The Project on Lived Theology is a research community based in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. Our goal is to understand the way theological commitments shape the social patterns and practices of everyday life. The heart of the Project's mission is encouraging younger theologians and scholars of religion to embrace theological life as a form of public responsibility. Among an emerging generation of teachers, writers, and researchers, we are discovering a hunger for the opportunity to reconnect the theological enterprise with lived experience, and it is our privilege to provide a public space in which that task can be pursued. See What's New at the Project.
A historian of American history wrote of her participation in a Project workgroup, "I have discovered new ways to think about my own research and writing, and have been challenged to think in deeper ways about where my social and religious commitments lie. My own theological voice has become clearer to me."
A sociologist of religion reflected on his participation, "We are trained to focus on institutional and structural dynamics and to privilege the overt behavior of social actors, but this approach can be reductive. By visiting specific religiously based community building projects, I was able to see theology in action, to see how local Christians draw from theological resources in their traditions to tackle complex socio-political challenges. We have only begun to scratch the surface."
A community organizer in the inner city of Baltimore described his appreciation for the Project: "The use of both social analysis and theological reflection produced rich results. Theologically, the experience affirmed and deepened my conviction on the relationship between narrative experiences and the drama of God's redemptive purposes for the world. In terms of social experience, the stories we heard and saw affirmed the crucial character of lived experience for theological reflection, teaching, and writing. Theology is storied in a multiplicity of ways."
We are grateful for generous support from the Lilly Endowment as we seek to train young theologians and
religious scholars committed to public responsibility, civil courage and compassionate scholarship.
The Project on Lived Theology
125 Halsey Hall • University of Virginia • P.O. Box 400126 • Charlottesville, VA 22904-4126
Phone: 434-924-6743 • Fax: 434-243-5784 • Email: livedtheology@virginia.edu
A Lilly Endowment Initiative