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Summary
The book under analysis called Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful is dedicated to discussing the current environment in terms of peoples affiliation to church, as well as their understanding of the actual content of faith. The point is that many Christians are not fully aware of the fundamental principles of becoming faithful. In order to improve the situation, the church ministries have placed an emphasis on forming Christian spirituality among people. Specifically, the attention is given to the formation and education through examining the essentials of faith. In this respect, the authors have provided a biblical vision on how people should be trained and educated in terms of the role of faith in their lives, as well as how faith can advance their beliefs. The book, therefore, seeks to provide greater understanding of the Biblical sayings and stories, as well as how they can be applied to real-to-life situations.
The book is divided into several parts and is dedicated to delivering information about various biblical concepts and frameworks. What is more important is that the authors are more concerned with the practical application of these concepts and, therefore, most of the chapters in the book are dedicated to discussing how and why should certain teachings and doctrines should be explained, considered, and analyzed. In addition, the book does not only contains specific conceptual information, but also theoretical fundamentals on learning and teaching strategies that should be used to conceive divine doctrines and the aspects of the faith. In the proposed academic curriculum, the researchers recover strategies composed of both formational and educational techniques to fulfill the scope of the religious proclamation.
Strengths
The book is considered a comprehensive appraisal of the church ministry of formation and education. Divided into four parts, the book can serve as a seminary text because it is a viable resource for all priests and congregational leaders taking part in shaping and improving Christian educations. Moreover, Parrett and Kang invite congregations to provide people with the basics of ancient practices of the Christian church, as well as recommend elements of religious education.
Apart from these general statements, the book itself has a well-organized structure. In particular, each chapter starts with retelling an interesting story and ends with a list of questions for checking, as well as for practicing the acquired knowledge. While posing questions, it is clear that the authors do not only intend to check whether the content of the book is understood, but also make the readers apply the obtained knowledge to shape their faith and attitude to spirituality and education. Effective combination of empirical evidence with theoretical material provides a multi-dimensional view on how Christian conceptions could be conceived, as well as what strategies should be used for teacher to work out a well-grounded lesson.
Simplicity and consistency in representing information provide greater understanding of how concepts should be learnt. In this respect, each chapter begins with full examination of various definitions that could relate to discussing a specific topic. Along with simple delivery of the most common terms, the authors also establish connection with the Scripture. Each of the term is described in the table and includes interpretation, original meaning, and examples and cases of usage. Finally, the references made to genuine sources, as well as to other related books, including readings and documents also allow the readers to expand their views on the spiritual education.
The authors have presented a clear distinction among three basic curricular that could be applied in teaching and learning spirituality. The explicit curriculum, the implicit one, and the null curriculum form a basis for education and highlight priorities for learners. For instance, those who are interested in catechetical documents and scriptures should be more concerned with the explicit curriculum. At the same time, they should not neglect the actual truth of teaching that is hidden in implicit teaching. This idea is discussed throughout the book to prove that the essence of teaching lies in a possibility of applying theory in practice.
Weaknesses
Due to the fact that this book is designed for teachers to conceive specific approaches to working out academic curricular, a clearer structure should be delivered. This is of particular concern to the learning objectives and lessons plans that should be delivered along with theory. The authors should have presented examples of lessons and courses that could be used to teach students.
The book lacks specification in terms of educational techniques. Too generalized approaches are used to define how specific knowledge about Scripture can be delivered to meet the needs of the community. Instead, specific emphasis is placed on uncovering the content of faith. Too much explanation is given to why the current church ministries fail to understand their mistakes. In this respect, the authors could have paid more attention to explaining solutions to the problem. Despite the highlighted weaknesses, the book is still of great value to educations in the religious circles because it produces new connections and visions on formation of the faith and its reference to education.
Implications
The book has viable implications for learning catechesis and providing knowledge for youth ministry. The image of Christ, therefore, can embody all that God personifies through practical approaches to education. Within these perspectives, the book has several purposes. To begin with, it allows the reader to redefine the previously accepted view on church as a ministry that does not only proclaims certain concepts, but also educates parishioners and church members. In other words, the authors strive to prove that Christians can acquire the faith outside the church in case they gain a full awareness of the biblical vision on the world.
Apart from delivering the essence of the faith and formation of the faithful, the book provides efficient techniques to understanding how education can be beneficial for the church ministries. Introduction of new frameworks and techniques provide a new vision of faith. It also makes the church ministries pay closer attention to what and how they teach. Exploring the unknown aspects of teaching allows the readers to understand the outcomes of ignoring the alternatives in teaching. In such a ways, Parrett and Kang have succeeded in provided an alternative, unconventional approach to teaching and combine the methods that had not been used previously.
In general, the book is an excellent beginning to understanding new dimensions of spiritual education. It manages to provide the content to the formation and education of the faith, as well as the theoretical framework through this content should be delivered. As a result, the authors provide a holistic dimension of considering religion in general, and the faith in particular.
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