Interface Conference-Sessions on Saturday 7^th November

 

09:30-First Session

 

09:30

 

Jesse Myers: Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy

 

Towards a Theological Approach to Science

 

One of the most important areas of theological concern in the modern era is the development of an appropriate approach to science. Much of the contemporary science versus religion debate reduces both to thin caricatures. Theology must confront our culture’s oracular view of science as a self justifying and self regulating reserve of undiluted truth, without being diminished to the anti-scientific reflexes which pervade the argument – especially in the Americas.

As science continues to advance, particularly in the medical fields, theologians must recognize their role as a cautionary voice. The advance of science is seen as inevitable and non-moral, and the question is always ‘what can be done?’ Too rarely is the question ‘what should be done?’ ever asked.

Even more important to theology is the philosophical and theological assumptions which come along with the type of scientific materialism that is beginning to pervade our society. The core assumptions about what life is and what its purpose is have been shifting. Could theology be uniquely equipped to unpack and assess certain important aspects of this change?

In addition to the obvious issues in bio-ethics, many aspects of ethical thought will be challenged by developments in science. A key role for theology in contemporary society will be to provide an ongoing critique and analysis of science. 

Jesse is studying for a PhD in Moral Theology at the Milltown Institute, Dublin.

 

10:00

 

Nancy Rourke: Canisius College, New York.

 

Building Bridges: Opportunities and Responsibilities of a Junior Moral Theologian

 

The vocation of a theologian today is often defined by the intersection of two roles: teacher and researcher.  Drawing on the author’s current research in environmental ethics, this paper addresses three traditional academic gulfs over which a junior moral theologian can and should build bridges—and then cross them.  A junior moral theologian has opportunity and responsibility to move between disciplines (and between sub-disciplines), between applied and theoretical moral theology, and between pedagogy and theology.  As to the first: a new moral theologian will form relationships across disciplines and should draw upon these in research and pedagogy.  Second, s/he should connect disparate areas of applied ethics in order to correct for academia’s tendency to prize hyper-specialization.  S/he should also connect applied and theoretical moral theology in ways that test presumptions of each by the standards of the other.  Finally, s/he should connect moral theology itself with the actual practice of teaching and research.  This paper draws upon the writer’s experience of teaching in American Catholic institutions of higher education.  Traditional Catholic moral theological approaches are turning toward environmental ethics, but the present writer has found that the application of these moral methods necessitates a new understanding of the methods themselves.  Finally, this paper argues that the junior theologian’s unique bridge-building opportunities should be heard as calls to our particular responsibilities as newly minted theologians.

Nancy is Assistant Prof in the Religious and Theology Studies Dept of Canisius College, New York.

 

10:30

 

James Cherry, Cambridge University

 

Understanding the difficulty of faith: the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and underestimating the importance of faith 

 

The paper I propose is to explore some of the mistakes that the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF) has made in is plans to promote positive faith across the world’s major religions.  The aim of the TBFF is to promote faith as something that is a force for good and that can help bring together people from many different countries and of many different faiths to make the world a better place.  This is an admirable aim, and I do not seek to undermine the work of the TBFF.  There is however some discontent around about the ambitions of Tony Blair and his foundation, some claiming the Tony Blair Faith Foundation requires faiths to be reduced to a common denominator and thus stripping them of their identity, and others even referring to Mr Blair’s style as hubristic.   

This paper will focus on two speeches:  one given by Tony Blair at the announcement of a partnership between the TTBF and Durham University and the other given by Archbishop Rowan Williams in Cambridge entitled ‘'What Difference Does it Make?' - The Gospel in Contemporary Culture’.  The aim of the paper is to highlight different understandings of faith and illustrate how some are more productive than others in providing a constructive view of the world for furthering human interaction.  I will draw upon some of my previous and current research in order to illustrate how we view and characterise faith affects how we view our relationship with our neighbour.

James is studying for an MPhil in Theology and Religious studies focusing on Philosophy of religion at Cambridge University.

