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!
Rev. Dr. Teddy Hickman-Maynard joins STH Faculty
The Center for Practical Theology is thrilled to announce that Rev. Dr. Teddy Hickman-Maynard (STH MDiv ’03 and PhD in Practical Theology ’15) has joined the School of Theology faculty as Assistant Professor of Black Church Studies. Below, Rev. Dr. Hickman-Maynard shares what he's looking forward to about teaching and research, what's on his bookshelf, and some great advice for doctoral students in Practical Theology.
1. What are you looking forward to in your position at STH?
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m most looking forward to the time and institutional support that I need to get some research projects off the ground. As a visiting assistant professor these past two years, I had one foot in the classroom and one foot in pastoral ministry. That arrangement left little time for research and writing, which was fine with me since I never saw myself as a “career” academic. But, something funny happened to me over the course of those two years: I started gaining confidence in my “scholarly” voice and realized that I had something valuable to contribute to my fields of interest. So, with this new position, I’ve decided to devote myself more fully to academic work for the first time. And I’m surprised by how excited I am at the prospect of that.
2. What excites you about being in the classroom? What classes will you be teaching next year?
Seminary is more than an educational experience; it is an existential wringer through which students’ sense of self and worldview are squeezed until all extraneous or shallow presumptions are broken down and peeled away, revealing the core of convictions that form the solid basis of purpose on which they will stand for the rest of their lives. The classroom is a kind of laboratory for exploratory and reconstructive spiritual surgery. So for me, teaching is a sacred trust whereby students place their hearts in the hands of their professors and classroom companions as we poke and prod one another’s deepest thoughts and emotions. As a professor, I feel like my job is to provide students the proper tools to work with and to model for them how to deal with one another in a manner that is both incisive and safe. The goal is not to see how much blood we can leave on the floor when we’re done; the goal is that everyone comes out stronger, healthier, and better prepared for the stresses of leadership that will follow graduation. So, to be the facilitator of that process is an incredibly exciting and terrifying experience.
Although my research is centered on Black Church Studies, my teaching portfolio will still reflect my specialization in evangelism and church renewal within the broader field of practical theology. In the fall I will be teaching “Practicing Justice: Dancing through the Dialectic of Priestly and Prophetic Ministry” and a new online course, “Doctoral Seminar on Church Renewal.” In the Spring I will be teaching “Blessings, Black Power, and the New Black Church” as well as “Evangelism in Contemporary Cultures.”
3. What research projects are on your horizon?
I’m currently preparing IRB proposals for two related projects. The first concerns church renewal in the Wesleyan tradition, with a particular emphasis on the United Methodist Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The second project looks at the practical theologies of pastoral leadership among younger Black pastors in the three historically black Methodist communions: AME, AME Zion, and CME churches.
4. Are there any recent books or projects in practical theology that you've found particularly engaging?
Leah Gunning Francis’ Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community (Chalice Press, 2015) chronicles the relationship between faith leaders and community activists in Ferguson, MO in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014. Through careful attention to the narratives of representatives of both of these perspectives, she unearths the practical theologies that allowed faith leaders to pursue and make sense of their partnership with activists who (in many cases) wanted nothing to do with traditional religious institutions. I’ve used this book for my classes as well as for presentations in the church context.
I’ve also used several articles from Black Practical Theology (Baylor University Press, 2015), a volume edited by Dale P. Andrews and Robert London Smith, Jr., which constructs critical conversation between constructive theologians, practical theologians, and church leaders on important issues facing black communities. Not only are the individual articles excellent, but Andrews and Smith articulate a methodology for bringing together these three kinds of voices that reflects my own approach to my vocation as a scholar and a church minister.
5. If you could give practical theology doctoral students at the School of Theology one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t commit to a particular career path too soon. The Ph.D. in Practical Theology is a multifaceted program that will furnish you with skills and competencies in a variety of areas that can be applied to diverse contexts and fields of work. While this sometimes leads us to feel that we are not sufficient “experts” in any one thing, it is actually a blessing in the current work environment wherein folks need to be able to ride the ever-shifting ebbs and flows of the job market. Don’t panic. Don’t box yourself in. Trust the process and be open to surprise!
Celebrating the life of Dale P. Andrews
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and Distinguished Professor of Homiletics, Social Justice, and Practical Theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Andrews was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology at BU School of Theology from 2005-2010. As Mary Elizabeth Moore stated, "He was beloved by colleagues and students alike, and he helped to shape the school as it is. He loved his family and students and colleagues far and wide, and he was a model of a teaching scholar-pastor and pastoral scholar-teacher. Words fail in the face of such loss." More
CPT Co-Directors receive promotions
Congratulations to Center for Practical Theology Co-Directors Courtney Goto and Claire Wolfteich on their recent promotions! Courtney Goto was promoted to associate professor with tenure and Claire Wolfteich to professor of practical theology and spirituality studies. The following announcements were featured in BU Today’s coverage of faculty promotion on June 1, 2017 and March 22, 2017. Congratulations, Professors Goto and Wolfteich!
"Courtney Goto, School of Theology Associate Professor of Religious Education:
Goto studies the role of arts and aesthetics in religious learning and the intersections of power, privilege, and culture in practical theology. She won STH’s Teaching Excellence Award and is the author of The Grace of Playing: Pedagogies for Leaning into God’s New Creation (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016). She is also Co-Director of BU’s Center for Practical Theology."
