The future of practical theology: from ‘a tale of two cities’ to a global approach

ABSTRACTIn her article ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ (Citation2017) respected American Practical Theologian Bonnie Miller-McLemore describes the ‘two cities’ as: (1) intellectual advancement and stature; and (2) diversity, inclusivity, and representation (2-9). A situation where ‘the conflicts are real; they revolve around power, knowledge, and the forging of a legacy; and there have been casualties’ (2) is portrayed. The articulation of the challenge for the International Association of Practical Theology (IAPT) to be inclusive and international is like that of the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT). Across both sides of the Atlantic, the intention to be fully representative of the context exists; however, the reality for scholars in the margins is that neither goal has been adequately addressed. This paper is a personal reflection on ten years in British Practical Theology. The aim is to consider the future of practical theology beyond inclusion and internationalisation. First, I will discuss the impact of etymology. Second, I present British Muslim Studies as an example of Practical Theology outside the field. Third, the impact of the virtual space in relation to expanding the field is considered. This article makes a call for increased conversation, compassion, and collaboration locally and globally.KEYWORDS: Globalfutureetymologybelongingcollaboration Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Notes1 Finding the right term to use has proved difficult. For now, I adopt this phrase as it is used in Alfred Brunsdon and Calida Chu's editorial ‘Special themed issue: Majority world epidemiologies' (2023) https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2023.2204256. I recommend reading the article to understand the background discussion to this complexity.2 ‘Race’ is an artificial, social construct ‘not a biological fact, that has real-life material consequences’ (Aziz Citation2021, location 599). See ‘The Meaning of Race in the DNA Era’ (Sundquist Citation2008) for a detailed discussion.3 The UK Equality Act 2010 defines protected characteristics as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, ‘race’, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Accessed September 22, 2022. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents4 https://caribleaper.co.uk/about/ ()5 BIAPT’s 2017 conference ‘Voicing Diverse Ethnicities’ took place on the outskirts of super-diverse London. Presentations on: ‘race’/ethnicity, a Chinese perspective on holistic health care, listening to the voices of refugees, ethnic conflict, surveillance, Judaism in Practical Theology, and ‘other’ voices from an urban estate were included. Despite London having a Muslim population of 14.4%*, there was no Muslim representation other than mine.*https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/news/inequalities-and-disadvantage-london-focus-religion-and-belief/6 An example relates to Islamic legal discussions regarding ablutions before prayer and whether the elbow is completely washed, or the arm washed up to the elbow.7 Accessed September 8, 2022. https://www.etymonline.com/word/inclusion8 American Catholic Practical Theologian Claire Wolfteich describes the ‘double-sided’ (Citation2016, 277) conundrum Catholics face: ‘practical theology does not have a clear intuitional home in Catholic structures; [and the field] is dominated by Protestant discourse and traditions of scholarship’ (277). With ‘American Protestant theologian Jonathan Edward attacked Islam by comparing it to Roman Catholicism’ (Aziz Citation2021, location 411), how Catholics are treated is important to ‘othered’ persons as it can be indicative of how they might be regarded.9 Liberation theology incorporates discussions of diverse voices with scholarly work, in my view, co-opted into Practical Theology10 ‘Orientalism' is the name of Palestinian-American Christian literary scholar Edward Said’s ground-breaking book (1978). He challenges the objectivity of academic discourse by informing the understanding of colonialism and empire. Said’s commentary stimulates an ongoing debate questioning the Western views of Muslim and Arab cultures as exotic, backward, uncivilised, or dangerous when compared with European or American cultures.11 https://www.oxcis.ac.uk/muslims-britain and https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/centre-for-the-study-of-islam-in-the-uk12 https://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/alwaleed/research/muslims-in-europe/scottish-muslims-in-numbers13 https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/explore/find-a-project/view/2618934-islam-in-wales14 https://www.everydaymuslim.org/projects/black-british-muslim-heritage-project/15 I am not aware of a clear articulation of Irish, English, or Welsh Practical Theology; a summary of Scottish Practical Theology can be found in American Practical Theologian Leah Robinson’s article ‘Practical Theology in Scotland: Embracing Disinheritance’ (2017). https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2017.135732616 https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/view/72994-ali-muhammad-mansur17 https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-global-overview-report#: (accessed 8 September 2022)18 Muslims pray five times a day between dawn and night.Additional informationNotes on contributorsSaiyyidah ZaidiSaiyyidah Zaidi is leadership advisor and coach with a specialism in belonging, identity, and culture. She is a European Mentoring and Coaching Council Master Coach, Fellow of the Association for Project Management, a Trustee and Committee Member of the British and Irish Association of Practical Theology, a Partner with Altair, a Faculty Member and Tutor with Meyler Campbell, and the Founding Convenor of the Centre for Belonging and Understanding.