 

 

11:00

 

Suzanne Mulligan, Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy

 

Capabilities and the Common Good 

 

This paper explores the parallels between the idea of the common good as it has developed within Catholic social teaching and the capabilities approach to development as found in the work of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum.  It is sometimes asked whether or not the language of capabilities or the common good offers anything additional to human rights language.  And although human rights theory is important for both concepts, it will be argued here that the capabilities theory and the concept of the common good direct us towards something different.  These concepts point to an understanding of the human person that extends beyond the rights that individuals possess.  Or, to out it another way, human rights can be most effectively realised when broader human concerns have been addressed.  Human capabilities, and social organisation based on a vision of the common good, allow for the promotion and flourishing of human rights. Given the global economic and social repercussions of recent months, this vision is of special relevance today.  It will be argued that a capabilities/common good starting point could provide a more socially responsible approach to the way both national and international finance is conducted. By way of demonstrating this point, the work of leading contributors to the debate will be examined, including Sen, Nussbaum, and David Hollenbach.

Sue is a lecturer in Moral Theology in the Milltown institute of Theology and Philosophy in Dublin.

 

11:30-12:00 Break

 

12:00-13:30 Second Session

 

12:00

 

Oliver Crisp: University of Bristol

 

Young Theologians Wanted: The Prospect of Analytic Theology

In recent years a number of new approaches to theology have been touted,
including (in the UK) Radical Orthodoxy and 'transformation' theology.
Earlier this year a major symposium was published by OUP entitled
'Analytic Theology: New Essays in the Philosophy of Theology'. In it, the
editors and contributors set out the prospect of appealing to the tools of
analytic philosophy to do systematic theology - an analytic theology. In
one sense, this is not new: analytic philosophers have been doing
philosophical theology for at least 20 years. But theologians have been
slow to pick up on the potential benefits an analytic approach to theology
promises. The book is an attempt to stimulate theologians to consider this
approach as a theological, rather than philosophical, project. In this
paper, I shall set out some of the potential benefits of an analytic
theology and interact with some of the criticisms that have already been
raised in reviews and blogs since the publication of the volume earlier
this year. This should be of interest to young theologians. It is also
directly relevant to the issue of the role of young theologians, since (I
suppose) the method adopted in theological work will have important
implications for the outcomes of that theology, as well as its wider
influence.
Oliver is a Reader in Theology Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Bristol.

 

12:30

 

Fr Tony P Kalam, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth

 

Wisdom: an encounter of the natural and the moral

 

The Book of Job is a blending of wisdom of many people, ideologies, traditions and nations merged into the wisdom of a single person’s life experience. Wisdom literature answers the queries of the faithful in a mystical and practical way. It   enlightens people to the authentic religious life to be lived in the context of the covenant and the law. Job 28:23-28 discusses the channels of wisdom in the nature and it speaks: God himself finds wisdom in the measures and limitations in the nature. In encounter with the nature one could be wise. Wisdom and Understanding are the invitations given to humanity in verse 28.  One encounters wisdom in the moral life, in one’s orientation to God and humanity and in being social and religious. The wisdom that Job teaches is to be gathered from the natural and the moral. Wisdom is an establishment of relationship when one lives out the integrity of life. In the nature one encounters wisdom in the natural realities but is invited to be wise within oneself “fearing God” and “turning away from evil.” A wise person is the one who seeks wisdom both in the Natural and the Moral. In the present world scenario there is a growing interest in the nature. Wisdom in the book of Job points us to the nature and it broadens us to society. Interface seminar aims at a deeper concern for our present situations in reflecting theology and sciences. It will be a good link to see how the nature is pointed to find answers for the moral questions in the book of Job.

 

Tony is studying for a DD at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

 

13:00

 

Kevin Hargaden, NUI Maynooth and St Patrick’s College, Maynooth

 

The Theologian As Evangelist

 

A role of the contemporary theologian is to encourage and guide the church into serious intellectual engagement with their faith. The theologian, in effect, becomes an evangelist not so much to the non-Christian world but to the church, inviting them to wed their faith to the intellectual life.

