Consortium to Examine Religious Argument, Belief

Calvin Theological Seminary will be hosting a daylong interfaith gathering on October 15 that presents a look at the historical realities in the relationship between religious argument and religious fairness.

Titled “Religious Polemics and Religious Fairness,” the West Michigan Academic Consortium is being sponsored by Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich. It is free and open to the public. For more information, email Katie Gordon at [email protected] or call (616) 331-5702.

This conference will feature Margaret Mitchell, dean of the University of Chicago Divinity School and a literary historian of ancient Christianity, as the keynote speaker.

Her research and teaching span a range of topics in New Testament and early Christian writings up through the end of the 4th Century.

Breakout sessions include:

The Two Kingdoms Doctrine as the Basis for Civic Tolerance
Presented by John Bolt, Calvin Theological Seminary

The requirement of for civic tolerance is non-negotiable for a free society but it requires proper theological grounding.  Rejecting the "naked public square" option as well as the convergence of religions under common socio-political passion, Bolt will argue that the classic "Augustinian-Thomistic-Lutheran-Calvinist" doctrine of the two kingdoms provides the best grounding for genuine tolerance.

Abraham in Paul's Polemics
Presented by Stephan Davis, Aquinas College

Paul's interpretation of the Abraham story violates the plain sense of the text of Genesis and may have been notorious among the intended readers of his epistle to the Romans. This session explores how Paul read and then used the story to justify his inclusion of gentile Jesus-believers in the chosen people.

World Christianity Reinterprets Paul: A New Reformation?
Presented by Jenny Everts, Hope College

Christianity is undergoing one of the greatest cultural shifts in its 2000 year history as its population shifts to the global south away from its historic center in Europe and North America.  This cultural shift has led to deliberate reinterpretation of New Testament texts and key New Testament doctrines, particularly the doctrine of justification. When key texts and doctrines are seen from different cultural perspectives, cultural conflict is certain to follow.

Coexist: Polemics against Religion and the Myth of Religious Violence
Presented by Branson Parler, Kuyper College

The presentation will briefly survey William Cavanaugh’s arguments regarding the invention of religion in the early modern period, the “creation myth” of the wars of religion, and the uses of the myth of religious violence today. Building on Cavanaugh, the presentation will argue that people of all faith traditions have a stake in working together to overcome this historically-inaccurate and conceptually-faulty polemic against religion.

Naming the Nameless: Towards a Theolinguistics
Presented by Gary Eberle, Aquinas College

Paul Tillich wrote many years ago that the words we use most in religion are often those we understand the least. Using insights from linguistics and philosophy of language to lay a foundation for interfaith dialog, this session will explore the meaning of the word "God" from the perspective of linguistic reference. What exactly are we referring to when we use the word? Do all names for God in various traditions point to the same reality? If not, then what insights can we gain from linguistics to clarify and deepen inter- and intra-faith dialog?

Making & Disturbing the Peace: How Religious Studies Relates to the 21st Century’s Central Challenge
Presented by Brent Smith, Diane Maodush-Pitzer, and  Shel Kopperl, Grand Valley Sate University

Religious Studies in the setting of a public university can bring a perspective to religion that can be both helpful in multi-faith encounters, and yet stretch a person inside of a faith community and tradition beyond their own understandings of themselves and those of other faiths. This session will offer a panel presenting viewpoints about multi-faith encounters with the “other,” from the point of view of Religious Studies at GVSU.

From Convergence to Receptive Ecumenism: The Roman Catholic/Lutheran Joint Declaration on Justification as a Case Study in Ecumenity
Presented by Sarah Timmer, Calvin Theological Seminary Alumna

Christian ecumenicity has often been perceived as lowest common-denominator attempt at convergence, overlooking significant traditional differences.  Receptive ecumenism offers a new approach.  The session will contrast the two approaches using the Roman Catholic/Lutheran Joint Declaration on Justification as a case study.

Polemical Rhetoric in Galatians: An Examination of the Historical Context
Presented by  Robert Van Voorst, Western Theological Seminary

Paul was addressing the Galatians, but with his opponents likely in the audience as well; how does this affect the tone and content of his rhetoric?  Some attention will be paid to the wider religious and theological implications of Paul's rhetoric: Is it designed to be anti-Jewish?  Special attention will be paid to the question of whether Paul employs an inner-Jewish rhetoric.