the tradition of…
Should a theological programme focusing on character and virtue education aim at being accredited and certified as a recognised degree? If so, (and it is a significant ‘if’) what might quality assurance look like? Is anyone doing this?
Character Education and Theological Education 