The Seventh Academic Literacy Seminar "How to Turn Your Dissertation into a Book for a Broad Audience" Was Held
The seventh seminar of the series "Foundations of Academic Literacy for Authors of Theological Texts" was held with Dr Frederico Villanueva, an editor of Langham Publishing. This seminar was focused on the problem that theologians and biblical scholars face today: their research often does not address the real challenges and needs of communities and societies. Such "research for research's sake" or in pursuit of academic prestige does not reach a wide audience and loses its meaning amid realities of daily life.
During the seminar, Dr. Villanueva poignantly remarked, "Tragic situations call for tragic theology." He challenged participants to consider, "How can you worship if you do not care about what is going on around you?" and urged Christians to "learn to lament, not just trust and obey God."
As Taras Dyatlik noted, ScholarLeaders Int.: "The seminar provided a vital opportunity for Ukrainian educators and professors to sharpen our ability to articulate a theology that speaks to the raw realities of our nation's pain. By wrestling with the complexities of faith in a war-torn landscape, we are forging a more resilient and authentic witness."
Dr. Rico Villanueva finished his PhD in Old Testament at Trinity College/University of Bristol, U.K. He is a pastor, seminary teacher, editor, and writer. He wrote a book entitled, It’s OK to be not OK which is a pastoral application of his PhD dissertation on the Psalms of lament published by BRILL as The Uncertainty of a Hearing: A Study of the Sudden Change of Mood in the Psalms of Lament. The book It’s OK to be not OK is now available in Filipino, English, Bahasa Indonesia, and Chinese. He recently published a book on depression and lament, entitled, Lord, I’m Depressed . He currently serves as the commissioning editor of Langham Publishing and Pastoral Care coordinator of current Asian scholars of Langham Partnership. Previously, he was the General Editor of the Asia Bible Commentary series, a commentary of each book of the Bible written from the Asian context. In the series, he wrote commentaries on the book of Psalms and Lamentations. He teaches part-time at the Asia Graduate School of Theology and Ateneo de Manila University.
