Theology and Practical Life

Dear Colleagues,

Theology is eminently practical—this is what basically this Special Issue is about. Martin Luther put the idea succinctly when he said, “Divinity consists in use and practice, not in speculation and meditation. Every one that deals in speculations, either in household affairs or in temporal government, without practice, is lost and worth nothing." The great philosopher-theologian of the High Middle Ages Duns Scotus similarly emphasized that “the habit of theology is practical.” Although theology is unmistakably academic, it can no longer be done in an armchair; although practice has its technical and strategic dimension, it is inherently moral and theological. Theology-practice integration is imperative. The recent decades thus saw the inauguration of many theological organizations to go along the lines of this tradition to engage in constructing the discourse, such as the International Academy of Practical Theology, the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology, the Association of Practical Theology, International Society of Empirical Research in Theology, the Society for Practical Theology in South Africa, the Asia Academy of Practical Theology Hong Kong, etc. Today, the impact is felt in many ways throughout the entire field of theology both within and without the communities of practical theology.

For this Special Issue of our journal we call for papers that address theologizing as a transformational activity in different aspects of practical life. They include but are not limited to social justice, world peace, politics, economics , business, ecology, poverty, inter-religious and cross-cultural encounter, human sexuality, aesthetic appreciation, spirituality and spiritual care, health and disease, aging, disabilities, education, and the like. While we welcome different approaches to theology and practical life, priority will be given to those that show a good level of interdisciplinary engagement, and take seriously the analysis of the empirical practical reality.

May we all learn as we share our views and our experiences with each other.

Prof. Dr. Simon Shui-Man Kwan
Guest Editor

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