In this role, as scholar-pastor, the theologian liberates lay Christians to engage in the fullness of the mission they are called to; both in proclamation and service. The theologian provokes the church to understand for themselves how faith and reason complement each other. Thus the theologian pushes back against anti-intellectualism that drains vitality from mission and frees individual Christians up to be transformed by the renewal of the mind.

The role of theologian-as-evangelist is contrasted against that of evangelist-as-theologian; whereby the theological task is engaged in with the intent of generating raw material for proselytism or of proving Christianity true. In such a mode, the evangelist-as-theologian feeds anti-intellectualism and consumerist attitudes towards the truth of the Gospel.

Ultimately, I argue that young theologians must see their vocation in some ways as forming a movement that instructs and supports Christians as they seek to marry reason and faith in their particular context.

Kevin is a Masters student in Sociology at NUI Maynooth and candidate for ordained ministry with the Presbyterian Church in Ireland studying at St. Patrick’s College Maynooth.

 

 

13:30-15:00 Lunch

 

 

 

 

15:00-16:00 Third Session

 

15:00

 

Katharine Sarah Moody, Lancaster University.

 

On the Question of (Rightly?) Passing for A/Theologian

By nature, religious studies departments nurture young students of religion. These students might draw their markers of self-identity from any of the disciplines such departments incorporate. They might be(come) sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers, textual scholars, scholars of culture, politics, sexuality, or gender. Perhaps, theologians. In my interdisciplinary doctoral studies, I felt at home in such a diverse academic environment, but I balked whenever my supervisor either described my work as theology or suggested that I might even "be" a theologian.

This paper stems from an interrogation of my own reactions to such designations, as well as undergraduate students' perceptions of the nature and role of theology in western society. While a contemporary context of de-traditionalisation and individualisation might seem at odds with the public religiosity of theologians, the societal trends of pluralisation and sacralisation suggest a simultaneous post-secularism that seemingly levels the playing field for religious confession within and beyond academia. I introduce the work of (reluctant?) deconstructive theologian John D. Caputo as an appropriately nondogmatic and "weak," even hypothetical, yet robustly confessional theology, negotiating both historical association with the Christian tradition and messianic dissociation from it. In conversation with Caputo's "a/theological" project, I reflect upon Jacques Derrida's confession that he "rightly passes for" an atheist, in the face of his reluctance to say "I am" an atheist, and suggest the aptness of these sentiments for thinking about disciplinary affiliation today. In contemplating the question of rightly passing for an "a/theologian," I re-consider my relationship to both theology and religious studies.

Katherine is a fourth year PhD student in the Department of Religious Studies at Lancaster University.

 

15:30

 

Johanneke Bosman, Fonty Hogeschool Theologie Levensbeschouwing, Amsterdam

 

Theology as the handmaid of the Lord 

 

When Christ started His active life within the society of His days He changed the way of looking at that same society. He made the radical choice for the most high law of God, the law of Love. This Love includes total obedience towards God and love and service towards His fellow man and the society He lived in.

Jesus made this choice twofold. One through the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. Two through the example of His mother Mary. Mary was through her fiat the best living example of obedience of God and love. She made this visible in Lc 1,38. She explicitly states that she will do the will of God in which she makes a stand in her world and in her society. 

The example of Mary, in line with the fathers of the First Testament who also obeyed God when He called upon them, was a human example for Christ. But she also has en teaching role for explicitly theologians of this present day. As theologians we have to make a clear statement in our own society about the Love of God, the selfless service to all our fellow-creatures but above all we have to explore the teaching role of Mary. She teaches obedience of God. She teaches compassion and through the dogmas of the Church about her she draws a picture of a way possible for all people. She puts all her love, obedience and service to God. Not as a slave without a personal will, but as an strong human being. To place theology in service of the present day society theology has to become more as Mary, the handmade of the Lord. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."(Lc. 1,38)

Johanneke is studying for a Masters degree in pastoral care, chaplaincy and theology.

