We celebrated the publication of our new book Lived Theology: New Perspectives on Method, Style, and Pedagogy (October 2016, Oxford University Press) on November 19th at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) held this year in San Antonio, Texas.

Lived Theology contains the work of an emerging generation of theologians and scholars who pursue research, teaching, and writing as a form of public responsibility motivated by the conviction that theological ideas aspire in their inner logic toward social expression. Written as a two-year collaboration of the Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia, this volume offers a series of illustrations and styles that distinguish Lived Theology in the broader conversation with other major approaches to the religious interpretation of embodied life. The book begins with a modest query: How might theological writing, research, and teaching be expanded to engage lived experience with the same care and precision given by scholars to books and articles? This innovative work offers a fresh and exciting model for scholars, teachers, practitioners, and students seeking to reconnect the lived experience of faith communities with academic study and reflection.

There was a great turn out as Peter Slade, editor of the volume along with Charles Marsh and Sarah Azaransky, welcomed alumni and students involved in the Project on Lived Theology as well as other scholars interested in learning more about PLT and the new book. Contributors to the volume who attended the gathering included Ted Smith, Jenny McBride, Susan R. Holman, and John Kiess. It was a great celebration of work that is a culmination of over 15 years of inquiry, research, collaboration, and writing to develop and shape the discipline of Lived Theology within the academy. Here’s a short video documenting the launch festivities: