Nurturing Faith: A Practical Theology for Educating Christians

by Fred P. Edie, Mark A. Lamport, Charles R. Foster (Foreword by)

Overview

Faith left on rocky soil withers. But faith nurtured in the good soil of Christian teaching, formation, and mentorship grows to maturity and yields thriving community. Educational ministries are so often where this happens—where the desires of the human heart are shaped toward a love for God, a love for one’s neighbor, and a love for the world. 

In this comprehensive guide to educational ministries in the twenty-first century, Fred Edie and Mark Lamport explore how church leaders and others involved in Christian education can nurture a robust, cruciform faith within their communities. When discussing strategies and goals, Edie and Lamport consider a range of contexts and a variety of related fields that might give insight into educational ministry: theology, pedagogy, philosophy, social science, and more. Those working with any age group—children, adolescents, and adults—will find a relevant discussion of key underlying theological themes, a guide to concrete practices, and indispensable help in navigating shifting cultural dynamics. Exceedingly practical and consistent with the teachings of the gospel, the wisdom in this book will speak to all who long to foster discipleship in their church, school, or missional community. 

Key Features

• A “Road Map” at the beginning of each chapter concisely introduces the chapter’s topic and essential themes.
• Sidebars throughout the text provide deeper insight into particular important or nuanced concepts.
• Discussion questions at the end of each chapter facilitate further reflection, especially in conversation with others.
• Suggestions for further reading are provided at the end of each chapter for those interested in exploring the chapter’s ideas in greater depth.
• Concluding the book is a series of afterwords from experts in the field of Christian educational ministries: Martyn Percy, Almeda Wright, Craig Dykstra, Kirsten Oh, Elizabeth DeGaynor, and Thomas Groome.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802875563
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Pages:	534
Sales rank:	832,766
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Fred P. Edie is associate professor for the practice of Christian education at Duke Divinity School. He is a United Methodist pastor and veteran youth worker. His research interests include the relational, bodily, and cultural dynamics of faith formation including through worship and mission. His first book is titled Book, Bath, Table, and Time: Christian Worship as Source and Resource for Youth Ministry.



Mark A. Lamport is a professor at graduate theological schools in Colorado, Arizona, Virginia, Indiana, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal. He is editor of the Encyclopedia of Christian Education, the Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South, and the Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, and he is the author of over two hundred publications related to practical theology.

