Abstracts

The following abstracts are organized in two categories. The first describes papers listed in alphabetical order by the author's name. The second collection is in alphabetical order by panel title (February 23).

Presenters' Abstracts

Forrest Anderson, Catawba College, “Comedy as Reconciliation: Love, Lust, and Religion in the Work of Philip Roth”

If it’s true that comedy blends pain with pleasure, then it’s likely that no other writer is as successful of a comedian as Philip Roth. His early writing relishes in the absurdity of love and the surreal hypocrisy of lust. Later, when he turns his attention to history and faith—something he’s simultaneously bitter about and bound to—his humor becomes black. He views his own religious community as the human targets of history and finds snark in the most desperate of historical situations. This paper views humor as an attempt at reconciliation in the early, middle, and late part of the writer’s career.

Jana Anderson, Lubbock Christian University and Susan Blassingame, Lubbock Christian University, “Making Writing Matter:  Critical Thinking and Writing about Poverty”

LCU conducted a month-long, campus-wide initiative, Changing Lives: Critical Thinking about Poverty.  Students, faculty, and staff were invited to think critically about the systemic sources of poverty, the ways that we help (or don’t help) the poor, and how we can be better stewards of our time, talents, and wealth in order to alleviate suffering. Nationally known speakers visited LCU, discussing local, national, and international poverty.  Students in freshman composition engaged in research and writing projects dealing with real-life issues of poverty.  We will share what we learned and how this focus on service learning will impact our students’ futures.

Garry Bailey, Abilene Christian University, “A Gendered God and Gender Role Tensions in Church: Perspectives from Relational Dialectics, Social Identity and Integrated Threat Theories”

This paper looks at how dialectical gender role tensions in church and perspectives of a gendered God can threaten gender role attitudes in church.  Relational Dialectics Theory, Social Identity Theory, and Integrated Threat Theory provide useful explanations for the problematic gender role attitudes existing among church members today.  Threats to identity are discussed with respect to the various frames of identity and dialectical tensions experienced by church members.  Perspectives of a gendered God are explored according to the relevant frames of identity and dialectical tensions.

Jeremie Beller, University of Oklahoma, “Reconciling a Post-911 America”

This essay argues that the post 911 rhetoric of George W. Bush demonstrates a conscious effort to expand the traditional concept of American Civil Religion (CR) in an effort to prevent a backlash against Islamic citizens and to gain global support for the War on Terror. This expansion is demonstrated primarily through two rhetorical moves. First, the president positions Islamic values within the values of American CR. Second, the President portrayed American CR values in global terms.

Joanna Benskin, Purdue University, “Reconciling the Conflicted Closing of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

Scholars dispute the final outcome of the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Some claim that the poem sides with Arthur's lighthearted court in exculpating Gawain. Others insist that the poem agrees with Gawain, who feels the weight of sin. I introduce a Christological reading of Gawain which brings these conflicting endings into a causal relationship: if Gawain is a Christ figure and the poem explores the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, then Gawain's brokenheartedness stands as the cause of the court's gladness, not its competing opposite. Gawain, like Christ, intercedes sacrificially to resolve an otherwise irreconcilable conflict.

Jaron Bentley, Abilene Christian University, “Knowledge of God and the Virtues: What a Fourteenth Century Byzantine Monk Can Offer the Churches of Christ”

Gregory Palamas saw deification as the highest goal within Christian life, and emphasized its epistemic elements by referring to mystical deification experiences as knowledge of God. Crucial to achieving this experiential knowledge of God is the practice of regulative virtues. Palamas thus sets Christian epistemic excellence as an aim achieved through virtues. I argue that the process of achieving such excellence offers an important re-envisioning of the role of the intellect in Christian life—most specifically in its place in spiritual formation—that is particularly relevant within the Churches of Christ.

