There is one particular point of contact between Islamic contexts and Aristotelian thinking that I have found fascinating. It is the issue of shame, honour and virtue.
A blog by Marvin Oxenham (PhD)
Leaving church and theological education
I recently read a little biographical novel entitled Leaving Church. I found Barbara Brown Taylor’s story of ‘moving into and out of’ church ministry an honest and refreshing view of church leadership, one that should make those of us in the business of training these leaders think deeply about character. Here are a few quotes…
Virtue and the desert fathers
The reference of Clement of Alexandria in A.D. 190 to the ‘Paideia of God’ is probably one of the earliest explicit references that merges the classic tradition of virtues and Christianity. Origen, likewise, was a master of the Greek philosophical tradition and his works and teaching are replete with references to virtue. But the earliest…
The New Testament as heroic literature
In addition to its religious and spiritual weight, the New Testament can be considered as an instance of the heroic literature that plays a vital role in the education of character and virtue. The main feature of this kind of literature is to depict heroes of virtue for emulation and villains of vice for avoidance…
Discipleship as virtue
Discipleship has been revived. Using the Ngram Viewer to track word frequency in the literature, I’ve discovered that the frequency of the term ‘discipleship’ has increased by over 300% since 1940. But what exactly is meant by discipleship today? What are the links between understandings of discipleship and character and virtue education?
Are the virtues back?
When it comes to the practices of character and virtue education in theological schools, there are some encouraging signs. Some would even suggest that ‘the virtues are back’ (Mahn, 172), as increasing numbers of theologians and church leaders have employed practices aimed at moral and virtue formation, within a vision of ‘communal discipleship’. Character…
Righteousness as virtue in Romans
What happens if we replace the words ‘righteousness’ and ‘sin’ in the letter to the Romans with the words ‘virtue’ and ‘vice’? Although the words ‘virtue’ and ‘vice’ never appear verbatim in the letter to the Romans, we stand on good ground for broadly using them as synonyms for the pauline words ‘righteousness’ and ‘sin’.…
A (draft) Manifesto for Character and Virtue in Theological Education
Preamble Higher education is undergoing times of great challenge and change that includes a renewed discourse around character and virtue education. The university is being seen again as a place where students consciously explore their ethical selves and consolidate their identities as individuals and citizens for personal flourishing and societal engagement. Labels are appearing…
Church reception (5): pastoral care and character
This is the final of a set of 5 posts dealing with the reception of character education in different church traditions. As will become increasingly clear in this taxonomy of church purposes, the list is not meant to completely or uniquely describe any tradition. Although some models may prevail, in most cases the reality will be…
Church reception (4): evangelical mission and character
This is the fourth of a set of 5 posts dealing with the reception of character education in different church traditions. Tradition 4: character and evangelism The pursuit of the evangelical mission is a fourth possible model describing the purpose of the church. In this model, the church is seen mainly as an agent of salvation…
Character Education and Theological Education 