Table of Contents

List of Sidebars xiii

List of Tables xv

List of Figures xvi

Foreword Charles R. Foster xvii

Introduction 1

Introduction 2

Teaching Conceptions of Jesus 5

Questions in Christian Educational Theory 6

The Purpose of the Book 8

Defining Our Terms 9

The Authors 14

Organization of the Book 16

Interactive Dialogue 19

For Further Reading 19

Part 1 Cultural Dynamics of Nurturing Faith 21

1 Leaving the Faith: Eulogies of Disenchantment, Lethargy, and Irrelevance 27

Introduction 28

Challenges to Nurturing Faith 30

Learning from Other Faith Traditions 35

Here's the Problem … 46

Conclusion 49

Interactive Dialogue 49

For Further Reading 50

2 Stories We Tell Ourselves: How Concepts of Modernism and Postmodernism Inform and Inhibit Nurturing Faith 51

Introduction 52

The Story of Faith 53

How We Got Here: Stages of Modern Thought 57

The Call to Faith 60

The Story of Modernism/Postmodernism 62

Conclusion 73

Interactive Dialogue 73

For Further Reading 73

3 Fusing Belief and Practice: How Religious Nominalism Informs and Inhibits Nurturing Faith 75

The Assent of Nominalism 76

Contributors to and Manifestations of Christian Nominalism 79

The Dance of Belief and Practice 83

Conclusion 95

Interactive Dialogue 95

For Further Reading 96

4 Keeping the Faith: Sketching a Practical Theology for Nurturing Faith 97

Challenges of and Opportunities for Nurturing Faith 98

Distinctives of and Gifts for Nurturing Faith 115

Conclusion 119

Interactive Dialogue 120

For Further Reading 120

Part 2 Criteria for Nurturing Faith 121

5 Revelation, Experience, and the Hope of Profound Transformation 127

Introduction 128

Coming to Terms with Revelation 129

Mediating Sources of Revelation 133

Revelation in the Modern and Postmodern Worlds 138

Implications for Revelation and Nurturing Faith 141

Conclusion 146

Interactive Dialogue 147

For Further Reading 147

6 Humanity, Embodiment, and the Trust of Interdependent Kinship 148

Introduction 149

Coming to Terms with Human Being 150

Human Portraiture 150

Steps toward a Theological Anthropology 159

Implications for Faith Formation 162

Conclusion 166

Interactive Dialogue 167

For Further Reading 167

7 Jesus, Sin, and the Grace of Cruciform Resurrection 168

Introduction 168

Story 174

Theological Musings on Paschal Mystery for Faith Formation 180

Implications for Nurturing Faith 184

Conclusion 185

Interactive Dialogue 186

For Further Reading 186

8 Church, Reconciliation, and the Faith of a Countercultural Community 187

Introduction 188

Coming to Terms with the Church 189

"We Believe in the Church": Faith as Participation in Alternative Community 191

(Two of) the Church's Failures 195

Implications for Nurturing Faith 198

Conclusion 202

Interactive Dialogue 202

For Further Reading 202

9 Virtue, Character, and Joy in Kingdom Practices 203

Introduction 204

Theories of Practice from Aristotle through Aquinas to MacIntyre 205

Christian Practices 206

Theologizing Practice: Practicing the Kingdom 209

Practicing God's Realm, Receiving Divine Joy 212

How Do Practices Work? 213

Practices in Practice 214

Implications for Faith Formation: Practicing God's Realm Today 215

Conclusion 217

Interactive Dialogue 217

For Further Reading 218

10 Prophecy, Reflection, and the Freedom of Discerning Community 219

Introduction 220

Coming to Terms with Critical Reflection in Education 221

Critical Reflection for Personal Transformation 222

Critical Reflection for Social Transformation 225

Theological Themes in Critical Reflection 229

Implications for Nurturing Faith 231

Conclusion 236

Interactive Dialogue 236

For Further Reading 237

Part 3 Colleagues in Nurturing Faith 239

11 Nurturing Atmospheric Faith In Children 245

Introduction 246

The Mandate for Nurturing Faith with Children 247

Foundational Insights on Educating Children in Faith 248

A Traditional Strategy for Nurturing Faith with Children: Schooling as Miscalculated Model of Learning 251

Cultural Incursion: Protection, Innocence, and Premature Exposure 254

A Proposed Strategy for Nurturing Faith with Children: Atmospheric Faith 256

Propositions for Nurturing Faith with Children 263

Conclusion 264

Interactive Dialogue 265

For Further Reading 265

12 Nurturing Passionate Faith in Adolescents 266

Introduction 267

What Is Adolescence? 268

Nurturing Passionate Faith in Young People 275

Conclusion 282

Interactive Dialogue 283

For Further Reading 283

13 Nurturing Vocational Faith In Adults 285

Introduction 286

Dynamic Adulthood 287

Faith-Forming Implications of Dynamic Adulthood 295

Conclusion 301

Interactive Dialogue 302

For Further Reading 302

Part 4 Contexts for Nurturing Faith 303

14 Nurturing Intergenerational Faith through Congregations 311

Introduction 312

Challenges to Faith Communities 313

Congregations as Communities That Nurture Faith 314

Congregations as Intergenerational Communities That Nurture Faith 316

Intergenerational Community Faith Formation in Action 319

Conclusion 328

Interactive Dialogue 328

For Further Reading 328

15 Nurturing Integrative Faith through Christian Schools 330

Introduction 331

Theological, Social, and Cultural Impacts upon Christian Schooling 332

Theological and Educational Considerations for Christian Schooling 336

A Case Study in Deliberative Vision and Practice in Christian Schooling 342

Church in the Education of the Public 345

Whither Christians? Private, Public, or Home Schooling? 346

Conclusion 349

Interactive Dialogue 350

For Further Reading 350

16 Nurturing Intentional Faith through Theological Education 351

Introduction 352

Conceiving the Croft of Professor in Theological Education 352

Best Practices for Teaching in Higher Education 353

Prevailing Misperceptions of Educational Philosophy, Psychology, and Practice in Theological Education 355

