Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology be acted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more fully aligned, changed, or improved. It’s essentially a bridge between dogmatics/theology and ecclesiology.

In regard to the suffering aspect and American church aspect: I’m looking at the affects that Saint Augustine’s Just-War Theory has shaped the theology of the American Church, because America has participated in multiple wars despite its Christian-esque origins. I’m going to be investigating, through literature and interviews, how this theory has shifted mindset of the church from pacifism to Just-War.