2011 Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics (SCE), the Society of Jewish Ethics, and the Society for the Study of Muslim Ethics, Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel, New Orleans, LA, USA, 6-9 January 2011
www.scethics.org/annual-meetings/all/2011
A number of sessions on political theology have been scheduled for this conference, including:
Pieter Dronkers (Protestant Theological University, Utrecht), "The Netherlands: One Nation under God? Christendom, Citizenship and the Re-sacralization of National Loyalty" (7 January, 11.00 am-12.30 pm, room: Grand Ballroom B)
Abstract: "Globalization puts the question what makes a good citizen on top of the Dutch public agenda. Today, some political parties define citizenship in secularist terms, limiting the space for public religious engagement. Others argue that undivided loyalty to the Dutch nation is required. Sometimes Christendom is used to frame and sacralize this allegiance. From a political-theological perspective, the paper evaluates the Dutch debate and especially the remarkable return of Christendom. It argues that the Christian conviction that allegiance to the state is temporal is an important antidote against the idea that absolute civic or national loyalty is a precondition for building a secure society."
John E. Senior (Emory University), "Cruciform Political Agency: Politics Between the Penultimate and the Ultimate" (7 January, 4.00-5.30 pm, room: Bourbon)
Abstract: "The dominant norm of political agency in both political theory and political theology is cooperative, relational, and public discourse. But what, if any, theological sense can be made of political agency when it is uncooperative, instrumental, and even aggressive? This paper first critiques recent Augustinian ontologies of political life, arguing that these fail to respond to the morally ambiguous character of political agency. The paper then develops an alternative model of political agency, which it terms 'cruciform political agency.' This framing posits a political ontology that negotiates the tension between the world and the eschaton and thereby renders theologically intelligible complex configurations of political agency."
Karen V. Guth (University of Virginia), "Beyond Nonviolence: The Feminist/Womanist Political Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr." (8 January, 9.00-10.30 am, room: Bienville)
Abstract: "Scholars often view Martin Luther King Jr.'s contributions to political theology in terms of his philosophy of nonviolence. Drawing on feminist and womanist thought, I argue that King's theo-political practice extends beyond nonviolent resistance to include any 'agapic activity' that forms and sustains community. I uncover in King's thought a conception of agape that resonates with a number of feminists' emphases on the relational and community-oriented nature of love, and I draw on womanist thought to highlight the role of creativity in King's thought. Both suggest a vision of the church's political role as a community of creativity."
Interest Group "Ethics and Catholic Theology" session on "Racism: A Theological Analysis", with the speakers J. Kameron Carter (Duke University) and Bryan N. Massingale (Marquette University; 9 January, 9.00-10.30 am, room: St. Charles B)
Abstract: "Prof. Jay Carter will speak on 'The Christological Problem Revisited; or, The Imperial God-Man and the Catholic Invention of Race' which is material for a book theorizing at the intersection of [C]hristology and political theology. Prof. Bryan Massingale will speak on 'Idolatry/Heresy and the Challenge of Cross-Racial Solidarity,' which will examine the liberationist contention that racism represents not simply an ethical failure, but a theological defect, one which qualifies the task of the virtue of solidarity in Catholic social thought. After their presentations, our speakers will have an opportunity to briefly respond to each other, with ample time for audience questions following."
A few sessions on liberation theology have also been scheduled.
Please find additional information, a full programme, and a registration form on the above website.
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
30 December 2010
27 December 2010
Book: Wild Materialism: The Ethic of Terror and the Modern Republic
Jacques Lezra, "Wild Materialism: The Ethic of Terror and the Modern Republic" (Fordham University Press, September 2010):
www.fordhampress.com/detail.html?id=9780823232369
Publisher's description: "Wild Materialism speaks to three related questions in contemporary political philosophy. How, if different social interests and demands are constitutively antagonistic, can social unity emerge out of heterogeneity? Does such unity require corresponding universals, and, if so, what are they, where are they found, or how are they built? Finally, how must the concept of democracy be revised in response to economic globalization, state and nonstate terrorism, and religious, ethnic, or national fundamentalism? Polemically rehabilitating the term terror, Lezra argues that it can and should operate as a social universal. Perched perilously somewhere between the private and the public domains, terror is an experience of unboundable, objectless anxiety. It is something other than an interest held by different classes of people; it is not properly a concept (like equality or security) of the sort universal claims traditionally rest on. Yet terror's conceptual deficiency, Lezra argues, paradoxically provides the only adequate, secular way to articulate ethical with political judgments. Social terror, he dramatically proposes, is the foundation on which critiques of terrorist fundamentalisms must be constructed.
"Opening a groundbreaking methodological dialogue between Freud's work and Althusser's late understanding of aleatory materialism, Lezra shows how an ethic of terror, and in the political sphere a radically democratic republic, can be built on what he calls 'wild materialism.' Wild Materialism combines the close reading of cultural texts with detailed treatment of works in the radical-democratic and radical-republican traditions. The originality of its closely argued theses is matched and complemented by the breadth of its focus – encompassing the debates over the 'ticking bomb' scenario; the circumstances surrounding ETA's assassination of Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco in Madrid in 1973; the films of Gillo Pontecorvo; Sade's republican writing; Marx's Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right; and the roots of contemporary radical republicanism in early modern political theology (Bodin, Shakespeare, Parsons, Siliceo)." (some italics originally bold)
Endorsement: "An urgently contemporary study of the relation between 'terror' as a state of expectancy in relation to an event to come, and 'terrorism' as the deadly deployment of force in situations of radical exploitation and oppression." (Julia Reinhard Lupton, University of California, Irvine)
Jacques Lezra is Professor of Comparative Literature and Spanish and Portuguese at New York University.
www.fordhampress.com/detail.html?id=9780823232369
Publisher's description: "Wild Materialism speaks to three related questions in contemporary political philosophy. How, if different social interests and demands are constitutively antagonistic, can social unity emerge out of heterogeneity? Does such unity require corresponding universals, and, if so, what are they, where are they found, or how are they built? Finally, how must the concept of democracy be revised in response to economic globalization, state and nonstate terrorism, and religious, ethnic, or national fundamentalism? Polemically rehabilitating the term terror, Lezra argues that it can and should operate as a social universal. Perched perilously somewhere between the private and the public domains, terror is an experience of unboundable, objectless anxiety. It is something other than an interest held by different classes of people; it is not properly a concept (like equality or security) of the sort universal claims traditionally rest on. Yet terror's conceptual deficiency, Lezra argues, paradoxically provides the only adequate, secular way to articulate ethical with political judgments. Social terror, he dramatically proposes, is the foundation on which critiques of terrorist fundamentalisms must be constructed.
"Opening a groundbreaking methodological dialogue between Freud's work and Althusser's late understanding of aleatory materialism, Lezra shows how an ethic of terror, and in the political sphere a radically democratic republic, can be built on what he calls 'wild materialism.' Wild Materialism combines the close reading of cultural texts with detailed treatment of works in the radical-democratic and radical-republican traditions. The originality of its closely argued theses is matched and complemented by the breadth of its focus – encompassing the debates over the 'ticking bomb' scenario; the circumstances surrounding ETA's assassination of Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco in Madrid in 1973; the films of Gillo Pontecorvo; Sade's republican writing; Marx's Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right; and the roots of contemporary radical republicanism in early modern political theology (Bodin, Shakespeare, Parsons, Siliceo)." (some italics originally bold)
Endorsement: "An urgently contemporary study of the relation between 'terror' as a state of expectancy in relation to an event to come, and 'terrorism' as the deadly deployment of force in situations of radical exploitation and oppression." (Julia Reinhard Lupton, University of California, Irvine)
Jacques Lezra is Professor of Comparative Literature and Spanish and Portuguese at New York University.
15 October 2010
Book: Lincoln and the Politics of Christian Love
Grant N. Havers, "Lincoln and the Politics of Christian Love" (University of Missouri Press, November 2009):
http://press.umsystem.edu/fall2009/havers.htm
From the publisher's description: "Abraham Lincoln extolled the merit of 'loving thy neighbor as thyself,' especially as a critique of the hypocrisy of slavery, but a discussion of Christian love is noticeably absent from today's debates about religion and democracy. In this provocative book, Grant Havers argues that charity is a central tenet of what Lincoln once called America's 'political religion.' He explores the implications of making Christian love the highest moral standard for American democracy, showing how Lincoln's legacy demands that a true democracy be charitable toward all – and that only a people who lived according to such ideals could succeed in building democracy as Lincoln understood it. [...] This carefully argued work defends Lincoln's understanding of charity as essential to democracy while emphasizing the difficulty of fusing this ethic with the desire to spread democracy to people who do not share America's Christian heritage. In considering the prospect of America's leaders rediscovering a moral foreign policy based on charity rather than the costly idolization of democracy, Lincoln and the Politics of Christian Love makes a timely contribution to the wider debate over both the meaning of religion in American politics and the mission of America in the world – and opens a new window on Lincoln's lasting legacy."
Excerpts: "Despite my discussion of political philosophy in the pages to follow, I am inclined to classify this work as political theology. Most secular academics tend to separate the two fields: political philosophy studies the human understanding of politics, while political theology reflects God's revelation. My contention is that, at least since Lincoln, this separation has never been successful in American political thought, although there have been many procrustean attempts to impose an artificial separation. The fact is that religion and politics have always been mutually dependent in American history [...]. Whereas [the founding fathers] Jay, Hamilton, and Madison are describing the meaning and process of government in profoundly secular terms (they rarely mention Christianity), Lincoln's speeches resonate with theological themes. Whereas The Federalist presents a new 'science of politics,' Lincoln offers a political theology. [...] Lincoln expected charity alone to be the primary foundation of a new political theology."
Grant N. Havers is Professor of Philosophy and Political Studies at Trinity Western University, Canada.
http://press.umsystem.edu/fall2009/havers.htm
From the publisher's description: "Abraham Lincoln extolled the merit of 'loving thy neighbor as thyself,' especially as a critique of the hypocrisy of slavery, but a discussion of Christian love is noticeably absent from today's debates about religion and democracy. In this provocative book, Grant Havers argues that charity is a central tenet of what Lincoln once called America's 'political religion.' He explores the implications of making Christian love the highest moral standard for American democracy, showing how Lincoln's legacy demands that a true democracy be charitable toward all – and that only a people who lived according to such ideals could succeed in building democracy as Lincoln understood it. [...] This carefully argued work defends Lincoln's understanding of charity as essential to democracy while emphasizing the difficulty of fusing this ethic with the desire to spread democracy to people who do not share America's Christian heritage. In considering the prospect of America's leaders rediscovering a moral foreign policy based on charity rather than the costly idolization of democracy, Lincoln and the Politics of Christian Love makes a timely contribution to the wider debate over both the meaning of religion in American politics and the mission of America in the world – and opens a new window on Lincoln's lasting legacy."
Excerpts: "Despite my discussion of political philosophy in the pages to follow, I am inclined to classify this work as political theology. Most secular academics tend to separate the two fields: political philosophy studies the human understanding of politics, while political theology reflects God's revelation. My contention is that, at least since Lincoln, this separation has never been successful in American political thought, although there have been many procrustean attempts to impose an artificial separation. The fact is that religion and politics have always been mutually dependent in American history [...]. Whereas [the founding fathers] Jay, Hamilton, and Madison are describing the meaning and process of government in profoundly secular terms (they rarely mention Christianity), Lincoln's speeches resonate with theological themes. Whereas The Federalist presents a new 'science of politics,' Lincoln offers a political theology. [...] Lincoln expected charity alone to be the primary foundation of a new political theology."
Grant N. Havers is Professor of Philosophy and Political Studies at Trinity Western University, Canada.
14 October 2010
Book: Islam as Political Religion: The Future of an Imperial Faith
Just published: Shabbir Akhtar, "Islam as Political Religion: The Future of an Imperial Faith" (Routledge, October 2010):
www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415781473/
Publisher's description: "This comprehensive survey of contemporary Islam provides a philosophical and theological approach to the issues faced by Muslims and the question of global secularisation. Engaging with critics of modern Islam, Shabbir Akhtar sets out an agenda of what his religion is and could be as a political entity. Exploring the views and arguments of philosophical, religious and political thinkers, the author covers a raft of issues faced by Muslims in an increasingly secular society. Chapters are devoted to the Qur'an and Islamic literature; the history of Islam; Sharia law; political Islam; Islamic ethics; and political Islam's evolving relationship with the West. Recommending changes which enable Muslims to move from their imperial past to a modest role in the power structures of today's society, Akhtar offers a detailed assessment of the limitations and possibilities of Islam in the modern world. Providing a vision for an empowered yet rational Islam that distances itself from both Islamist factions and Western secularism, this book is an essential read for students and scholars of Islamic studies, religion, philosophy and politics."
Shabbir Akhtar is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Old Dominion University.
www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415781473/
Publisher's description: "This comprehensive survey of contemporary Islam provides a philosophical and theological approach to the issues faced by Muslims and the question of global secularisation. Engaging with critics of modern Islam, Shabbir Akhtar sets out an agenda of what his religion is and could be as a political entity. Exploring the views and arguments of philosophical, religious and political thinkers, the author covers a raft of issues faced by Muslims in an increasingly secular society. Chapters are devoted to the Qur'an and Islamic literature; the history of Islam; Sharia law; political Islam; Islamic ethics; and political Islam's evolving relationship with the West. Recommending changes which enable Muslims to move from their imperial past to a modest role in the power structures of today's society, Akhtar offers a detailed assessment of the limitations and possibilities of Islam in the modern world. Providing a vision for an empowered yet rational Islam that distances itself from both Islamist factions and Western secularism, this book is an essential read for students and scholars of Islamic studies, religion, philosophy and politics."
Shabbir Akhtar is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Old Dominion University.
30 September 2010
CONF: Judaism and Political Theology
International conference "Traces of Judaism in Contemporary Thought" of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, at the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) of Krakow, Miodowa st. 24, Poland, 4-6 October 2010
www.jcckrakow.org/en/content/traces-judaism-contemporary-thought
This conference features a panel on "Judaism and Political Theology" (5 October, 9.30-11.30 am) with the following papers: Arthur Bradley (Lancaster University), "City of Cacos: The Savage and [the Sovereign] in Augustine's City of God XIX"; Michael Dillon (Lancaster University), "Cocking the Question: Disarming Answers"; and Petar Bojanić (University of Belgrade), "'Pazifistischer Zug': Franz Rosenzweig's 'Messianic Politics' and Ethics of War".
No abstracts provided by the organizers.
Further information (full programme, JCC contact details, etc.) is to be found on the above website.
www.jcckrakow.org/en/content/traces-judaism-contemporary-thought
This conference features a panel on "Judaism and Political Theology" (5 October, 9.30-11.30 am) with the following papers: Arthur Bradley (Lancaster University), "City of Cacos: The Savage and [the Sovereign] in Augustine's City of God XIX"; Michael Dillon (Lancaster University), "Cocking the Question: Disarming Answers"; and Petar Bojanić (University of Belgrade), "'Pazifistischer Zug': Franz Rosenzweig's 'Messianic Politics' and Ethics of War".
No abstracts provided by the organizers.
Further information (full programme, JCC contact details, etc.) is to be found on the above website.
21 September 2010
Book: Terror, Religion, and Liberal Thought
Just published: Richard B. Miller, "Terror, Religion, and Liberal Thought" (Columbia University Press, September 2010):
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-15098-9/terror-religion-and-liberal-thought
Publisher's description: "Religious violence may trigger feelings of repulsion and indignation, especially in a society that encourages toleration and respect, but rejection contradicts the principles of inclusion that define a democracy and its core moral values. How can we think ethically about religious violence and terrorism, especially in the wake of such atrocities as 9/11? Known for his skillful interrogation of ethical issues as they pertain to religion, politics, and culture, Richard B. Miller returns to the basic tenets of liberalism to divine an ethical response to religious extremism. He questions how we should think about the claims and aspirations of political religions, especially when they conflict so deeply with liberal norms and practices, and he suggests how liberal critics can speak confidently in ways that respect cultural and religious difference. Miller explores other concerns within these investigations as well, such as the protection of human rights and a liberal democratic commitment to multicultural politics. In relating religion and ethics, he develops a new lens for viewing political religions and their moral responsibilities. This probing inquiry also forces us to rethink our response to 9/11."
Excerpt: "[I]n chapter 6 I will show how the grounds for thinking about human dignity and human rights provide a basis for dialogue with Muslim political theology."
Richard B. Miller is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University.
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-15098-9/terror-religion-and-liberal-thought
Publisher's description: "Religious violence may trigger feelings of repulsion and indignation, especially in a society that encourages toleration and respect, but rejection contradicts the principles of inclusion that define a democracy and its core moral values. How can we think ethically about religious violence and terrorism, especially in the wake of such atrocities as 9/11? Known for his skillful interrogation of ethical issues as they pertain to religion, politics, and culture, Richard B. Miller returns to the basic tenets of liberalism to divine an ethical response to religious extremism. He questions how we should think about the claims and aspirations of political religions, especially when they conflict so deeply with liberal norms and practices, and he suggests how liberal critics can speak confidently in ways that respect cultural and religious difference. Miller explores other concerns within these investigations as well, such as the protection of human rights and a liberal democratic commitment to multicultural politics. In relating religion and ethics, he develops a new lens for viewing political religions and their moral responsibilities. This probing inquiry also forces us to rethink our response to 9/11."
Excerpt: "[I]n chapter 6 I will show how the grounds for thinking about human dignity and human rights provide a basis for dialogue with Muslim political theology."
Richard B. Miller is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University.
02 July 2010
Book: Theology and the Boundary Discourse of Human Rights
Ethna Regan, "Theology and the Boundary Discourse of Human Rights" (Georgetown University Press, April 2010):
http://press.georgetown.edu/detail.html?id=9781589016422
Publisher's description: "What are human rights? Can theology acknowledge human rights discourse? Is theological engagement with human rights justified? What place should this discourse occupy within ethics? Ethna Regan seeks to answer these questions about human rights, Christian theology, and philosophical ethics. The main purpose of this book is to justify and explore theological engagement with human rights. Regan illustrates how that engagement is both ecumenical and diverse, citing the emerging engagement with human rights discourse by evangelical theologians in response to the War on Terror. The book examines where the themes and concerns of key modern theologians – Karl Rahner, J. B. Metz, Jon Sobrino, and Ignacio Ellacuría – converge with the themes and concerns of those committed to the advancement of human rights. Regan also critically engages with the 'disdain' for rights discourse that is found in the postliberal critiques of John Milbank and Stanley Hauerwas. This interdisciplinary volume will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of systematic theology, theological ethics, human rights, religion and politics, and political theory."
The book includes sections on both political theology and liberation theology.
Ethna Regan is a Lecturer in the School of Theology at the Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin City University.
http://press.georgetown.edu/detail.html?id=9781589016422
Publisher's description: "What are human rights? Can theology acknowledge human rights discourse? Is theological engagement with human rights justified? What place should this discourse occupy within ethics? Ethna Regan seeks to answer these questions about human rights, Christian theology, and philosophical ethics. The main purpose of this book is to justify and explore theological engagement with human rights. Regan illustrates how that engagement is both ecumenical and diverse, citing the emerging engagement with human rights discourse by evangelical theologians in response to the War on Terror. The book examines where the themes and concerns of key modern theologians – Karl Rahner, J. B. Metz, Jon Sobrino, and Ignacio Ellacuría – converge with the themes and concerns of those committed to the advancement of human rights. Regan also critically engages with the 'disdain' for rights discourse that is found in the postliberal critiques of John Milbank and Stanley Hauerwas. This interdisciplinary volume will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of systematic theology, theological ethics, human rights, religion and politics, and political theory."
The book includes sections on both political theology and liberation theology.
Ethna Regan is a Lecturer in the School of Theology at the Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin City University.
20 June 2010
Book: Forrester on Christian Ethics and Practical Theology
Just published (at a price): Duncan B. Forrester, "Forrester on Christian Ethics and Practical Theology: Collected Writings on Christianity, India, and the Social Order" (Ashgate, June 2010):
www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&calcTitle=1&title_id=8515&edition_id=11167
Publisher's description: "Bringing together articles and chapters from his considerable work in theological ethics, India, and the social order, Duncan Forrester incorporates new writing and introductions to each thematic section to guide readers through this invaluable resource. This book offers stimulating studies in three related areas – Indian Christianity with particular attention to the caste system, contemporary Christian theological ethics, and the distinctive and challenging theological approach that Duncan Forrester has developed in relation to public issues such as prisons and punishment, welfare provision, social justice, and poverty."
From the contents: Part IV Political Theology: Introduction; The political teaching of Luther (1483-1546) and Calvin (1509-1564); The political teaching of Richard Hooker (1553-1600); The problem of natural law in theology and social science; The attack on Christendom in Marx and Kierkegaard; Mystique and politique; The theological task; The promise of liberation theology; The Church, theology and the poor; Can liberation theology survive 1989?; Violence and non-violence in conflict resolution: some theological reflections; Social justice in Protestant thought. Part V Public Theology: Introduction; The scope of public theology: what is public theology?; Punishment and prisons in a morally fragmented society; Ethics and salvation; Education and moral values: who educates?; Welfare and conviction politics; Epilogue: public theology in an age of terror
Duncan B. Forrester is Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the University of Edinburgh.
www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&calcTitle=1&title_id=8515&edition_id=11167
Publisher's description: "Bringing together articles and chapters from his considerable work in theological ethics, India, and the social order, Duncan Forrester incorporates new writing and introductions to each thematic section to guide readers through this invaluable resource. This book offers stimulating studies in three related areas – Indian Christianity with particular attention to the caste system, contemporary Christian theological ethics, and the distinctive and challenging theological approach that Duncan Forrester has developed in relation to public issues such as prisons and punishment, welfare provision, social justice, and poverty."
From the contents: Part IV Political Theology: Introduction; The political teaching of Luther (1483-1546) and Calvin (1509-1564); The political teaching of Richard Hooker (1553-1600); The problem of natural law in theology and social science; The attack on Christendom in Marx and Kierkegaard; Mystique and politique; The theological task; The promise of liberation theology; The Church, theology and the poor; Can liberation theology survive 1989?; Violence and non-violence in conflict resolution: some theological reflections; Social justice in Protestant thought. Part V Public Theology: Introduction; The scope of public theology: what is public theology?; Punishment and prisons in a morally fragmented society; Ethics and salvation; Education and moral values: who educates?; Welfare and conviction politics; Epilogue: public theology in an age of terror
Duncan B. Forrester is Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the University of Edinburgh.
05 May 2010
CONF: Morals and Fear: New Insights from Moral Psychology and Political Theology
Symposium "Moral und Angst: Neue Erkenntnisse aus der Moralpsychologie und der politischen Theologie" ("Morals and Fear: New Insights from Moral Psychology and Political Theology"; my translation) of the Collegium Helveticum of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and the University of Zurich, Semper-Sternwarte (Semper-Observatory), Schmelzbergstrasse 25, Zurich, Switzerland, 21 May 2010, 9.30 am-5.45 pm
www.collegium.ethz.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/ch_events/100521_progr_angst_moral.pdf
Description: "We live in a time of mediatized moral outrage. There is talk of 'unfair trade', 'social injustice' and 'economic exploitation' – but most of all is there the permanent fear one could suddenly belong oneself to those affected and lose out. This mixture of real concern for the future wellbeing of humanity and the fear to be among the potential casualties of change indicates that our moral self is determined not least by our unconscious. The latter, on the other hand, is shaped by our biological constitution, our social and religious environment and our personal life style. During this symposium, philosophers, moral psychologists and theologians will be presenting insights from the areas of moral heuristics and political theology and discuss them in the context of the possibilities and restrictions of moral self-determination." (my translation)
The symposium includes a panel on "Moral und Religion: Erkenntnisse aus der politischen Theologie" ("Morals and Religion: Insights from Political Theology"; my translation), centring on fear of Islam and the historicity of the Qur'an, Israel as a political and theological place, and monotheism and political ethics in the Bible.
Most presentations will be given in German, those on moral psychology in English.
Seating capacity is limited. RSVP by 15 May 2010 to Philipp Aerni (ETH Zurich): aernip@ethz.ch
Followed by a reception.
www.collegium.ethz.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/ch_events/100521_progr_angst_moral.pdf
Description: "We live in a time of mediatized moral outrage. There is talk of 'unfair trade', 'social injustice' and 'economic exploitation' – but most of all is there the permanent fear one could suddenly belong oneself to those affected and lose out. This mixture of real concern for the future wellbeing of humanity and the fear to be among the potential casualties of change indicates that our moral self is determined not least by our unconscious. The latter, on the other hand, is shaped by our biological constitution, our social and religious environment and our personal life style. During this symposium, philosophers, moral psychologists and theologians will be presenting insights from the areas of moral heuristics and political theology and discuss them in the context of the possibilities and restrictions of moral self-determination." (my translation)
The symposium includes a panel on "Moral und Religion: Erkenntnisse aus der politischen Theologie" ("Morals and Religion: Insights from Political Theology"; my translation), centring on fear of Islam and the historicity of the Qur'an, Israel as a political and theological place, and monotheism and political ethics in the Bible.
Most presentations will be given in German, those on moral psychology in English.
Seating capacity is limited. RSVP by 15 May 2010 to Philipp Aerni (ETH Zurich): aernip@ethz.ch
Followed by a reception.
09 March 2010
Book: Constructing Irregular Theology: Bamboo and Minjung in East Asian Perspective
Quite pricey: Paul S. Chung, "Constructing Irregular Theology: Bamboo and Minjung in East Asian Perspective" (Brill, October 2009):
www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=210&pid=31367
Publisher's description: "The project of constructing Asian irregular theology in East Asian perspective, based on life-word of Bamboo and social political reality of minjung, embraces Dr. Chung's cross-cultural existence as he develops his long-standing interest and expertise in Christian minjung theology in new ways with the image of bamboo as a symbol for the theological perspective of grass roots marginality. Using the ancient Chinese story 'The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove,' Dr. Chung engages with Christian eschatological discourse to support an aesthetical-utopian theological ethics that is opposed to an ethics concerned with legitimation of a socio-economic status quo. In addition, Dr. Chung's develops [sic] his deep commitment to the Lutheran theology of the cross and the suffering Christ through the Buddhist concept of dukkha (suffering) to create, in the end, a genuinely East Asian contextual theology".
Endorsements: "Paul Chung once described himself as having a Confucian mind, Taoist guts, Buddhist heart, and Christian body. This book embraces Chung's whole being as he appropriates and develops the ancient Chinese story [...] of scholars who fled the accommodation of Confucian ethics in support of the tyranny and political chaos of the third century. Asian irregular theology, built on the image of bamboo and minjung, marks a new model in constructing Asian contextual theology in light of the irregularity of God's speech event and from the perspective of grass roots marginality." (Elizabeth A. Leeper, Wartburg Theological Seminary)
"Chung constructs an interpretive and irregular theology provocatively in a global context. He is a creative, original, and thought-provoking pioneer [...], making a great contribution for a contemporary discussion of inculturation and emancipation." (Wang Zhicheng, Zhejiang University)
"One of the major issues facing the Christian Church today has to do with a right understanding of the relationship between Christ and Christian faith on the one hand, and the other great world religions on the other. The tired trilogy of exclusivist, inclusivist, and pluralist is woefully inadequate, but nothing has come along to replace it. In our multi-cultural and postmodern world of many religions and worldviews, the gospel itself calls us to imagine creative, new theological proposals. The Korean-American theologian Paul S. Chung has developed such a creative theological proposal which he calls 'irregular theology,' that is, a theology of God's irregular grace which moves beyond the walls of Christendom to speak a fresh word to us in the religious wisdom of other cultures (especially Asian). This book explores and develops his proposal in several important directions. The resulting synthesis of many voices and traditions is bracing, controversial, and rewarding. The careful reader will come away with new insights and new questions." (Alan G. Padgett, Luther Seminary; all endorsements originally in italics)
Paul S. Chung is Associate Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Luther Seminary.
www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=210&pid=31367
Publisher's description: "The project of constructing Asian irregular theology in East Asian perspective, based on life-word of Bamboo and social political reality of minjung, embraces Dr. Chung's cross-cultural existence as he develops his long-standing interest and expertise in Christian minjung theology in new ways with the image of bamboo as a symbol for the theological perspective of grass roots marginality. Using the ancient Chinese story 'The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove,' Dr. Chung engages with Christian eschatological discourse to support an aesthetical-utopian theological ethics that is opposed to an ethics concerned with legitimation of a socio-economic status quo. In addition, Dr. Chung's develops [sic] his deep commitment to the Lutheran theology of the cross and the suffering Christ through the Buddhist concept of dukkha (suffering) to create, in the end, a genuinely East Asian contextual theology".
Endorsements: "Paul Chung once described himself as having a Confucian mind, Taoist guts, Buddhist heart, and Christian body. This book embraces Chung's whole being as he appropriates and develops the ancient Chinese story [...] of scholars who fled the accommodation of Confucian ethics in support of the tyranny and political chaos of the third century. Asian irregular theology, built on the image of bamboo and minjung, marks a new model in constructing Asian contextual theology in light of the irregularity of God's speech event and from the perspective of grass roots marginality." (Elizabeth A. Leeper, Wartburg Theological Seminary)
"Chung constructs an interpretive and irregular theology provocatively in a global context. He is a creative, original, and thought-provoking pioneer [...], making a great contribution for a contemporary discussion of inculturation and emancipation." (Wang Zhicheng, Zhejiang University)
"One of the major issues facing the Christian Church today has to do with a right understanding of the relationship between Christ and Christian faith on the one hand, and the other great world religions on the other. The tired trilogy of exclusivist, inclusivist, and pluralist is woefully inadequate, but nothing has come along to replace it. In our multi-cultural and postmodern world of many religions and worldviews, the gospel itself calls us to imagine creative, new theological proposals. The Korean-American theologian Paul S. Chung has developed such a creative theological proposal which he calls 'irregular theology,' that is, a theology of God's irregular grace which moves beyond the walls of Christendom to speak a fresh word to us in the religious wisdom of other cultures (especially Asian). This book explores and develops his proposal in several important directions. The resulting synthesis of many voices and traditions is bracing, controversial, and rewarding. The careful reader will come away with new insights and new questions." (Alan G. Padgett, Luther Seminary; all endorsements originally in italics)
Paul S. Chung is Associate Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Luther Seminary.
07 January 2010
Book: Cool Passion: The Political Theology of Conviction
Thomas Blom Hansen is the author of "Cool Passion: The Political Theology of Conviction" (Amsterdam University Press, May 2009), a booklet of 32 pages apparently based on an inaugural lecture he gave on 25 May 2007 at the conclusion of a three-day conference under the same title, taking place at the University of Amsterdam.
www.aup.nl/do.php?a=show_visitor_book&isbn=9789056295509
Publisher's description: "The category of belief has been severely criticised in the last decades but ideas of having principles based on interior reflections and conscience are as strong as ever across the world. This indicates that the modern idea of conviction – religious or secular – should be understood as a way of relating to the world that has a genealogy of its won [sic] that is not identical to religious belief.
"Modern convictions are based on two forms of ethics: firstly an individualized ethics of sincerity that emerged from the 17th century onwards as an ideal of honest and consistent public conduct. Secondly, an ethics of consequence that emerges with radical, Jacobin and collective politics and a new belief in radical socio-political utopias in the 19th century. In the 20th century, these ethical formations have spread across the world and form today the basis of a global grammar of interiority that lies at the heart of near-universal figures such as the 'activist' and the committed selfless social worker."
Thomas Blom Hansen is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.
www.aup.nl/do.php?a=show_visitor_book&isbn=9789056295509
Publisher's description: "The category of belief has been severely criticised in the last decades but ideas of having principles based on interior reflections and conscience are as strong as ever across the world. This indicates that the modern idea of conviction – religious or secular – should be understood as a way of relating to the world that has a genealogy of its won [sic] that is not identical to religious belief.
"Modern convictions are based on two forms of ethics: firstly an individualized ethics of sincerity that emerged from the 17th century onwards as an ideal of honest and consistent public conduct. Secondly, an ethics of consequence that emerges with radical, Jacobin and collective politics and a new belief in radical socio-political utopias in the 19th century. In the 20th century, these ethical formations have spread across the world and form today the basis of a global grammar of interiority that lies at the heart of near-universal figures such as the 'activist' and the committed selfless social worker."
Thomas Blom Hansen is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.
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