Michael D. Brown, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, “A ‘Statement of Attitude’: Civil Rights Activism During the Little Rock Central High Crisis”

Examples of public activism among members of Churches of Christ during the civil rights movement are rare. This paper discusses an incident that occurred at then-segregated Harding College during the Little Rock Central High Crisis in the fall of 1957. Over 900 students, faculty and staff signed a “Statement of Attitude” expressing their willingness to integrate immediately. The paper discusses the development and distribution of the statement as well as the aftermath. In addition, the paper focuses on recent discoveries which shed significant light on the racial attitudes of Harding leadership during that period.

Andrew Cook, Faulkner University, “Band of Brothers (and Sisters): the Integration of Faith and Learning into Christian College Instrumental Music Programs”

While the integration of faith and learning seems a natural fit with choral music programs and sacred music, an inherent disconnect may exist for many students when attempting to incorporate faith learning into the playing of secular music in an instrumental music ensemble.  This presentation will examine several strategies for the integration of faith into the instrumental ensemble experience at a Christian higher education institution, including the glorification of God through the use of His gifts, participation as service to school and community, and the band experience as a unique opportunity for Christian brotherhood.

Joey L. Cope, Executive Director Duncum Center for Dispute Resolution, Abilene Christian University, “Reconciliation Language: Building a Congregational Culture of Peace through Your Choice of Words”

Relationships within church congregations are complex. Although a stronger measure of patience, greater motivation for understanding, and propensity toward forgiveness is expected, church conflict often produces remarkably intense emotions and reactions. This paper looks at language in churches and provides guidelines for creating a culture of peace through the choice of words. In addition, this paper explores particular words and phrases that support or erode collaboration and offers recommendations for building a language of reconciliation.

Christopher Cotten, Lipscomb University, “Let us Look Closely at what the Text of Scripture Teaches: Ambrose’s Use of Biblical Exempla in his Funeral Oration for Theodosius”

In the winter of 395, Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, delivered a funeral oration for the Emperor Theodosius. The oration, based on texts from Psalm 114 (Vulg.) and Genesis 50, carefully deploys Biblical allusions and direct citations to make specific claims and to exhort its audience to imitation. Through a close study of the Biblical exempla used by Ambrose, this paper will demonstrate how he creates a ‘usable Theodosius,’ a Theodosius who bolsters the stability of the new regime and furthers Ambrose’s own political goals.

Derek Coulson, Western Kentucky University, “Kentucky Disciples: Unity and Division within the Restoration Movement”

This paper analyzes the roles of two men prominent in the Restoration Movement: John McGarvey and Hall Calhoun. Mcgarvey was a Kentucky native and essential founder of the College of the Bible (current Lexington Theological Seminary). Calhoun was McGarvey’s protégé. Both shared an ability to hold dialogue among increasingly alienated Restoration brotherhoods. In the context of a bifurcated nation, and a fellowship in three stages between sect and denomination, these men represent a precedent of unifying voice, and for the border state of Kentucky a paradigm into religious division that is separate from either a Northern or Southern experience.

Karie Cross, American University, “Reconciling Opposing Views in the Feminist Legal Theory Debate”

Many authors have characterized the feminist legal debate as a dichotomy, with essentialist views competing with non-essentialist views. However, this dichotomy fails to tell the full story of women before the law. Rather than advocate on behalf of a single position, I synthesize the most useful parts of multiple theories to outline the positional-relational approach to feminist legal theory. My approach recognizes first the unique position of individuals (e.g. race and class); and second, the individual’s relationship to others. The positional-relational approach not only encourages cooperation among women, but it also views men as potential partners rather than enemies.

Ken Cukrowski, Abilene Christian University, “A Theology of Gender: What Can Scripture Tell Us?”

In the discussion and definition of gender, Scripture has been both cited authoritatively and dismissed. How does the presence of cultural expressions of gender, such as levirate marriage and head coverings, influence the ways that one views examples of female activity? How does one read statements about male and female relationships, such as headship in marriage and being one in Christ? This paper addresses the pitfalls and promise of using Scripture to define gender by critiquing typical approaches and suggesting ways that Scripture can be used constructively to articulate a theology of gender.

