Praktische Theologie

This textbook offers an overall introduction to Practical Theology, covering both historical perspectives and the diversity of current scholarship. The textbook takes an interdisciplinary approach, analysing its questions - regarding religion, identity, lifestyle, biography, church, communication, and society - from a sociological point of view before interpreting them theologically. The textbook comprises ten chapters: Beginning with reflecting the discipline's self-understanding (1), it moves on to examine the function of religion (2), church (3), and ministry (4) in the modern age. The important sub-disciplines of Practical Theology, homiletics (5), liturgics (6), and poimenics (7), as well as a theory of the rites of passage (8) form the main part of the book. The book is then rounded off by thoughts on the practice of social welfare work and on religious media communication.