Conclusion 367

Interactive Dialogue 368

For Further Reading 368

Additional Resources 370

Part 5 Conversations in Nurturing Faith 373

17 A Teaching Agenda for the Global Church in a Postmodern World 379

The Uniqueness of Christian Teaching and Faith 380

Translating John Dewey into Our Faith-Nurturing Agenda 381

Noneducation, Miseducation, and Education 383

Wisdom and Our Modest Proposal for a Teaching Agenda 389

Interactive Dialogue 393

For Further Reading 393

18 A Conversation among Practical Theologians 394

Response 1: Reflections on the Nature of Revelation and Religious Experience Martyn Percy 396

Response 2: Kinship and Difference: Relationships Aren't Easy Almeda M. Wright 401

Response 3: Participation in the Means of Grace Craig Dykstra 405

Response 4: Redeeming Hope: An Alternate Kingdom Informing Culture Kirsten Sonkyo Oh 409

Response 5: Lived Faith in Communities of Charitable Critique Elizabeth DeGaynor 414

Response 6: Knowing for Living Faith Thomas Groome 418

Rejoinder and Epilogue 423

The Law of Unintended Consequences 423

Galvanizing Issues of Convergence 424

Faith in, Obedience to, and Praise for God 428

Parting Plea-Compromise Elsewhere 430

Interactive Dialogue 431

Acknowledgments 433

List of Contributors 435

Notes 439

Index of Names and Subjects 499

Index of Scripture References 510

Editorial Reviews

Reviews in Religion & Theology
“In Nurturing Faith: A Practical Theology for Educating Christians, Fred P. Edie and Mark A. Lamport offer one of the most comprehensive reflections to date on the role of Christian education by addressing this church’s mission of nurturing and making disciples. . . . A wonderful contribution the fields of Christian education and practical theology.”

“Nurturing Faith conveys a robust vision and is a compelling guide for pastors and lay leaders, Christian education faculty and students, curriculum producers, and denominational staff engaged in the nurture of a faith deeply rooted in Christian tradition with the constructive capacity to address challenges of living faithfully in our postmodern world. At a point in time when young adults are not just leaving, but often fleeing our various religious communities, Edie and Lamport offer a fresh and powerful alternative way of living into the practices of Christian education in nurturing faith in Jesus Christ.”
— Charles R. Foster
from the foreword

“Nurturing Faith conveys a robust vision and is a compelling guide for pastors and lay leaders, Christian education faculty and students, curriculum producers, and denominational staff engaged in the nurture of a faith deeply rooted in Christian tradition with the constructive capacity to address challenges of living faithfully in our postmodern world. At a point in time when young adults are not just leaving, but often fleeing our various religious communities, Edie and Lamport offer a fresh and powerful alternative way of living into the practices of Christian education in nurturing faith in Jesus Christ.”
— Charles R. Foster
from the foreword

“This is the book we’ve needed to help us pastors form Christians for the challenges of the present age. Fred Edie and Mark Lamport integrate the insights of theology, psychology, human development, and the church’s liturgy to give us a lively call for the education, nurture, and formation of Christians who are equipped to live as if God matters. Here is the definitive book on Christian education for decades to come.”
— Will Willimon
author of Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry

“A thought-provoking work on communicating and nurturing faith in people of all ages. All engaged in nurturing the Christian faith will surely find something here of relevance and value.”
— Justin Welby
Archbishop of Canterbury

“Nurturing Faith is no ordinary introduction to religious education. Comprehensive in scope and deeply rooted in the Bible and Christian theology, the volume discusses the nurture of faith in children, adolescents, and adults in modern and postmodern contexts. It promotes religious education as the formation of character and virtue in the Christian community. I most strongly recommend this book for use in theological schools and seminaries and to pastors working in the field. Edie and Lamport have produced practical theology at its best.”
— Peter C. Phan
Georgetown University

