Barnabas File

Theological education as we know it is a construct that is relatively new in Christian history. In a recent article in Christian Century , Ryan Bonfiglio points out that the first seminary for clerical training was established by the Roman Catholic Church in 1563.    Since then, other streams of influence--European and American, theological and sociological, ecclesiastical and educational--have shaped the models of theological education with which we are familiar today. In his article, Bonfiglio suggests that we rethink our assumptions about where theological education happens and reconsider the role of the church in ministerial formation.   Bonfiglio’s ideas stimulate us to consider other alternative models for equipping ministers. For example, if we take missional theology seriously, what would a missional seminary look like?  Missional theology challenges us in three ways. First, we should reconsider the context in which we live and r...