This Year's Presentations (2020-2021)
H. Paul Santmire, "Martin Luther's Theology of Nature," Oct. 15, 2020 at 7:30
In this paper, from his new book Celebrating Nature by Faith: Studies in Reformation Theology in an Era of Global Emergency, Santmire exams resources in Luther capable of addressing the global climate crisis.
Brian D. Robinette, "Undergoing Something from Nothing," Nov. 19, 2020 at 7:30
This chapter from Robinette’s forthcoming book The Difference Nothing Makes: Creation, Christ, Contemplation draws upon the Christian contemplative tradition to give the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo new meaning.
Michael L. Raposa, "Theology, Metasemiosis, and the Ethics of Attention," March 25, 2021 at 7:30
This paper is something of a precis of Raposa’s argument in Theosemiotic: Religion, Reading, and the Gift of Meaning, and is a draft of a chapter that will be published in the forthcoming Sign, Method, and the Sacred: New Directions in Semiotic Methodologies for the Study of Religion.
Aaron Pratt Shepherd, "Integration and 'More than Pragmatist' Philosophy of Religion," April 22, 2021 at 7:30
This paper comes from Shepherd’s book Challenging the New Atheism: Pragmatic Confrontations in the Philosophy of Religion. It presents a defense of the religious aspect of experience using resources from classical American pragmatism.
Presentations from 2019-2020
David Rohr, "How Can Human Symbols Represent God?"
In this paper, Rohr gives an appreciative critique of Robert Neville’s theological semeiotic, arguing Neville misconceives Charles Peirce’s index in terms of the interpreter-object rather than sign-object relation.
Greylyn Hydinger, "In Good Comparison, Truth, Realism, Deference, and Vulnerability Dwell"
In this paper, Hydinger attempts to integrate the approaches Robert Neville and Francis Clooney take to comparative theology, an argument that also restructures the relation between confessional and non-confessional approaches.
Gary Dorrien
Dorrien presented two papers at this meeting, “Making Democratic Socialism American: History, Politics, Religion, and Economic Democracy” from his forthcoming book American Democratic Socialism (Yale 2020) and “Liberal Theology as Religious Philosophy” from his recently published In a Post-Hegelian Spirit: Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent (Baylor 2020).
April 2 at 7:30 - CANCELLED due to COVID-19
Presentations From 2018-2019
Aaron Daniels, "Dante and Phenomenology"
In this paper, Daniels explores the intersection of theology and psychology via and phenomenological study of Dante’s works.
Benjamin Chicka, "Cross The Streams!"
In this paper, Chicka charts a new theological path between the works of John Cobb and Robert Neville, thus bringing together two strains that have often been at odds with one another.
Wesley Wildman, "Reading Tea Leaves, Drinking Tea"
In this essay, Wildman assesses the current state of the philosophy of religion and suggests four transformations that will be necessary for the field to deliver on its potential and remain relevant in the years ahead.
Clifford Green,
"Bonhoeffer's Christian Peace Ethic, Conditional Pacifism, and Resistance
In this paper, Green argues Bonhoeffer’s conspiracy to overthrow Hitler did not violate his Christian peace ethic because that ethic was not one of principles. The result is a conditional pacifism which grew out of Bonhoeffer’s theology.