“Honest, inquisitive, theological, practical, comprehensive, and collaborative, Nurturing Faith is an essential primer for all ‘God’s fellow workers’ who tend God’s garden where he gifts and grows faith.”
— Ahmi Lee
Fuller Theological Seminary

“This book is a remarkable achievement. It is fascinating and sensitive in terms of its inter-relation of pedagogical theory, philosophical reflection, theological presentation, ecclesial locatedness, pastoral awareness, multi-religious wisdom, biblical reflection, and historical contextualizing. The book is a ‘must’ for theological educators and education.”
— Tom Greggs
University of Aberdeen

“Join the dialogue. Live as disciples. Seek the realm of God. Through this important textbook, Edie and Lamport invite us into an amazing conversation about nurturing faith. It is at once fresh and comprehensive, culturally aware and theologically faithful. They guide us through challenges to educating in faith to offer gifts for nurturing faith. Through sidebars, a foreword, and six stimulating responses, they invite others to join us in the dialogue. How to nurture Christian disciples who make a difference serving God’s realm of hope and justice is the conversation they host. Indeed, I recommend you join with them in the dialogue.”
— Jack L. Seymour
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

“This detailed overview of the field of Christian education, viewed from a broadly Protestant perspective, is grounded in biblical theology and Christian doctrine while maintaining a clear focus on the contemporary cultural influences that affect Christian learners in a variety of contexts and at different life stages. The authors’ light and engaging style, and their concern for both the practice of Christian formation and the importance of critical reflection within it, makes for an easy and illuminating read, despite the extent and depth of their reading and the weightiness of the topic.”
— Jeff Astley
Durham University

“This is a highly synthetic work, novel and unique in how it integrates so many different strands of issues and thought. It is irenic and inclusive, reflective of a lifetime (indeed, lifetimes—and not just as a coauthored piece since there are many more voices here in a kind of symphonic unity) of lived experience and practical wisdom.”
— Bryan T. Froehle
Palm Beach Atlantic University

“Edie and Lamport engage Christian education as a comprehensive process of human formation that nurtures faith through embodied, communal, contextual practices. Combining principles and proposals, the authors model their conviction that dialogue and discernment will help teachers of Christian faith cooperate with God’s grace in shaping people’s capacity to accept Christian beliefs and, most importantly, also to enflesh Christian behaviors as developing disciples. Current and aspiring teachers and faith leaders will find hope for the church’s future in these pages.”
— Anne McGowan
Catholic Theological Union

“In this time of crisis for the Christian church in America, Nurturing Faith provides a deeply biblical, faithful witness to the practices and thinking that can transform Christian discipleship and enliven the Christian community for a world that, more than ever, needs a faithful witness, deliberate discipleship, and faithful service to all in need. Get this book; it can and will transform your church.”
— James K. Wellman Jr.
University of Washington

“The education minister on a given church staff has become a relic of history, but so too has the church priority of educating believers. Lamport and Edie’s book cries loudly and unashamedly, in a wilderness of weak-kneed faith, for the church to do something about its theologically uneducated members. I highly recommend this exciting book!”
— Earl Waggoner
Colorado Christian University

“With ‘generous humility,’ Edie and Lamport skillfully navigate the contemporary terrain of multiculturalism, postmodernism, and Christian nominalism while guiding us toward a robust, embodied framework for learning, teaching, and ‘nurturing’ others of all ages in the faith. This is no ordinary textbook—it is thoroughly engaging, wrestling boldly with the interdependency of faith and practice for the global church. If you are looking for an up-to-date, nonsectarian, missionally focused, brilliantly presented theology of Christian education, this book is for you.”
— Ronald T. Michener
Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Belgium

“Decades of decline in people identifying with the Christian faith in the Global North/Western world prompt a profound question for churches, faith leaders, and educators: What are ways to nurture faith in the twenty-first century? Fred Edie and Mark Lamport take on the task of identifying problematic cultural and theological dynamics in the nurturing of faith and propose a wide range of theological and educational perspectives to address these challenges. The result is an original and accessible textbook with a rich diversity of angles from which to approach the task of forming disciples.”
— A. L. van Ommen
University of Aberdeen

From the Publisher