Text of Opening Remarks from the Biennial

We will continue to post pictures, stories, and other material from the Biennial Conference this weekend; hopefully they will evoke and provoke the furtherance of practical theology in your setting. Here are the complete opening remarks by APT President (now Past-President) Tom Beaudoin at the start of the Biennial last weekend: * Colleagues, friends, welcome […]

Applied Religious Studies

It seems that at least in the US context, the concept of “applied religious studies” is slowly gaining increased traction. The American Academy of Religion now has an applied religious studies working group. I’ve heard mention of applied religious studies being for the broader field of religious studies akin to what practical theology is for […]

APT 2016 Biennial Conference Program now available

We are happy to announce that the official APT Biennial Conference program is now available in PDF form at our website. All registrants will receive a printed copy when they check in at the conference. Click on the “2016 Biennial Conference” heading at the top of the page or click/paste this link: http://practicaltheo.wpengine.com/meetings/

PT Resources from Local Communities about Migrations Today

Migration — immigration, trafficking, refugees — involving many kinds of personally and socially life-changing border-crossings is being addressed in preaching and teaching in many religious communities, and this is only heightened in the USA by what is happening in the presidential primaries as we move toward a presidential election this fall. Practical theologians are contributing […]

Biennial Update: Practical Theologian Photographers/Videographers?

Calling any practical theologians who are photographers and videographers (by vocation or avocation!) and who are attending the APT Biennial Conference in April: if you’re willing to volunteer to take a few pictures or some video to help document the conference and to be shared with the APT, please let us know. Thank you!

Migration in the Shadow of the UN

How is migration a factor or force present in your situation — in your teaching, ministry, research, advocacy? Our wager with the APT Biennial theme is that migration is ingredient to practical theological work today. Of the three plenary sessions at the Biennial, one (“Black Lives Matter and Practical Theology”) will take place at Fordham […]

The Church Center for the United Nations and United Methodist Women

The APT is very grateful for the generosity of the Church Center for the United Nations for hosting us during 2 out of 3 days of our Biennial Conference in a few weeks. The Church Center for the United Nations – CCUN was founded and is still administered by United Methodist Women. Through the beneficence […]

Biennial Conference Update

Attention Biennial registrants: A female graduate student is looking for a female roommate to share a room at the Biennial. Please contact us if interested. By the way: last day for advance registration is tomorrow: Thursday the 10th! Remember that space is limited for the optional Friday 8 April UN Tour/Briefing and for the optional […]

'Divine' Lessons in 'Ordinary' Music

Practical theologian Christian Scharen has written compellingly of the theological significance of popular music in many books. His writing about U2 came to mind as I watched this recent video (below) of Bono singing “Every Breaking Wave” recently in Dublin to a (comparatively, for U2) modest crowd. Scharen has argued that U2 is compelling in […]