Continuing the Voyage: Starting My Exploration of Practical Theology at Columbia
Continuing the Voyage: Starting My Exploration of Practical Theology at Columbia
On Thursday, August 7, at 20:25(EST), I arrived at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in continuation of my long journey. My voyage of discovery and transformation continues at Decatur, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America. This time, I begin a new mission of exploring Practical Theology and Christian education. This journey is not a product of a sudden spark, but rather a rising flame — kindled over time, shaped by my multidisciplinary academic background, refined through life’s experience, and rekindled by a deep conviction that faith must remain alive, responsive, transformative and continuous.
Based on the pre-course readings, the assigned tasks; and at the end of the intensive course meeting I attended from August 18–22, I have come to see Practical Theology not as a fixed destination,
but as a continuous journey—ever-renewing like the phoenix. It represents the relationship between Scripture and human culture, the movement between faith and practice, and the dialogue between sacred traditions and lived experience. It is a flame that cannot be contained by theory alone but continually ignites meaning in the real world.
It is a question of how what we believe translates into how we live, how we relate, and how we express God’s presence in whatever we do. I hold on to hope that theology can speak not only to classrooms and pulpits but also into the ordinary beats of daily life – especially into the hungry hearts of young people.
This blog, Practical Theology in Motion: Reflections of a New Scholar, is my open journal — a space for reflection and wonder as I embrace learning, unlearning, relearning, and the continuous journey of becoming and flourishing.
In this journal, I will trace the movement of my exploration in Practical Theology and Christian education: rising, burning, renewing, and continuing — like the Phoenix, — always in motion, always reaching toward God’s prospect of hope, understanding and optimism.
- You are welcome Practical Theology in Motion: Reflections of a New Scholar.
- How do you see Practical Theology?
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Ayodele John Alonge
Friday 22nd August, 2025, 6:30 (EST)
Marcia Riggs Commons (MRC), Decatur Gorgia
