Download or read book Practice-led Theology Or Thinking Theology Through Practice written by Neil Ferguson and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following a series of economic and political changes beginning in the late 1980s, art/design schools and performing arts academies were incorporated into the university system. The disciplines these schools offered were then faced with the requirement to justify some of what they did as academic research. As a result, a new methodology was developed called practiceU+2010led research. This methodology has two key foundations. The first is the recognition that artistic practice is a site of academic research and the second is that the results of that practiceU+2013the creative outputU+2013are a legitimate carrier of knowledge. PracticeU+2010led research recognises the validity of both explicit/propositional knowledge and embodied/tacit knowledge. PracticeU+2010led research is a methodology that answers a research question through two or more U+2018languages:U+2019 through the written word and through the relevant practice and corresponding output of the researcher. Being a Christian also involves a life in two languages: the acceptance of a set of intellectual beliefs and the lived lifeU+2013the practiceU+2013of being a Christian through prayer, worship and ritual. The parallels between practiceU+2010led research and a Christian life are acknowledged in the thesis and the methodology U+2018translatedU+2019 for use in theological research. The thesis achieves three primary tasks. Firstly, practiceU+2010led research lacks a detailed history of its origins and development. The thesis traces foundational historical themes, understanding the methodology as a part of a longU+2010standing debate on the nature and role of the creative disciplines. Secondly, practiceU+2010led research lacks a clear definition of the methodology. The thesis develops a detailed broadU+2010based definition clarifying key elements of the 9 methodology. The definition may be used in a theological context as well as by practiceU+2010led researchers in other disciplines. Thirdly, the thesis develops a comprehensive and clearly articulated model for the use of practiceU+2010led research. The thesis goes further by applying practiceU+2010led research into a new area, theology, as a tool Christian researchers can use to incorporate their practice as a part of their research. The thesis presents a fully articulated and flexible model of practiceU+2010led research for use in a theological context, but widely applicable in other disciplines.