Diakoni som teologisk fagområde, videnskab og nyt universitetsfag i Danmark

Abstract

Since 2014, the Department of Theology at Aarhus University has offered a 2-year, interdisciplinary MA-program in Diaconia (Christian Social Practice). Thereby, diaconia has officially become an academic subject in a Danish university. The author uses this occasion to provide a general introduction to diaconia and its role in church and theology, to the science of diaconia, and to the character of the new MA-program. The article centers on the apparent paradox that while diaconia is becoming an increasingly important theological concept, especially in ecclesiology, the diaconal field of practice is characterized by interdisciplinarity and secularization. The author argues that the science of diaconia should reflect that situation and make it the starting point for a continuing constructive analysis of the role and identity of diaconia in an increasingly pluralist context.