Save the Date for the 9th Annual Center for Practical Theology Lecture!
You are warmly invited to
The Center for Practical Theology
9th Annual Lecture and Reception
Dean Bryan Stone will deliver the lecture on the topic of
“Evangelism, Religious Pluralism,
and the U.S. Military Chaplaincy”
Wednesday, October 12th, 2016
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Boston University School of Theology Community Center
(Lower level of School of Theology, located at 745 Comm. Ave, Boston, MA)
Reception begins at 5:30pm, with the lecture to follow.
Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks served.
Please email cpt@bu.edu with any questions.
We hope to see you there!
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.
The Christa Project: Seeking the Risen Christa – Lecture and Discussion with Dr. Nicola Slee
The School of Theology Dean's Office and The Center for Practical Theology invite you to a lecture and discussion with Dr. Nicola Slee on the topic of "The Christa Project: Seeking the Risen Christa. The event will be held on Thursday, February 16th from 4-5:20pm in Room 325 at Boston University School of Theology. Dr. Slee is Director of Research at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham, UK. Here is a brief introduction to her book, Seeking the Risen Christa, and the aims of The Christa Project:
"The figure of the feminine side of Christ is widely present in art and in feminist theology, but the risen Christa has not so far been explored. In this ground-breaking book, Nicola Slee, writing in a mixture of reflection, poetry and images, revisits many of the central narratives of the gospels and key Christological themes, re-imagining them through the eyes and voice of the Christa, offering original and creative perspectives as a resource for theology and spirituality. This book is in quest of a risen Christa who invites women and men to leave behind a clinging, dependent relationship with God and to discover a wider, freer Christ."
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Slee and look forward to this opportunity to learn more about this important research. Please contact cpt@bu.edu with any questions.
Visiting Researcher Gail Cafferata shares new research in Pastoral Psychology
When a pastor faces closing a church, what are the toughest challenges? How do these challenges affect the pastor’s level of stress and well-being? Can respectful relationships within the congregation and with colleagues in a denomination’s middle administrative body (judicatory) buffer stress? How can the diverse ways individuals navigate these changing relationships expand a sociological view of the contemporary church? MoreJob Posting: Union Presbyterian Seminary
Union Presbyterian Seminary (UPSem) invites applications and nominations for a full-time faculty position as Director of the Global Mission Center for Christian Education and (Professor) of Christian Education to serve primarily on our Richmond, Virginia campus beginning August 1, 2017. More
Call for Papers for 1st Annual “Beyond the Margins” Theological Colloquium at STH
Boston University School 
of Theology will be hosting their first Annual Graduate Student “Beyond the Margins” Theological Colloquium which will feature the scholarly and creative pursuits of theology students in the Boston area. The purpose of this colloquium is to encourage those voices who are not traditionally heard to share their works and perspectives. This year’s theme is "(In)decent Theologies in a Time of Trump," where we will draw from Marcella Althaus-Reid’s hermeneutic used for the purpose of troubling normative theological and ethical discourse. Call for papers extended until January 30, 2017, so be sure to submit soon! More
“The Great Divide” by Brandon Crowley
Today we feature a sermon from Practical Theology doctoral candidate Rev. Brandon Crowley entitled "The Great Divide." Rev. Crowley delivered this sermon on Sunday, November 13, 2016, following the elections in the United States. Rev. Crowley is the Senior Pastor of The Myrtle Baptist Church of West Newton.
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“The Work of Justice-Making” by Xochitl Alvizo
"...I write in order to think – ver, pensar, actuar. With my hand on the plow, what is the action I am today called to make?" These are the concluding remarks from STH alumna Xochitl Alvizo in a 2015 blog post entitled "The Work of Justice-Making," published on feminismandreligion.com. With many around the world today considering how best to embody resistance to a world choosing fear-filled responses, Dr. Alvizo's words remain a source of connection and challenge. More
AAR Reading Religion Book Review: Anatomy of a Schism
Today we are featuring STH doctoral student Matthew S. Beal's review of Eileen R. Campbell-Reed's Anatomy of a Schism: How Clergywomen's Narratives Reinterpret the Fracturing of the Southern Baptist Convention. Below is the beginning of Matt's review, and be sure to visit the Reading Religion website for the full review. More