NOEMI BRAVENÁ
HUSITSKÁ TEOLOGICKÁ FAKULTA UNIVERZITY KARLOVY
HUSSITE THEOLOGICAL FACULTY OF CHARLES UNIVERSITY
THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF THE BOND BETWEEN THEOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK
Abstract: The present contribution reflects the misconceptions related to the connection between
theology and social work. It deals shortly with the requirements placed on social workers in the
thoughts of František Maria Hník, theologian and bishop of the Czechoslovak Church, on the
grounds of the reflection of a period testimony on the first international conference on social work
held in Paris in 1928. The paper observes the basic aspect of the connection between theology
and social work which lies in the concept of helping others. It shows a new way of thinking in
practical theology which serves as a foundation for defining the so-called theology of social work. It
also shows the benefits of the connection between the two fields for social workers in the form of
a competence for decoding the reality and sensitization towards understanding practical situations
as well as understanding the higher purpose of helping others.
Keywords: theology; social work; help; František Maria Hník; worldview; religious consciousness;
theology of social work; competence for decoding the reality; sensitization
THEOLOGICAL REVIEW, Vol. 93, 2022, No. 1, Number of Article 8, p. 101 – 109.
DOI: 10.14712/12117617.93.1.8