Practical Theology and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

This paper explores theological education as a methodological approach and academic discipline within practical theology, emphasizing its role in understanding and catalyzing transformation within individuals’ lived experiences and faith. Drawing from practical theology focuses on reflexive praxis, the research focuses on the teaching-learning environment of a theological school in Madagascar, contextualized within socio-political complexities. Employing critical qualitative research methodologies, practical feminist theology, and liberative transformative paradigms, the study assesses religious education’s alignment with a vision of justice and the efficacy of its practices. The paper advocates integrating theological inquiry with social scientific research methods, promoting dialogue, critical listening, and collective action toward justice within the theological school community. By bridging theory and practice in religious education, this research aims to foster positive societal change, with implications extending beyond geographical boundaries to address systemic oppression and advance justice globally.

Drawing from critical ethnography in urban, faith-based food assistance in Finland, this paper investigates 1) how and what kind of social inclusion (and possibly, exclusion) emerges in food assistance through the politics, practices, and lived experiences, and 2) what kind of lived urban theology these dynamics denote? The data was collected in 2020–2021 in six faith-based food banks aiming for social inclusion and community development. The data is analyzed by employing the theoretical concepts of social in- and exclusion and utilizing the lenses of lived urban theology. The findings propose that the participants perceiving themselves as socially excluded identify themselves as the ‘Others’ also within food assistance. Different framings, social distances, and power hierarchies further contribute to the dynamics of social in- and exclusion, addressing that the food banks are yet hesitant to imagine themselves as a source of liberation, that would challenge structural, epistemic inequalities.