practical theology

Gerben Heitink defines practical theology as “the empirically oriented theological theory of the mediation of the Christian faith in the praxis of modern society.” Practical theology consists of several related sub-fields: applied theology (such as missions, evangelism, religious education, pastoral psychology or the psychology of religion), church growth, administration, homiletics, spiritual formation, pastoral theology, spiritual direction, spiritual theology (or ascetical theology), political theology, theology of justice and peace and similar areas.Gerben Heitink, Practical theology: history, theory, action domains: manual for practical theology (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999) [https://books.google.com/books?id=X_O2d-61pkQC]

Ray Anderson writes that the first person to give practical theology a definition, C.I. Nitzch, defined it as the “theory of the church’s practice of Christianity.” Anderson quotes John Swinton as defining practical theology as “critical reflection on the actions of the church in light of the gospel and Christian Tradition.”{{Cite book|last=Swinton|first=John|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/897443171|title=Practical theology and qualitative research|date=2016|publisher=SCM Press|others=Harriet Mowat|isbn=978-0-334-04988-3|edition=2nd|location=London|oclc=897443171}} Swinton cites Don Browning's definition of practical theology as “the reflective process which the church pursues in its efforts to articulate the theological grounds of practical living in a variety of areas such as work, sexuality, marriage, youth, aging, and death.”{{Cite book|last=Anderson|first=Ray|title=The Shape of Practical Theology: Empowering Ministry with Theological Praxis|publisher=InterVarsity Press|year=2001|isbn=0-8308-1559-7|pages=23–26}}

Practical theology was first introduced by Friedrich Schleiermacher in the early 1800s as an academic discipline encompassing the practice of Church leadership in his Brief Outline of the Study of Theology. Schleiermacher viewed practical theology as one of three theological sciences, along with philosophical theology and historical theology, together making theology whole.Chang Kyoo Lee, "Practical Theology as a Theological Discipline: Origins, Developments, and the Future."[https://www.academia.edu/9644731/Practical_Theology_as_a_Theological_Discipline_Origins_Developments_and_the_Future]

Theologian Elaine Graham posits that practical theology has evolved over time. Originally focused more towards church leaders, she argues that it has become more personal and autobiographical.{{Cite journal|last=Graham|first=Elaine L.|date=2017-04-21|title=On becoming a practical theologian: Past, present and future tenses|url=http://www.hts.org.za/index.php/HTS/article/view/4634|journal=HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies|volume=73|issue=4|pages=9 pages|doi=10.4102/hts.v73i4.4634|issn=2072-8050|doi-access=free|hdl=2263/62963|hdl-access=free}}

Other fields of theology have been influenced by practical theology and benefit from its usage, including applied theology (mission, evangelism, religious education, pastoral psychology or the psychology of religion), church growth, administration, homiletics, spiritual formation, pastoral theology, spiritual direction, spiritual theology (or ascetical theology), political theology, theology of justice and peace and similar areas.Gerben Heitink, Practical theology: history, theory, action domains: manual for practical theology (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999) [https://books.google.com/books?id=X_O2d-61pkQC]

Practical theology also includes advocacy theology, such as the various theologies of liberation (of the oppressed in general, of the disenfranchised, of women, of immigrants, of children, and black theology). A theology of relational care has also been proposed as an approach to practical theology.Frame, John Christopher (2009). [http://id.lib.harvard.edu/aleph/012115337/catalog Homeless at Harvard: Street Culture Relationships and a Theology of Relational Care], Harvard University Divinity School. This approach focuses on ministering to the personal needs of others, primarily individuals going through crises of a temporal nature. This may include individuals and families experiencing poverty, ill health, stigmatization, or ostracization from mainstream society. Such ministry might be facilitated in a church or a parachurch environment.

"Convergent practical theology" has emerged from the combined studies and practice of missiology with organizational development since the publication of Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America.Darrell Guder et al., Missional church: a vision for the sending of the church in North America (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998)

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• Duncan B. Forrester
• Darrell Guder
• Practical charismatic theology
• Friedrich Schleiermacher

• Justo Gonzalez, Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective, Abingdon Press, 1990, ({{ISBN|0687230675}}).
• Kathleen Fischer, Women at the Well: Feminist Perspectives on Spiritual Direction, Paulist Press, 1988 ({{ISBN|0809130181}}).
• Seth Bouchelle, Lost Faith: A Practical Theology for Post-Christendom Ministry, Urban Loft Publishers, 2020 ({{ISBN|978-1-94962-551-6}}).
• Seth Bouchelle, Grieving God: Spiritual Formation for Post-Christendom Ministry, KDP, 2024 ({{ISBN|9798329453690}}).

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• [http://www.bu.edu/cpt/ Center for Practical Theology] at Boston University

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Category:Christian theology