Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic AAR/SBL 2020 Programme

UPDATE — JULY 31, 2020

IN VIEW OF THE CANCELLATION OF THE IN-PERSON MEETINGS OF THE AAR / SBL IN BOSTON IN NOVEMBER 2020, AND IN CONSULTATION WITH OUR CONTIBUTORS, THESE TWO SESSIONS WILL BE DEFERRED UNTIL THE 2021 MEETING IN SAN ANTONIO, WHEN IT IS HOPED WE CAN GATHER AGAIN TO ENGAGE IN THESE CONVERSATIONS TOGETHER.

SESSSION I  / SATURDAY, 21 NOVEMBER 2020, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Cyril O’Regan on Apocalyptic and Metaphysics

Cyril O’Regan’s work has been persistently occupied with the “spaces of apocalyptic” in modern theology. In this major paper O’Regan explores the relationship between (Pauline inflected) apocalyptic theology and metaphysics. What are the potential promises and perils of bringing these two themes together?

Respondents: Judith Wolfe (University of St Andrews); Ry Siggelkow (University of St Thomas).

SESSSION II/ SUNDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 2020, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Apocalyptic Theology and the Concept of Justice

The three papers presented in this panel investigate the concept of justice within an apocalyptic Christian theology.

• Henry Spaulding, III (Mount Vernon Nazarene University) — ‘Justification of the Ungodly: Pauline Apocalyptic, Restorative Justice, and the Powers’      
• Paul Hinlicky (Roanoke College) — ‘Lou Martin and Martin Luther on Justification/ Rectification’
• Jamie Davies (Trinity College, Bristol) — ‘The Justice and Deliverance of God: Integrating Forensic and Cosmological in the ‘Apocalyptic Paul’

Chair : To be confirmed

Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic AAR / SBL 2020 (Boston, November 21 – 24, 2020)

 ‘Apocalyptic Theology and the Concept of Justice’

A Call for Papers

Continuing our explorations in theology and apocalyptic, we invite proposals for short papers (20-25 minutes in length) investigating the question of the concept of justice within an apocalyptic Christian theology. What is the relation of justice and apocalypse? What role is or ought to be played by the notion of justice in an apocalyptic account of salvation? How is justice treated in historic examples of apocalyptic theology, and with what significance? Is the ‘God apocalypse in Jesus Christ’ a God of justice and if so in just what sense? What approach might an apocalyptic theology take to the question of justice as category of public, legal, political discourse? What would be involved in recasting widely deployed concepts of justice in a contemporary ‘apocalyptic key’? Papers working theologically with biblical texts and resources are particularly invited.

Proposals should be no more than 300 words in length, and must be accompanied by a brief single-page CV.

Proposals should be sent to Philip Ziegler: p.ziegler@abdn.ac.uk

All proposals must be received by April 30th, 2020.

AAR/SBL 2019

The Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic group will be taking a break this year and won’t be running discrete sessions during the annual meetings of the AAR/SBL in San Diego, CA this November.  For those hankering after some Pauline apocalyptic discussion, however, allow us to encourage you not to miss this the review panel session on Douglas Campbell’s new Pauline Dogmatics, forthcoming from Eerdmans later this year.  Doug Harink, Alexandra Brown and Douglas himself have of course all been active participants in our group’s work over the years, and this promises to be a very interesting session indeed.

Pauline Theology (S24-230)
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM on 24th of November 2019,  Room TBD
Panel Review of Douglas Campbell, Pauline Dogmatics: The Triumph of God’s Love (Eerdmans, 2019)

Alexandra Brown, Washington and Lee University, Presiding

Grant Macaskill, University of Aberdeen, Panelist (25 min)

Judith Gundry, Yale Divinity School, Panelist (25 min)

Douglas Harink, King’s University (Edmonton), Panelist (25 min)

Mark Kinzer, Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, Panelist (25 min)

Douglas Campbell, Duke University, Respondent (25 min)

Discussion (25 min)

A Celebration of Susan Eastman

it is a delight to note the publication of Practicing with Paul: Reflections on Paul and the Practices of Ministry in Honor of Susan G. Eastman, edited by Presian R. Burroughs, with a foreword by Richard B. Hays.  Professor Eastman (Duke University) has been a mentor, colleague and friend of many of us involved in these discussions of theology and apocalyptic, and this volume pays a fine and much deserved tribute to her scholarship and service over many years.

 

 

 

Theology and Apocalyptic Returns to AAR/SBL 2018 Annual Meeting

 

After taking a break in 2017, the working group on ‘Theology and Apocalyptic’ will be back with two sessions during this year’s annual meeting of the AAR/SBL in Denver, CO in November 2018.

First, on the evening of Saturday, November 17th (6:30 – 8:30 pm, in the Mt. Oxford Room of the Grand Hyatt Hotel), we will host a panel session discussing Philip Ziegler’s (University of Aberdeen) recent book, Militant Grace. The panel will consist of Katherine Sonderegger (Virginia Theological Seminary, Steve Long (Southern Methodist University), and Chris Tilling (St Mellitus College). The author will respond. The publisher, Baker Academic, is kindly sponsoring the session and Doug Harink (King’s University) will chair.

Then, on the evening of Sunday, November 18th (6:30 – 8:30 pm, in the Mt. Oxford Room of the Grand Hyatt Hotel) we will host a second panel session. A panel, composed of Paul Martens (Baylor University) and Elizabeth Phillips (Visiting Scholar, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University), and Nancy Bedford (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary) will engage in discussion of two recent works in political theology: the first, Travis Kroeker’s (McMaster University) Messianic Political Theology and Diaspora Ethics: Essays in Exile and the second, Kyle Gingerich Hiebert’s (Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre) The Architectonics of Hope: Violence, Apocalyptic, and the Transformation of Political Theology.  The authors will respond. Both texts are published by Wipf & Stock who are kindly sponsoring the session and Philip Ziegler (University of Aberdeen) will chair.

