Self and the City (April 24-25th)

Online Booking Opens on Friday 14th November 2014: www.lincolntheologicalinstitute.com/self-the-society-april-2015/

Speakers Include: Dr Ethna Regan (Mater Dei Institute of Education), Professor Linda Woodhead (University of Lancaster),The Revd Professor Timothy Gorringe (University of Exeter), Professor Michael S Northcott (University of Edinburgh), Dr Anna Rowlands (University of Durham), Revd Canon Stephen Spencer (Canon of Musoma Cathedral), Dr Jessica Dubow (University of Sheffield), Dr Chris Shannahan (The University of Manchester) Dr Alana Vincent (University of Chester)

By bringing together theologians, social theorists and political activists, this two-day conference considers the relationship between cities and self-identity. Read through the lens of the Christian tradition, we will reflect on the ecclesiastical, doctrinal and political meanings produced by urban living.  Key to this enterprise is an exploration of the dimorphic nature of the city. From Babylon and Rome to Jerusalem and Augustine’s De Civitate Dei, urban spaces signify both sacred possibilities and moral dangers.

The early monastic movement fled from the corruptions of the city, while the role of the urban bishop was highly political.  In contemporary culture these trends have been repeated in variants of both New Monasticism and 'Hipster Christianity' and 'Cafe Churches'. The enduring nature of these postures of embrace and retreat, raise significant questions for theo-political reflection. Can cities offer untapped resources for faithful discipleship? Or do urban spaces distort the priorities of the Church? Can the individualism(s) encouraged by the anonymity if the city supports Christians in developing alternative communities? Or is urban life a threat to the formation of such a counterculture? With these themes in mind, the conference organizers would welcome papers on the following areas:

The inner-city Church

Discipleship and identity

 Persons in the city

Consumerism and leisure

 Urban planning and theology

Nomad-ism and pilgrimage

 Networks and communities

Post-materialism

 Urban and Rural Space

Theologies of the Public and Private

 Christianity and Counterculture

Sacrament and consumption

BETWEEN THEOLOGY AND THE POLITICAL (26-28 MARCH 2015)

By bringing together a variety of voices from a range of disciplines, ‘Between Theology and The Political’ is a three day conference which will explore key themes of theo-politics. Over the course of three days, theo-political theory will be considered in the context of its relationship to praxis. In the last thirty years civil society has assumed a significant place in political rhetoric, theory, and practice. Therefore, this three-day conference will examine civil society through three theological lenses; the work of Hegel (Day 1), theological reflections on exclusion (Day 2) and the engagement between faith and social activism (Day 3).

 

MULTIPLE FAITHS IN POSTCOLONIAL CITIES: LIVING TOGETHER AFTER EMPIRE (6-8 MAY 2016)

Colonial powers bring their religion with them and often this religion becomes an instrument of rule. When empires fall, the residue of imperial suspicion lingers. When colonial powers beat a retreat, older religious resentments and new tensions may emerge. We hear daily news reports in cities around the world about violent clashes between Christians and Muslims, Buddhists and Muslims, Shia and Sunnis, Catholics and Protestants and more. Why have we not as frequently heard of postcolonial cities where people of multiple faiths peacefully coexist?  How do people of goodwill organize for cities based on multiplicity of identities, languages, religions, and shared public space? What role do theologians and theorists have in fostering collaborative spaces for faith communities to coexist in ways that work for justice for all people? How are the misuses of religion addressed? How do our religions and theologies need to change to foster people of multiple faiths living side by side after empire?

Call for papers available at http://religionandcivilsociety.com/multiple-faiths-postcolonial/

POSTLIBERALISM, INDIVIDUALISM AND SOCIETY (Friday 11th and Saturday 12th July 2014)

Registration for this conference is now open via the online booking page

If you wish to attend the conference, first contact our conference administrator Hannah Mansell on +44 (0) 161 275 3319 or email hannah.mansell@manchester.ac.uk Please include the following information: Full name and institution (as you would like printed on your badge); and any dietary or access requirements.

Call for Papers

In both Britain and the United States, political, legal and economic culture has been shaped in significant ways by individualistic accounts of the human being. This fact raises significant issues for political theology. How should political theologians respond to the highly individualistic orientation of both politics and society? Are liberal societies doomed to selfish insularity or are their positive legacies to be gleaned from liberal theory and practice? This conference explores these issues through the lens of postliberal politics. Comprising a rich array of Burkean, socialist and Communitarian strands, the postliberal turn offers a provocative alternative to the prevailing political language of public neutrality, individual rights and procedural pluralism. In Britain such alternatives have made significant in-roads into political discourse in the form of Red Toryism on the Right and Blue Labour on the Left.

Participants are invited to submit paper proposals on the following areas:

• Autonomy in the Christian tradition

• Individualism and Culture

• Individualism and Liberal Theology

• Self and Ego in theology and politics

• Christian encounters with political liberalism

• Christian approaches to Capitalism and global trade

• Radical Orthodoxy and Christian anthropology

• Christianity and consumerism

• Keynesianism and Political Theology

• Christian responses to Thatcherism

• Christian responses to notions of limited-government.

Deadline for Paper Submissions: July 2

Please send paper abstracts of 300 words to benjamin.wood-3@manchester.ac.uk

Discussion Panels

Should Schools Teach Children to be Individuals? (Dr. Esther McIntosh, York St John University, Revd. Gary Hall, The Queens Foundation, Birmingham, Grace Robinson, University of Leeds, Founder of Thinking Space, John Pugh MP

Is Individualism Bad for Christian Engagement in Politics? (Dr Dave Landrum, Director of advocacy, Evangelical Alliance, Dr Russell Remanning, Lord Stewart Wood, Shadow Minister without Porfolio, Derek McAuley, Chief Officer of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches)

Systematic Theology & Climate Change

The volume, Systematic Theology & Climate Change, is announced, with publication by Routledge in June 2014. You can pre-order it here.

This collection of essays is the outcome of the LTI project, 'Systematic Theology for a Changing Climate'. You can read more about the project by clicking on the PROJECTS tab above.

Christian Faith and the Earth

LTI Director Peter Scott contributes an essay on theological anthropology to this volume, purchasable now.