About the Concentration

The Religious Practices and Practical Theology concentration is a collaborative venture of the Laney Graduate School of Emory University, Emory’s Graduate Division of Religion, and the Candler School of Theology. The primary purpose of the concentration is to prepare the next generation of teachers and researchers in the academic fields of practical theology. 

The term “practical theology,” although defined in many ways, focuses on religious practices, patterns of action sustained over time by religious communities. These practices are theologically and culturally complex, and they have histories and a coherence that makes them recognizable even as they are adapted and extended in various contexts. Thus, practical theology embraces varied methodologies and interpretive frameworks for understanding them. Engaging in practical theological inquiry requires supple scholars trained in multiple approaches and sensitive to context and culture.

Please contact Dr. Liz Bounds for more information.