German “Kirchentheorie”: Theory of Church between doctrinal Ecclesiology and Social Sciences
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Hanna Kauhaus
Abstract
In the German landscape of Protestant Practical Theology, a new subdiscipline has emerged which is called church theory (Kirchentheorie). It is characterised by analysing the church in general – moving towards the task of systematic theology–-yet including methods and theories from the social sciences. How does the combination of theoretical and empirical approaches actually work here? How do the scholars balance and combine descriptive and normative aspects? The article analyses three leading monographs in German church theory, written by Jan Hermelink, Eberhard Hauschildt and Uta Pohl-Patalong, and Christian Grethlein. This will not only give an insight into the specific Protestant German research landscape, but also contribute to methodological reflections in practical theology.
Zusammenfassung
In der deutschsprachigen Praktischen Theologie hat sich unter der Bezeichnung „Kirchentheorie“ eine neue Subdisziplin entwickelt. Kirchentheorie ist dadurch charakterisiert, dass sie Kirche grundsätzlich betrachtet und sich dadurch der Ekklesiologie annähert, dabei aber bewusst Methoden und Theorien aus den Sozialwissenschaften einbezieht. Wie aber funktioniert das Zusammenspiel von Theorie und Empirie in der Kirchentheorie? Wie verhalten sich deskriptive und normative Zugänge zueinander? Der folgende Beitrag analysiert diese Dimensionen in drei führenden Monographien deutschsprachiger Kirchentheorie, nämlich bei Jan Hermelink, bei Eberhard Hauschildt und Uta Pohl-Patalong, und bei Christian Grethlein. Dies verspricht nicht nur vertiefte Einblicke in die deutschsprachige protestantische Forschungslandschaft, sondern leistet auch einen Beitrag zu methodologischen Fragen der Praktischen Theologie insgesamt.
© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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- German “Kirchentheorie”: Theory of Church between doctrinal Ecclesiology and Social Sciences
- Pastoral Assembling: Expanding the Notion of Pastoral Imagination
- Book Reviews
- James Emery White, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, Grand Rapids (Zondervan Reflective) 2023, 230 pp., ISBN 978-0-310-14297-3, $13.66
- Jones, Jeffrey D., and Fredrickson, David. Being Church in a Liminal Time: Remembering, Letting Go, Resurrecting, Blue Ridge Summit (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated, 2023), 128 pp., ISBN 9781538174500, £16.99, (pb) $22 USD
- Amy Panton, Soul Care for Self-Injury: Theological Reflection and Spiritual Care Strategies, Toronto (Mad and Crip Theology Press) 2024, 269 pp., ISBN 978-1-0689061-0-7, $40.00 CA.
- Munther Isaac, Christ in the Rubble. Faith, Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza, Grand Rapids (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) 2025, 279 pp., ISBN 978–0802885548, $24.99
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- International Report
- Islamic Religious Education and Practical Theology: Disciplinary Profiles and Key Research Areas in the German-Speaking Context
- Research Articles
- A Variety of Critical Connections: Qualitative Empirical Research in Flanders, Belgium on the Experiences of lgbtq+ Persons in the Roman Catholic Church
- Queer Theology on Social Media: A Reflection on Queer Pastoral Influencers on Instagram
- Your Story: Exploring the Faith Journeys of Young Australians
- Border Thinking in the Training of Imams and Muslim Caregivers
- Islamische Militärseelsorge in Deutschland zwischen Kriegs- und Friedensethik
- German “Kirchentheorie”: Theory of Church between doctrinal Ecclesiology and Social Sciences
- Pastoral Assembling: Expanding the Notion of Pastoral Imagination
- Book Reviews
- James Emery White, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, Grand Rapids (Zondervan Reflective) 2023, 230 pp., ISBN 978-0-310-14297-3, $13.66
- Jones, Jeffrey D., and Fredrickson, David. Being Church in a Liminal Time: Remembering, Letting Go, Resurrecting, Blue Ridge Summit (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated, 2023), 128 pp., ISBN 9781538174500, £16.99, (pb) $22 USD
- Amy Panton, Soul Care for Self-Injury: Theological Reflection and Spiritual Care Strategies, Toronto (Mad and Crip Theology Press) 2024, 269 pp., ISBN 978-1-0689061-0-7, $40.00 CA.
- Munther Isaac, Christ in the Rubble. Faith, Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza, Grand Rapids (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) 2025, 279 pp., ISBN 978–0802885548, $24.99
