Practical Theology

Practical theology refers to the practice of the Christian faith, either in personal life or in ministry. It is the application side of study. We apply what we have learned from scripture to practical matters in daily life. Typical modules of study in this area include marriage and family, missions, evangelism, worship, preaching, teaching, church administration and pastoral ministries.

Practical theology is vital, as we must live the Christian life and lead others to live it also. We must reach all people with the gospel and pass on all aspects of the Christian faith in our homes and churches. We must be salt and light in our nations and influence all parts of the world in which we live.

It is important to notice the order. Practical theology comes last, after a full study of scripture. Practical theology must be built upon the foundation of what God says. What we do in life must be based upon biblical truth. The danger in moving too quickly to practical theology, before a robust and adequate biblical theology, is that other foundations will be substituted into our practice from anthropology (human culture).

We must have a theoretical basis for our practice. Everybody does. We always act from a foundation of theory. If we say that theology is not spiritual or practical and is a waste of time, then we will inevitably build our practice on human ideas. We build on what God says, or we build upon what man says.