The Extent, and Limits, of Practice

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 5:01 pm by Tony Jones

The Extent, and Limits, of Practice 2015-03-13T17:01:56-05:00 Tony Jones

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Practice” is all the rage in my field, practical theology, these days. There are books and books about it (hell, I’ve even written books and books about it), and there’s a powerful group of practical theologians who gather regularly under the auspices of the Lilly Endowment to talk about. Craig Dykstra, VP for Religion at Lilly, is the convener of said group, and he’s written about his angle on practices, which is roughly in line with Alaisdair MacIntyre‘s recover of Aristotelian “virtue ethics” (think Hauerwasian Mafia). What I’m saying is, this version of practice study is both well-loved and well-funded in practical theology.

Famously, MacIntyre describes a practice as,

Any coherent and complex form of socially established cooperative human activity through which the goods internal to that form of activity are realized in the course of trying to achieve those standards of excellence which are appropriate to, and partially definitive of, that form of activity, with the result that human powers to achieve excellence, and human conceptions of the ends and goods involved, are systematically extended.[1]

I am struggling with MacIntyre and the concept of practice in chapter three of my dissertation. It’s through practices that I’m trying to get my arms around what is distinctive about the eight congregations that make up the core of my study, from which I will be attempting to make some general ecclesiological claims about the emerging church movement at large. And practices do offer insights into these churches, and the movement. But the study of practices can be limiting, and I’m grappling with that as well.

For one, I’m looking to Pierre Bourdieu and his concept of habitus, which inherently challenges MacIntyrian practice,

Systems of durable, transposable dispositions, structured structures predisposed to function as structuring structures, that is, as principles which generate and organize practices and representations that can be objectively adapted to their outcomes without presupposing a conscious aiming at ends or an express mastery of the operations needed in order to attain them. Objectively “regulated” and “regular” without being in any way the product of obedience to rules, they can be collectively orchestrated without being the product of the organizing action of a conductor.[2]

But, in order to find an even deeper critique of practice, over the next couple of days I’ll be reading some Kierkegaard (recommended by Andy Root) and some Nicholas Healy (recommended by Chris Scharen) — the dudes at Luther Sem are coming through for me!

PS: Be sure and check out Andy‘s and Chris‘s books.

[1] Alasdair C. MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, 2nd ed. (Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984), 187.

[2] Pierre Bourdieu, The Logic of Practice (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1990), 53.

dissertation

Previous Post

May 4, 2010

A Fuller Seminary Take on Brian McLaren

Next Post

May 5, 2010 Get Your Hipster Emergent Glasses...CHEAP!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category bible blogging books christianity in america church church history dissertation divorce Dog Training education emergent church essay family funny glbt jopa productions ministry minnesota movies music parenting philosophy politics Prayer publishing Questions That Haunt random same sex marriage speaking spirituality Teaching technology television theology Travels Uncategorized writing youth ministry

Select a Month January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 June 2006 May 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004 February 2004 January 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What happened when Peter tried to walk on water?

Select your answer to see how you score.

He ran ahead of Jesus He sank when he doubted The Spirit descended upon him He led other disciples out