Theo Pleizier

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assoc Prof Practical Theology at Protestant Theologische Universiteit, Netherlands, Groningen

This paper explores the intersection of theology, postcolonialism, and theory-building within empirical theology, highlighting the complex interplay between linguistic constructions and lived experiences of the divine. Drawing on postcolonial epistemology, the study advocates an inductive research strategy, particularly through the use of Grounded...

What happened to the human soul in contemporary theories of preaching? The field of homiletics shows a wide variety of themes, approaches, perspectives, and theologies. Somewhere between the social critique, in postcolonial and post-human approaches, and sense-making, in cultural and experiential approaches, the issue of humanity re-emerges. This e...

This article examines the relationship between preaching and from the perspective of sermon preparation. It proposes three layers of hermeneutical processes: ‘biblical hermeneutics’, ‘theological hermeneutics’, and ‘hermeneutics as resonance’. On a deeper level, resonance, an alternative to what Reformed homiletics called ‘application’, can process...

Welche kritischen Analysen christlich-religiöser Symbole und kirchlicher Praxis sind nötig, um kulturelle Stereotype und hegemoniale Vorstellungen freizulegen? Inwiefern lassen sich postkoloniale und dekolonialisierende, aber auch rekolonialisierende Praktiken im Kontext des Religiösen und der Kirchen identifizieren? Mit diesen Fragen befassen sich...

In den Vorträgen der 12. Comenius-Konferenz mit dem Titel „Imago Dei“ (20.–23. April 2022, Reformiertes Theologisches Seminar Pápa, Ungarn) ging es insbesondere um die Frage, was es bedeutet, ein Mensch zu sein. Sind wir nur biologische Wesen, die sich nicht wesentlich von anderen Lebewesen unterscheiden? Oder sind wir nach dem Bilde Gottes geschaf...

In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, in particular, the first lockdown, church life in The Netherlands was heavily disrupted. Face-to-face contact was hardly possible anymore, meetings in smaller spaces with more than four people were not allowed, worship services were subjected to severe restrictions, such as a maximum number of 50 att...

N.a.v.: G. Boer, Tijdbetrokken vreemdelingschap. Verzameld werk van Ds. G. Boer. Deel I. Verzameld en geannoteerd door J. van der Graaf, De Banier uitgeverij, Apeldoorn 2016, 849 p., € 59,95 (ISBN 9789462786431); G. Boer, Gegronde troost. Uitleg van de Heidelbergse Catechismus. Onder redactie van G.H. Kruijmer en G.M. Breugem, De Banier uitgeverij,...

In spiritual care research, studies on military chaplaincy are underrepresented, and most available studies center on moral injury. This article contributes to the existing literature on spiritual care in the military by presenting a study of 13 case descriptions of spiritual care provision by military chaplains from the Netherlands. These were ana...

In this article practical theologians from three Dutch Protestant institutions reflect on developments in the field. Their institutions started as ministry training centers and still have a strong focus on ecclesial practices. This focus has been reinforced by international trends in Practical Theology, mainly by a gradual shift towards an empirica...

This study explores the various difficulties that protestant pastors experience in the context of care for parishioners with a wish for euthanasia. In a reproducible and non-subjective way, using the concept mapping method, we cluster and rank-order 600 elements that pastors had mentioned as “difficult in caring for parishioners with a death wish”...

In the past, research was done in the Netherlands among pastors to study their attitudes and experiences regarding euthanasia. Also, the attitudes of protestant believers have been studied, however very superficially. This paper presents the results of a survey among 736 parishioners of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands about their experienc...

Pastoral care in parishes is a rather “silent” religious practice. As a result, data regarding the quantity and quality of regular pastoral care in local churches is scarce. To address this deficiency, we added several questions about pastoral care and support to the Church Life Survey and then carried out the survey with church attenders (N = 2,85...

Christian baptism is a so-called concentrated practice; soteriology, ecclesiology and spirituality come together in this central Christian sacrament. Many questions surround the practice of baptism in a late-modern secularised Dutch society. For example, how is classic Reformed theology received in contemporary congregations? We asked four minister...

N.a.v. Geoff Broughton, A Practical Christology for Pastoral Supervision. Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology (Londen: Routledge, 2021) 156 p., GBP 96,00 (ISBN 9780367745066).

Spiritual care interventions depend upon the context in which care is provided, its institutional setting and the actors involved. In order to understand the relationship between interventions in spiritual care and the context in which care is provided, we study the spiritual interventions of military chaplains against the background of the armed f...

Popular literature shows the need for a contemporary art of dying. This article argues for a Christian thanatology that engages modern phenomena such as near-death-experiences, end-of-life legislation and an imagination that cannot envisions life beyond death. Reformed sources provide three elements for a Christian thanatology: (a) death as the bou...

How does self-disclosure work in preaching? This study explores that question empirically, using a variety of data collection methods such as sermon analysis, focus groups, and interviews. Self-disclosure is an ambiguous concept in homiletical and theological literature, and it remains an ambiguous concept when considered from an empirical approach...

Religious texts represent a specific rhetorical genre. What does it mean to construct these texts? In order to answer this question we reflect upon our experience of co-authoring a religious text, the Ordinary Catechism ( Gewone Catechismus ), published in 2019. The findings include insights in collaborative spirituality, a dynamic interaction with...

This article presents an account of the theological choices made in the recently published Gewone Catechismus (Ordinary Catechism). Against the background of secular culture, the GC opts for an eschatological approach that defies hedonism, paradoxically by making ‘happiness’ (‘geluk’) the central theme. The architecture of the GC is trinitarian: tr...

This representative survey amongst 653 ministers in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands ( PKN ) maps their experiences and views with regard to euthanasia. We found that three-quarters of the ministers have experience with euthanasia requests from their parishioners. Almost two-thirds of them respect a parishioner’s euthanasia request. Differe...

Atonement is a central doctrine in Christian theology. Even though preaching is not about doctrines, doctrine does operate in and through preaching. In this essay the relationship between atonement and preaching is explored. Based upon a contemporary theological analysis of atonement by Eleonore Stump, two homiletic aspects of the relationship betw...

The practice of Military Chaplains has been studied from various angles (sociological, historical, ethical) except from an empirical homiletical perspective. What do military chaplains do when they preach, if ‘preaching’ is the correct label for their (religious) speeches. This paper provides a first introduction to study the actual sermons of mili...

De volgende casusbeschrijving uit het lopende Case Studies Project raakt aan een pijnlijk hoofdstuk uit onze nationale geschiedenis: de inzet van Nederlandse militairen in Nederlands-Indië. De casusbeschrijving laat zien welke specifieke en tijdsintensieve aandacht begeleiding van de (wegens leeftijd) snel krimpende groep ‘oude veteranen’ vraagt.

Preaching is in transition, so is homiletics as the theory of preaching. In this article the development of homiletics in the Low Countries is explored as a case-study within the dynamics of international homiletical thought. The material for this case-study consists of the doctoral theses that have been published since the turn of the century. The...

Christians worldwide listen to sermons. Despite the decline in membership and church attendance in the Western world, many believers still consider going to church as a vital means to maintain their faith in God. These ordinary listeners have been subject of empirical studies for several decades as the empirical turn in practical theology has also...