Religion's presence in cultural and political spheres is evident and a public issue. Wilhelm Gräb shows how theology can contribute to the clarification of this issue without asserting normative claims, but rather by providing insights into why religion belongs to humanity, as equally heartening and dangerous as it is.

The talk of secular modernity is no longer convincing. Religion's presence in cultural and political spheres is indisputable and a public issue despite the fact that individual ties to churches are continuing to weaken. This becomes evident whenever religion appears and identity and belonging, what is one's own and what is foreign, and how to make sense of it all come to the fore. Wilhelm Gräb shows how theology can contribute to the clarification of those issues without asserting normative claims, but rather by providing insights into why religion belongs to humanity, as equally heartening and dangerous as it is. Following the tradition of liberal Protestant theology, the author points to the practical advantages religion gains from theological understanding, and makes it his aim to unlock the potential of such a theology in understanding and shaping religious practices.

Autorentext
Geboren 1948; 1968-72 Studium der Theologie; 1979 Promotion; 1980-88 Assistentur und Habilitation in Praktischer Theologie in Göttingen; 1993-99 Lehrstuhl für Praktische Theologie an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum; 1999-2016 Lehrstuhl für Praktische Theologie an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; seit 2011 Extraordinary Professor an der Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Stellenbosch, Südafrika.