Research Reflections
The Counter-Cultural Impact of Intentional Communities and the Values that Shape Them
By Madison Boboltz Imagine preparing a meal in your home, and then at the last second, without any notice, a stranger walks through the doorway. Without missing a beat, you set an extra spot at the table and welcome them to join you. Such an experience is not out of the... More
Cultivating Community and Practical Wisdom through Spiritual Companioning Groups
By Britta Meiers Carlson “For our opening practice today, I invite you to turn off your cameras and close your eyes. Let’s start by taking a deep breath as we come into the space together.” At a time when so much of life happens virtually, encouragement to look away from the screen... More
Fostering Holy Discontent and Re-creative Resistance: Towards a Virtù-esque Religious Pedagogy
A Response to Alexander Hanan’s Reimaging Liberal Education Jennifer Lewis is a third year PhD student in Practical Theology at the School of Theology. In this CPT Today post, we highlight some of Lewis’s scholarship on religious education. Alexander Hanan, in Reimagining Liberal Education, argues for an understanding of education that acknowledges... More
What Is The Point?: My Journey of Meaning Making in Practical Theology
By Farris Blount III, PhD Student in Practical Theology Our world appears to be in steep decline. The global pandemic has laid bare the existing racial, social, and economic disparities in the United States, exacerbating the conditions in which millions were forced to live with prior to Covid-19. I live in... More
Ministry in the Time of COVID-19: A Conversation with Nikki Young
Last Month, CPT Today Editor, Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby, reached out to Nikki Young to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on her work as a minister in Boston. Nikki just completed her second year in the Practical Theology PhD program at Boston University School of Theology, and also serves in ministry... More
Who Is My Interlocutor?: Doing Practical Theology with My Mom
By Jasmin Figueroa, PhD Student in Practical Theology For the past three years, curious family members, friends, first dates, and prospective students have all asked me variations of the question, “so what do practical theologians actually do?” This shift in conversation has always given me pause, as my analytical brain takes over... More
Interdisciplinary Methods: A Conversation with PhD Student Scott Donahue-Martens
One of the defining features of the field of practical theology is its commitment to interdisciplinary methods of inquiry. While practical theologians do not always agree upon the nature of interdisciplinary research, or the viability of certain interdisciplinary paradigms, most practical theologians do affirm the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue. This... More
Dr. Pat McLeod and Tammy McLeod publish Hit Hard
Dr. Pat McLeod (STH Practical Theology ’09) and Tammy McLeod recently published Hit Hard: One Family’s Journey of Letting Go of What Was—and Learning to Live Well with What Is. When their Zach collapsed on a high school football field, he sustained a traumatic brain injury that transformed his life. More
Xochitl Alvizo and Gina Messina publish Women Religion Revolution
Dr. Xochitl Alvizo (MDiv. '07, PhD. Practical Theology '14) recently published the co-edited volume Women Religion Revolution with Dr. Gina Messina. Dr. Alvizo is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies in the area of Women and Religion and the Philosophy of Sex, Gender, and Sexuality. She dedicates her work to bringing a feminist... More
CPT Co-Director Bryan Stone publishes Finding Faith Today
We are grateful to Center for Practical Theology Co-Director Bryan Stone, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, for taking the time to share insights from his recently published Finding Faith Today. Finding Faith Today presents the findings of a multi-year study on how people... More