CPT Today
CPT Today is the blog of The Center for Practical Theology. Here you’ll find posts under the categories of Book Reviews, News and Events, Opportunities, Perspectives, Practical Theology Profiles, and Research Reflections. Interested in submitting? Please see our submission guidelines and feel free to be in touch with cpt@bu.edu with any questions!
Practical Ecclesiologies and Lay Vocation: Theological Frameworks and Case Studies
Dr. Claire E. Wolfteich presented a paper titled “Practical Ecclesiologies and Lay Vocation: Theological Frameworks and Case Studies from the Creative Callings Research Project” at the Ecclesiological Investigations International Conference, held on September 19, 2025, in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Congregational Leadership and Sustaining Calls to Justice: Practicing Sabbath for Reconnection, Repair, and Resistance
“Congregational Leadership and Sustaining Calls to Justice: Practicing Sabbath for Reconnection, Repair, and Resistance,” coauthored paper by Jennifer Lewis, Claire Wolfteich, and Wanda Stahl, American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, November 25, 2024.
Maternal Agency and Christian Spirituality: (Pro) Creative Callings and Complications
“Maternal Agency and Christian Spirituality: (Pro)Creative Callings and Complications,” American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, November 23, 2024.
2024 Annual Lecture
On November 13, 2024, Dr. Eunil David Cho, assistant professor at the Boston University School of Theology, joined the Center for Practical Theology as the speaker for the CPT’s 17th Annual Lecture.
Dr. Cho’s lecture titled, “Documenting the Undocumented stories: Migration, Ethnography, and Practical theology,” focused on ethnography as a valuable method in practical theology. He began with a brief historical review about the ethnographic turn in the field of practical theology, followed by a discussion of his own experiences with ethnography and qualitative research that was conducted with undocumented Korean American young adults who are DACA recipients.
In his conclusion, Dr. Cho contemplated the future trajectory of practical theology and proposed three key suggestions for ethnographic research in the discipline: embodying a posture of humility, practicing reflexivity, and engaging interdisciplinarity with the social sciences.
The event was moderated by Dr. Courtney Goto who gave introductions to both Dr. Cho and Linda Kwak, a PhD student in practical theology who served as a respondent to the lecture. The event opened in the Moore Community Center with hors-d'oeuvres, refreshments, and conversation before the formal lecture began.
In her response, Linda Kwak reflected on Dr. Cho’s concluding suggestions offering additional considerations that arise when adopting these approaches. She gave particular attention to how practical theologians can help mitigate harm done when conducting ethnography, for both the researcher and the participants, by being cautious about the potential harm in humility, understanding the pros and cons of insider positionality, and having confidence in our own abilities as pastoral theologians to produce incisive and meaningful scholarship.
The lecture and response were followed by a rich session of Q&A, actively engaged by the faculty and students in attendance, that furthered the conversation of interdisciplinarity and how to sensitively approach research in marginalized contexts.
Listening as Spiritual Practice: Time, Sabbath, and Attention
“Listening as Spiritual Practice: Time, Sabbath, and Attention,” invited presentation, Listening Practices in Global Catholicism International Conference, Angelicum University, Rome, Italy, March 26, 2024, co-sponsored by the Centre for Catholic Studies, University of Durham, UK.
Uncalled for Callings: Mothering, Mysticism, and Transgressive Public Vocations in Margery Kempe and Jarena Lee
“Uncalled for Callings: Mothering, Mysticism, and Transgressive Public Vocations in Margery Kempe and Jarena Lee,” refereed paper, Mystical Theology Network International Conference Oxford, United Kingdom, March 20, 2024.
2023 Annual Lecture
On November 1, 2023, Dr. Thomas Beaudoin, professor at the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University, joined the Center for Practical Theology as the speaker for the CPT's 16th Annual Lecture.
Before his lecture in the evening, Dr. Beaudoin held a conversation with Ph.D. students studying practical theology. He discussed his research and methodology, as well as the arc of his various academic focuses throughout his career. The Ph.D. students and Dr. Beaudoin also discussed interdisciplinary scholarship amidst their shared intensive study of practical theology. The event, which was moderated by CPT Co-Director Dr. Claire Wolfteich, was well received by students.
Dr. Beaudoin began his lecture at 5 pm, following the opening remarks of CPT Co-Director Dr. Eunil David Cho, who acted as the respondent for the CPT's 15th Annual Lecture. Dr. Beaudoin's lecture was titled "Practical Theology in the Pantheon: Reckoning with a More-Than-Christian Church." His lecture addressed the present and future possibilities of practical theology in an interfaith world. You can view the lecture using this link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10645588/video/876067256
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, and CPT Co-Director, Dr. Bryan Stone served as a respondent to Dr. Beaudoin's lecture. Afterwards, attendees were welcome to ask Dr. Beaudoin about his research and share a bit about their own. It was a delight to welcome Dr. Beaudoin as our esteemed speaker for the 16th Annual Lecture, and we are grateful for all that he shared with the School of Theology faculty, staff, and students!
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Congregations and Calling: From Dancing to Lament
“Congregations and Calling: From Dancing to Lament,” Baylor University Symposium on Faith and Culture, Waco, Texas, October 26, 2023.
BUSTH Faculty, Students, and Alumni Attend 2023 International Academy of Practical Theology Conference in Seoul
Read Dr. Eunil David Cho's summary of the IAPT conference below:
CPT 2023 Newsletter
The newest issue of the Center for Practical Theology Newsletter is available below. You can download the newsletter via this link.