 

16:00-16:30 Break

 

16:30-18:00 Fourth Session

 

16:30

 

Ben Dare, Cardiff University, Wales

The Trinity and Environment Care in the theology of Jürgen Moltmann

Christianity has not enjoyed the best reputation on environment care,
and Christian theologians have not always raised a voice of concern in
an age that has seen great environmental destruction. Jürgen Moltmann's
completed systematic project offers a unique complex of theological
resources that goes beyond even his own strong humanitarian arguments
and that encourages an environmentally responsible lifestyle for the
individual and society .
Moltmann’s doctrine of the Trinity is one part of this project that
connects theology with these concerns. In his social and perichoretic
view of the Trinity, for instance, Moltmann defines God’s unity as being
found in God’s loving fellowship, leaving no space for domination or
hierarchy. Moltmann also proposes an openness of the Trinity which draws
all of creation into God’s loving relationships. In this, God affords to
the world ‘the very same love which he himself is in eternity’. Although
each of these themes can cause theological difficulties, both have the
potential to shape the relationship between humanity and the rest of
creation in a positive manner.
Equally, Moltmann’s use of the concepts of correspondence, inspiration
and participation help connect this theology to humanity’s interactions
with the environment. On one level humanity may aspire to reflect God’s loving character, yet its involvement deepens when it is invited to
participate in God’s open relationships. In this way, Moltmann
demonstrates the way in which God’s relations, both within the Trinity
and with creation, might have an impact on humanity’s relationship with
the world.

Ben is studying for a PhD in Theology (Doctrine) in Cardiff University.

 

17:00

 

Michael Shorthall, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth

 

After Artane  

 

From media discussion to parliamentary debate, the wake of the so-called Ryan Report popularised an analogy between Institutional Child Abuse in Ireland (and by association Clerical Sex Abuse) and the Jewish Holocaust. Primarily, those who employ the analogy do so for a number of reasons: to highlight the seriousness of the events, give a sense of urgency of critical questions, to assert the moral imperative of justice, and draw upon the lessons learnt after Holocaust. 

The analogy is factually inaccurate, and unhelpful if it obscures clear reflection. Yet, I wish to propose that these events in Ireland ought to influence the theological agenda, as the Holocaust did for a previous European generation. It led to a cultural and intellectual movement encapsulated in the phrase of Theodor Adorno ‘After Auschwitz, to write a poem is barbaric’ (Cultural Criticism and Society, 1949).  

The paper will offer some preliminary observations in order to stimulate discussion on what might be the crucial elements of such an agenda. To that end, it will begin by proposing the need for ‘a theology of power’ and ‘a theology of evil’.

Michael is a Priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin and a lecturer in Moral Theology in St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

 

17:30

 

Paul Clogher, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth

 

A Positive Iconoclasm: Surrealism, Subversion, and the Sacred in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ

 

Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film, The Last Temptation of Christ portrays the reality of the incarnation in curious terms by placing the perspective of Jesus at the centre of its narrative. While this method leads to many difficulties, not least the accusation of blasphemy, it also presents an opportunity for theology to dialogue with the contemporary art form of film in a new way. This can be seen in the complex and deep rooted network of sacred imagery that dominates the narrative. This imagery is subverted by means of surrealist presentation where the metaphysical is given primacy over the physical and a sacramental world is constructed in which the sacred exists and makes itself known. Examples of this include the use of the sacred heart image, the depiction of the last supper, and the so-called dream sequence that takes up the last third of the film. Placing the perspective of Jesus at the centre of the film’s narrative ensures the surrealist quality of the film by its attempt to depict reality as irrevocably changed by the nature of the incarnation: God, in Jesus, is in the world and, with this as its focus, the film functions as a window through which we see the possibility of divine encounter. Though this imagery presents itself in a subversive and surrealist manner which appears as deconstructive in how it treats the person of Jesus it can, nonetheless, be seen as a positive subversion where, through reconstructing Jesus, we encounter the sacred anew in a positive iconoclasm.

Paul is studying for a PhD in Systematic Theology in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.