"Claire Wolfteich, School of Theology Professor of Practical Theology and Spirituality Studies:
Wolfteich’s research focus is in practical theology, spiritual studies, and the engagement of practical theology with Catholic fields of theological discourse. Considered among the world’s leading experts in her discipline, she is a past president of both the International Academy of Practical Theology and the Association of Practical Theology. She is currently president of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. She has authored, coauthored, or edited numerous books, most recently Catholic Approaches in Practical Theology: International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Peeters Publishers, 2016), and is on the editorial boards of several scholarly journals. Wolfteich has been a co–principal investigator on four major grants from the Lilly Endowment and last year won the STH Faculty Teaching Excellence Award."
APT President’s Letter, Spring 2017
Dr. Joyce Ann Mercer, President of The Association of Practical Theology, recently shared the following letter with APT membership. The letter details highlights of 2016 and events to note for 2017 and 2018, including APT at AAR, November 18-21, 2017, and the APT Biennial Meeting, April 13-15, 2018. We hope you'll read more and mark your calendars! More
Upcoming Workshops for April 21 and 22 – Unified We are a Force: How Faith and Labor Can Overcome America’s Inequalities
Finding Deep Solidarity: At the Intersection of Faith and Work
Friday April 21, 12:30-2:00p, Roundtable Discussion
Saturday, April 22, 10:00am-12pm, Community Workshop on faith, work and deep solidarity involving us, our neighbors, BU folks, faith and labor leaders, and leaders for Black lives
All events are free and open to the public and held at the BU School of Theology Community Center (Basement level)
The Center for Practical Theology, the Poverty Consortium (Boston) and BUSTH Poverty Justice Initiative announce and invite your participation in a roundtable discussion and community workshop this Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, 2017. Joerg Rieger of Vanderbilt Divinity School and Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger of Jobs with Justice will speak on the topic of "Unified We are a Force: How Faith and Labor Can Overcome America's Inequalities. The vast implications of growing economic inequality give urgency to finding ways to resist and to model economic justice—for us all, our neighbors, faith communities, labor organizers, organizers for Black lives. On Friday, April 21st, Henkel-Rieger and Rieger will lead a roundtable discussion from 12:30-2pm. On Saturday, April 22nd, Rieger and Henkel-Rieger will facilitate a community workshop from 10am-12pm on faith, work, and deep solidarity involving us, our neighbors, BU folks, faith and labor leaders, and leaders for Black lives.
Both workshops are free and open to the public and will be held in the Community Center (Basement level) of Boston University School of Theology, located at 745 Commonwealth Ave., Boston. Please contact Diana Swancutt at swancutt@bu.edu (203-824-8509) with any questions. We hope you can attend!
Catholic Approaches in Practical Theology: International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives, edited by Claire Wolfteich
The Center for Practical Theology is thrilled to share that Co-Director Dr. Claire Wolfteich has published, along with co-editor Annemie Dillen, Catholic Approaches in Practical Theology: International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Here is more from publisher Peeters-Levuen: More
Part Two: Taking on the Paradigm at BU School of Theology – Lived “Symptoms” of Epistemology and Practice
In this blog series, STH Practical Theology doctoral students from the Fall 2016 Practical Theology Proseminar share insights from their final, collaborative project, "Taking on the Paradigm at BU School of Theology -- Lived “Symptoms” of Epistemology and Practice." Dan Hauge is the author of this second series post discussing some initial findings and areas for future research. Hague also authored the first series post introducing the project and detailing the researchers' methodology, framework of critical intersubjectivity, and project limitations. Practical Theology PhD. students Matthew S. Beal and Shinmyoung Kim were co-researchers on the project, and their work will be featured in future posts. More
AAR Reading Religion Book Review: Practical Theology and Qualitative Research, 2d ed.
John Swinton and Harriet Mowat's 2006 Practical Theology and Qualitative Research is a well-known resource on practical theology bibliographies. This updated second edition includes one new chapter and an appendix exploring themes related to analysis. Below, you can read the beginning of Jane M. Curry's review of this second edition. Be sure to visit the Reading Religion website for the full review. More
Center for Practical Theology welcomes Professor Nicola Slee
The Center for Practical Theology and the School of Theology Dean’s Office were delighted to welcome Professor Nicola Slee to the School of Theology in February. Professor Slee is Director of Research at The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education and Professor of Feminist Practical Theology (the Queen’s chair) at The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. At her lecture “Seeking the Risen Christa,” she introduced the audience to the decades-long quest by artists, theologians, and laypersons from a variety of backgrounds to re-image Christa in more contextual ways, including as "Christa." Many interested in feminist Christology and expansive theological language have explored the power of imaging Christ as Christa. More
Part One: Taking on the Paradigm at BU School of Theology – Lived “Symptoms” of Epistemology and Practice
In this blog series, STH Practical Theology doctoral students from the Fall 2016 Practical Theology Proseminar share insights from their final, collaborative project, "Taking on the Paradigm at BU School of Theology -- Lived “Symptoms” of Epistemology and Practice." Dan Hauge is the author of this first post introducing the project and detailing the researchers' methodology, framework of critical intersubjectivity, and project limitations. Practical Theology PhD. students Matthew S. Beal and Shinmyoung Kim were co-researchers on the project, and their work will be featured in future posts.