La teología práctica como teología de la acción. Un acercamiento histórico y metodológico

With a view to configuring practical theology in the present theological context, this article suggests understanding it and practice it as a theology of action. The analysis, therefore, starts with identifying the presence of a practical dimension in pre-modern theologies, which points out a fundamental aspect of theological knowledge and serves as a forerunner of our modern subdiscipline. After that, the most relevant historical approaches in practical theology as a subdiscipline are described: the first one, centres on the pastor's duties using an applicative model, the second, focuses on ecclesial practices adopting a deductive procedure and the third one, looks at human activity through a correlational dynamic. To develop this third approach, the mutually critical correlation is developed in its basic understanding and its procedural implementation. For the first, the metaphor of the ongoing conversation is embraced; for the second, the dynamics of perception, analysis and planning are developed. Doing practical theology as theology of action implies radically holding firm the conviction that the correlation between God's action and human action, which energizes the experience of revelation-faith, must also inform and nurture the paths of theological reflection.