An Introduction to Practical Theology: History, Theory, and the Communication of the Gospel in the Present

Serious theology is systematic theology. Or so the story goes. Practical theology—with its focus on the church, its life and its practices—has sometimes been understood as the second order application of the real work of academic theology. However, in this abridged translation of his magisterial Praktische Theologie, Christian Grethlein realizes the rigorous methodology, critical commitments, and expansive sweep of practical theology ?as both an academic and an ecclesial discipline.

In An Introduction to Practical Theology, Grethlein offers students the foundations and frameworks for practical theology while guiding its scholars in the crafting of their academic discipline.