Practical Theology: from Applied to Empirical Theology
TL;DR: In this article, the history of practical theology is reconstructed from the perspective of its main problem: the relation between theory and praxis, and a re-interpretation of the practical theology in terms of empirical theology is proposed.
Abstract: In this article the history of practical theology is reconstructed from the perspective of its main problem: the relation between theory and praxis. The first part refers to the academic status of practical theology, interpreted as applied theology. This interpretation fails to solve the problem, as we shall see. The second part entails a proposal towards the re-interpretation of practical theology in terms of empirical theology. After a critical reflection upon the history of this term, already in use since the beginning of this century, the material and the formal object are described, including some methodological aspects of it.
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Dissertation•
01 Jun 1996
66 citations
01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: It is an aim to modify students’ views in such a way as to overcom e these dangers in practical theology, to point out possible pitfalls in this discipline.
Abstract: First steps in practical theology A new title. First steps in practical theology, has recently been released. This publication addresses the problem of the scientific base and methodology of this discipline. In accordance with the viewpoints of Zerfass, Firet, Van der Ven and others, the authors try to guide students to exercise practical theology from the perspective of em pirical theology. This paper is an attem pt to point out possible pitfalls in im plem enting this m ethod of re search without theological reservations. It is an aim to modify students’ views in such a way as to overcom e these dangers.
35 citations
Cites background from "Practical Theology: from Applied to..."
...Dié basisteorie wat die gerigtheid van die vak op die praxis beklemtoon, is deur verskeie teoloë benut om die Praktiese Teologie as empiriese teologie te benader (Van der Ven 1988:13-14)....
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2019
35 citations
Cites background from "Practical Theology: from Applied to..."
...7.2 Practical theological interpretation The work of Browning (1983), Gerkin (1997) and Van der Ven (1988) has greatly impacted Osmer (2008:viii) and thus contributed to his understanding of practical theology....
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: In this paper, an empirically corroborated theology of the meaning of life based on the book of Ecclesiastes is presented, and the hypotheses that express the book's theology are subsequently tested in a separate and independent empirical enquiry examining the life of those who claim to have found the meaning in life.
Abstract: The intricate and complex book of Ecclesiastes has much to say on the subject of the meaning of life. Yet, concepts pertinent to the subject such as the worthwhile purpose of life and coherence in life, and for that matter, what the meaning of life means, remain insufficiently addressed in existing studies on the book. Considering that there is yet to be an adequately comprehensive work on the theology of Ecclesiastes in relation to the subject, this research seeks to construct an empirically corroborated theology of the meaning of life based on the book. It revisits the teaching of Ecclesiastes on the meaning of life and reconstructs its theology by engaging the thematic approach of interpreting and integrating the crucial themes in the book in light of the complex whole. These themes, namely that of הבל , enjoyment and undeserved suffering, are found to be subsumed under a central idea, expressed in Ecclesiastes 3:14c and 12:13b-14, thus forming a visible structure that rightly expresses the book’s theology. The investigation has found that undergirding this framework is the book’s distinctive teaching on the concepts of the worthwhile purpose of life and coherence in life, which thus reveal the relevance of the themes under investigation to the subject of the meaning of life. The hypotheses that express the book’s theology are subsequently tested in a separate and independent empirical enquiry examining the life of those who claim to have found the meaning of life. The empirical evidence affirms the validity of the reconstructed theology of the meaning of life with respect to real life experiences.
32 citations