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From Ministry to Theology: Pastoral Action & Reflection
Book by Patton, John
128 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 24, 2019
Patton's pastoral theology proved to be one of the worst reads I've ever had to skim through. After struggling through the first 40 pages, I had to gloss over the last 70 to avoid punching myself in the face from boredom and anger. It felt like the premise of this book needed one of two drastically different options: 1) a 40 page journal article that would have avoided all the name dropping of psychologists whose work summaries were left out anyway, apparently expecting readers to simply be familiar with them or be willing to go hunt them down, or 2) a monograph with a much better editor to lay out the research underpinning the work before moving to practice.
"This book is a bit like [a quote mentioned earlier]. There are a number of topics left over and not cleaned up. The most obvious is the relationship of the book's thesis and the data that are used to support it." (111)
As it turns out, the research is alluded to as Patton sees fit to mention it, and often in ridiculous block quotes. In the end, one is left with only some idea of what Patton is really after and no direct practice aside from "create groups where you reflect on what has happened in your life."
Honestly, if you are interested in a book along these lines, it is much more worth one's time to pick up James K. Smith's "Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works" as it is: better laid out and much clearer about how the research underpins his point, for much of the same thrust. Perception is more than seeing, and changing behavior requires reflection. To be sure, this text is 23 years older than Smith's but in this case, newer is better.
"This book is a bit like [a quote mentioned earlier]. There are a number of topics left over and not cleaned up. The most obvious is the relationship of the book's thesis and the data that are used to support it." (111)
As it turns out, the research is alluded to as Patton sees fit to mention it, and often in ridiculous block quotes. In the end, one is left with only some idea of what Patton is really after and no direct practice aside from "create groups where you reflect on what has happened in your life."
Honestly, if you are interested in a book along these lines, it is much more worth one's time to pick up James K. Smith's "Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works" as it is: better laid out and much clearer about how the research underpins his point, for much of the same thrust. Perception is more than seeing, and changing behavior requires reflection. To be sure, this text is 23 years older than Smith's but in this case, newer is better.
April 8, 2008
Not as helpful as I had hoped. Geared more towards those involved with CPE.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews