‘Love and Justice’ the focus of 37th Philosophy of Religion Conference

The School of Arts and Humanities’ 37th Philosophy of Religion Conference will focus on the theme of “Love and Justice: Consonance or Dissonance?” The conference is scheduled for February 19-20 at Claremont Graduate University’s Albrecht Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. A special pre-conference seminar is slated for February 18, also in Albrecht, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“Love and justice have received a great deal of attention within philosophy, theology, psychology, neuroscience, and sociology in recent years; but many views are controversial, and important questions remain unanswered,” said conference organizer and CGU Danforth Professor of Philosophy of Religion Ingolf Dalferth.

Anselm Min, CGU professor of philosophy of religion and theology, is among the scheduled conference speakers, which also include:

Richard Amesbury, professor of theological ethics at the University of Zürich; Arne Grøn, professor of theology at the University of Copenhagen; W. David Hall, associate professor of religion and philosophy at Centre College; Namsoon Kang, professor of world Christianity and religions at Brite Divinity School; Ulrich Körtner, professor of systematic theology at the University of Vienna; Thaddeus Metz, distinguished professor at the University of Johannesburg; Stephen J. Pope, professor of theology at Boston College; Regina Schwartz, professor of religion at Northwestern University; and Nicholas Wolterstorff, professor emeritus of philosophical theology at Yale University.

The questions to be explored include:

• What do we mean by “love” and “justice” in everyday life, and how is this conceptualized in different disciplines?
• Do love and justice necessarily conflict, or can they be harmonious?
• What is the relationship between self-love, love of neighbor, and love of God?

The annual conference has a long history of providing a place for philosophical conversation about important themes in the philosophy of religion. It was established by John Hick, who held the Danforth chair from 1979 to 1992, with a special emphasis on issues of inter-religious dialogue. D.Z. Phillips, Hick’s successor, carried on the conference from 1993 to 2006, focusing on contemporary issues.

Dalferth was named the Danforth chair in 2007, and the following year opened up conference discussions between leading scholars in philosophy of religion, theology, and religious studies to include younger scholars and junior researchers as equal partners in the conversation.

“We hope that these conversations, and their availability as published volumes, will foster an awareness and appreciation for the variety of perspectives brought to the study of religion,” Dalferth said. “We believe that this awareness and appreciation is a vital part of understanding one another, not only as academics, but as people who relate to religion and the ‘big questions’ of life in a variety of distinct ways.”

The main conference is generously supported by the Udo Keller Stiftung Forum Humanum, a foundation based in Hamburg, Germany. The foundation also provides 10 grants that enable doctoral students and recent PhDs to participate in the conference.

All grant recipients participate in the pre-conference seminar. Five papers will be chosen for publication, along with those of other conference participants, in Claremont Studies of Philosophy of Religion. This competition has made the conference in Claremont even more attractive to graduate students and young researchers from all over the world, Dalferth said.

“We also hope that these conversations will more broadly promote the ongoing study of religion and invite thinkers from a variety of fields to explore the relationship of their own work and field to the study of religion,” Dalferth said.

For more information, go to www.cgu.edu/pages/6243.asp, or e-mail Marlene Block at block.marlene@gmail.com, or Trevor Kimball at trevorwkimball@gmail.com.