We’re always grateful if you can you help us get word around of these events. Looking forward to continuing the conversation.

Taking a Break in 2017

Friends —

Just a quick note to say that the working group ‘Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic’ will be taking a break and will not be hosting special sessions during the annual meetings of the AAR/SBL this November, 2017.  We plan to pick up our conservation again during the 2018 meetings once again.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for the April 2018 issue of Theology Today which will be a special issue on the theme of ‘Theology and Apocalyptic’. It will present a rich collection of papers, some of which have emerged from our meetings in recent years. Nancy Duff (Princeton Theological Seminary) and Philip Ziegler (University of Aberdeen) are together editing the issue.

Other recent publishing notes:

• There is a valuable new book edited by Loren Stuckenbruck and Benjamin Reynolds that will of interest. It’s entitled The Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition and the Shaping of New Testament Thought (Fortress, 2017).
• Also, watch out for Travis Kroeker‘s fine collection of essays Messianic Political Theology and Diaspora Ethics, to be published this autumn by Wipf & Stock.

Beverly Gaventa to Deliver SBL Presidential Address: Reading Romans 13

Everyone who has been involved in the conversations of the ‘Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic’ group over recent years will not want to miss out on hearing Professor Beverly Gaventa’s SBL Presidential Address during this year’s annual meeting of the AAR/SBL.

 

SBL Presidential Address (Session: S19-401)

Time & Date: Saturday, November 19th, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm / Room: TBC

• Michael Fox, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Introduction (10 min)
• Beverly Gaventa, Baylor University
  Reading Romans 13 with Simone Weil: Toward a More Generous Hermeneutic (50 min)

The Legacy of J. Louis Martyn for the Study of the Apostle Paul

In lieu of second evening session this year during the AAR/SBL annual meeting, the ‘Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic’ group is  delighted to be able to co-sponsor this session of the Pauline Theology group (S20-219) reflecting on the legacy of J. Louis Martyn and his work

Time & Date: Sunday, November 20th, 1:30 – 3:30 pm

Location: TBC

Theme: 

• John M. G. Barclay, University of Durham, Presiding
• Beverly Gaventa, Baylor University
  J. Louis (Lou) Martyn: His legacy for the study of the Apostle Paul (15 min)
• Doug Harink, King’s University (Edmonton)
  The legacy of J. Louis (Lou) Martyn for the study of the Apostle Paul: questions of continuity and discontinuity (15 min)
• Joel Marcus, Duke University
  The legacy of J. Louis (Lou) Martyn for the study of the Apostle Paul: Judaism, Israel, and the Torah (15 min)
• Susan Eastman, Duke University
  The Legacy of J. Louis (Lou) Martyn within Pauline Scholarship: Questions of Agency (15 min)
• A. Katherine Grieb, Virginia Theological Seminary, Respondent (15 min)

A Love That Turns the Ages: Thinking Apocalyptically About Incarnation and Crucifixion’

The working group, ‘Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic’ is delighted to announce the first of two sessions to be held at this year’s annual meeting of the AAR/SBL in San Antonio, TX, from November 19-22, 2016.

This panel session involves four short papers investigating various aspects of the meaning, shape and consequence of the doctrine of incarnation and the theology of the cross in an apocalyptic perspective.

Date & Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm on Sunday, November 20th

Location: El Mirador C West room in the Hilton Palacio del Rio

Panellists:

• R. David Nelson, ‘The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ as Interruption: Toward an Apocalyptic Theologia Crucis’
• David W. Congdon, ‘Apocalypse as Perpetual Advent: The Christmas Sermons of Rudolf Bultmann’
• Shannon Nichole Smythe, ‘The Way of Divine and Human Handing-over: Pauline Apocalyptic, Centering Prayer, and Vulnerable Solidarity’
• Justin Jeffcoat Schedtler, ‘The Slaughtered Lamb Is King—From Theologia Crucis to Theologia Gloriae in the Book of Revelation’

Call for Papers : Theology & Apocalyptic at the AAR/SBL 2016

Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic

AAR/SBL Annual Meeting 2016, San Antonio, November 19-22

Call for Papers

‘A Love That Turns the Ages: Thinking Apocalyptically About

Incarnation and Crucifixion’

The AAR/SBL have adopted the overarching theme of ‘revolutionary love’ for their annual meetings in November 2016.  Connecting with this rubric, the organizers of the Explorations in Theology & Apocalyptic group invite proposals for short papers (20-25 minutes in length) investigating the meaning, shape and consequence of the doctrine of incarnation and the theology of the cross in an apocalyptic perspective.

How can and ought these doctrines to be developed in an ‘apocalyptic key’ or within an apocalyptic orientation in Christian theology?  How might the concept of kenosis be re-thought in connection with Pauline apocalyptic? Could the understanding of Christmas be more fully and substantively interpreted in accordance with reference to the eschatological motifs that mark Advent? Is the Johannine prologue open to an apocalyptic hearing? Can the nature of the Second Coming illumine the reality and significance of the first? And are there particular resources in the theological tradition which ought to inform and guide such efforts?

Proposals should be no more than 300 words in length, and must be accompanied by a brief single-page CV.

Proposals should be sent to Philip Ziegler: p.ziegler@abdn.ac.uk

All proposals must be received by March 30^th, 2016