Charting some Practical Theology History

One way — and it’s only one way — of tracking the professional conversation in practical theology sponsored in the USA is to look at the topics and themes that have been featured in Association of Practical Theology and Practical Theology Group sessions at the American Academy of Religion, and at APT Biennial Conferences. This list charts those topics and themes back to 2003, and was initially compiled by APT Past-President Dale Andrews of Vanderbilt University.
Where do you see your own interests reflected – or not – in the list? What are the leading edges of practical theology today, where you are?
2016 APT Biennial: Live, Move, and Have Being: Migration and Practical Theology
2015 APT-AAR: Practical Theology for Politically Charged Situations
2015 AAR PT Group:
A–Postcolonializing Practical Theology
B—The Strong Black Woman: Blessing or Burden? A Panel on Too Heavy a Yoke? Black Women and the Burden of Strength (with Womanist Approaches to Religion and Society Group)
C—New Directions in Theological Education: Latino USA (with
History of Christianity Section, Latino/a Religion, Culture, and Society Group, and Transformative Scholarship and Pedagogy Group)
D—Dismantling Mass Incarceration
2014 APT Biennial: Practicing Public Theology
2014 APT-AAR: Forming Pract. Theologians for Emerging Spaces of Employment
2014 AAR PT Group:
A–Panel on Opening the Field of Practical Theology
B–Human Finitude: Insights from Islam, Dis/ability & Conflict
C–Beyond Description in Practical Theology: Analysis, Norms,
Revised Praxis (with Ecclesial Practices Group)
2013 APT-AAR: Polydoxy & Theological Hybridity for Religious & Theol. Studies
2013 AAR PT Group :
A–Beyond Single Identity Politics
B–Theories of Change
C–Religious Experiences through the Senses (with Psychology,
Culture, and Religion Group)
2012 APT Biennial: PT & Sacred Texts
2012 APT-AAR: Pressing Domains for Theological Field Education
2012 AAR PT Group:
A–PT in the Face of Violence & Tragedy
B–PT & Popular Culture
C–The Shattered Self: Trauma & Spiritual Practices (with Christian
Spirituality Group)
2011 APT-AAR: PT Online: Issues in Pedagogy & Formation
2011 AAR PT Group:
A–PT, Economics, Labor, and Class Relations
B–Panel on ‘Wiley-Blackwell Companion to PT’
C–Ethnography & Theology (with Religion & Social Sciences Group)
2010 APT Biennial: The Academy & Faith Communities: Partnerships
(pluralistic/diverse possibilities/limitations)
2010 APT-AAR: Clerical Paradigm Revisited in View of Interdisciplinary Evidence of ‘Wise Practice’
2010 AAR PT Group:
A–Women Practitioners & Academics in PT
B–Rupture, Lament, Suffering & PT
C–Practices of Reconciliation & Forgiveness (with Liberal Theologies Group)
2009 APT-AAR: PT & Religious Pluralism: Possibilities/Challenges for Teaching
2009 AAR PT Group:
A–Women in Pastoral Leadership
B–Problematizing Race & Culture in Theological Practices
2008 APT Biennial: Wisdom and Transformation: PT & Spiritual Practices
2008 APT-AAR: ‘Life Abundant’ Text and Pedagogies in Urban Contexts
2008 AAR PT Group:
A–Use of Power in Arenas of PT
B–Theologies of the Laity
2007 APT-AAR: Inter-religious Perspectives in Teaching Spiritual Practices
2007 AAR PT Group:
A–Worship Practices and Social Activism
B–Immigrants in the US Church
C–Constructing Narratives of Redemption: Dialogues with Kelsey’s
‘Imagining Redemption’ (with reformed Theology & History Group)
2006 APT Biennial: Pedagogies and PT Subdisciplines
2006 APT-AAR: Ethnography (Religious Practices & Congregational Studies)
2006 AAR PT Group:
A–Reviewing ‘Educating Clergy: Teaching Practices & Pastoral
Imagination’ (Foster, et al.)
B–Political Aspects of PT
2005 APT-AAR: Converging Disciplines: How I Got Interested in Practice & Context
2004 APT Biennial: What is the Place of PT?: Research & Teaching Aspects
2004 APT-AAR: Horizons in PT: Religious Practices as a Context for Interreligious Engagement
2003 APT-AAR: What is the Place of PT?: Institutional & Professional Aspects