När teologin får kropp : en empirisk ecklesiologisk studie om inkludering och fyra teologiska röster

Sammanfattning

This thesis explores how inclusion of individuals with functional variations is expressed in the practices and theological self-understanding of Högalid Parish in the Church of Sweden. Using an abductive research approach and the model Four Voices of Theology (Cameron etal. 2010; Lockneus 2024), the study analyses empirical material gathered through participant observations, informal interviews and document analysis. The findings show that inclusion is articulated through relational practices, everyday interactions, liturgical participation and diaconal presence, as well as through structural efforts aimed at accessibility. These expressions reveal both possibilities and tensions between the parish’s normative ideals and its embodied practices. By interpreting the material through the Four Voices, the study identifies how different theological levels—normative, formal, operant and espoused—interact and sometimes challenge one another. Together they form a lived ecclesiology characterized by relationality,vulnerability, and a low-threshold form of Christian belonging typical of Swedish folk church contexts. The thesis concludes that inclusion is not simply a stated goal but an ongoing process shaped by shared practices, material spaces and the everyday lives of those who participate in the parish’s community.