On the path to “one's own theology” The qualitative-empirical Theory of students’ engagement with theological questions

Abstract

In the revised EKD Text 96 on the theological and religious education professionalism of Protestant religious education teachers, the development of a “personal theology” plays an important role. This article links this normative goal with the qualitatively-empirically developed Theory of students’ engagement with theological questions, which shows that teacher training students majoring in religion do indeed often have motivations to become aware of their own theological positions and to develop them further in order to clarify and secure their identity. Finally, as a university didactic outlook, an exemplary seminar concept for promoting “one's own theology” is presented, which focuses on students with their questions as subjects and “co-agents.”