The idea for this volume originates from the first meeting of the International Society of Empirical Research in Theology (ISERT) in 2002 at the Radboud University Nijmegen. In this volume, researchers and academics from South Africa, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands debate about the fundamental question of the role of theological normativity in empirical research in theological fields. In fourteen contributions this book would like to illuminate the significance of this central topic for the discipline of practical theology.
The first part of the book provides a discussion about the empirical character of practical theology and the consequences for scientific research in theological fields. The second part deals with the normative implications of empirical research. It is shown with the help of concrete research projects that empirical research is possible in practical theology and that theology works normatively in empirical research.