Brad East, Yale University, “Hooking In, Sitting Loose: A Call for Theology in the Churches of Christ”

This paper explores the logic that ought to undergird the relationship between the vocation and the ecclesial identity of academic theologians in churches of Christ. Using the examples of John Howard Yoder’s radical reformation model and James McClendon’s “baptist vision,” it is argued that CoC theologians are uniquely situated today to follow their lead by standing at the ecclesial boundaries, firmly rooted yet nourished from other sources, and speaking in both directions for the sake of the universal church. Such a particular yet catholic theological perspective would be a boon to those outside as well as within the restoration heritage.

Douglas Foster, Abilene Christian University, “Alexander Campbell on Human Responsibility and Divine Grace”

As a primary thought-shaper of the Stone-Campbell Movement, Alexander Campbell laid out many of the foundational assumptions of the churches’ understanding of salvation. Campbell railed against Reformed soteriology that he believed minimized human responsibility in salvation.  This study will reexamine Campbell’s view of the role of human agency in salvation and whether or not he made as radical a break with Reformed theology as he seems to imply.

Terry Gardner, Independent Scholar, “A. McGary, the Passionate Warrior”

This paper examines a controversy between David Lipscomb and Austin McGary about how to receive converts from “sects” who had already been immersed. McGary, in the Firm Foundation and his later, lesser-known periodicals, advocated baptizing all who had not been baptized expressly “for remission of sins”, while Lipscomb, in the Gospel Advocate, defended accepting those who professed that they had been baptized “to obey God.”  This paper assesses the arguments, rhetoric, and motives of Lipscomb and McGary regarding “rebaptism.” Why did they do and say what they did, and how did their words and actions affect their personal relationship and the relationships of their followers?

Benjamin Garner, University of Kansas, “Vote With Your Fork: Food, Reconciliation, and Politics at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market”

Farmers’ markets in North America have grown drastically in the last two decades, from around 1,000 in the 1990s to about 5,000 today (Gowin, 2009).  Farmers’ markets offer many benefits: they shorten the food chain, are environmentally sensitive, create a sense of community, and rebuild trust in our food supply.  Using ethnographic methods, I interviewed people at the farmers’ market in Lawrence, KS.  I discuss who supports these markets and suggest how this food system can play a role in being a good steward of the environment and can reconcile some ills of our current food system. 

James L. Gorman, Baylor University, “From Burning to Blessing: Baptist Reception of Alexander Campbell’s New Translation”

This paper analyzes Baptist reception of Alexander Campbell’s The Sacred Writings of the Apostles and Evangelists of Jesus Christ (1826). Campbell considered his work on this new version to be “the most valuable service we have rendered this generation.” Relying on periodicals, minutes, and other germane sources, this paper narrates Baptist responses to Campbell’s translation and Campbell’s retorts. Responses usually focused on the translation’s content and features, but I argue that the turbulent Campbell–Baptist context played as decisive a role in directing Baptist reception as the content of the translation.

Chai Green, University of Ulster, Missionary to Northern Ireland, “Meditative Photography: Recording Light and Exploring Spirituality”

This project explores spirituality through photography in Northern Ireland and engages in cross-cultural reconciliation between Protestant, Catholic, and immigrant communities.  Past research suggests that photography of atrocities does not provide impetuous for change or reconciliation.  My approach is to use photography as a tool for meditation and invite the community into the photograph creation process.  The photographs encourage an ethereal reading, but are open enough to allow the viewer to make their own spiritual connection.  Images are created with help from people across religious lines. Both image and creation process attempt to move beyond the bounds of sectarianism.

Benjamin Griffith, Abilene Christian University, “Healthy Conflict: A Proposal for Political Engagement in the Church of Christ”

Engagement in democratic discourse should be performed in the form of healthy conflict; this entails (1) the deliberative practices of candid expression and immanent criticism and (2) possession of virtuous dispositions like epistemic humility. In keeping with this model, Restorationists should hold together the boldness of candid expression and criticism with the humility to listen to the insights of others. If guided by virtuous dispositions, the Church of Christ can play an important role in political deliberation through offering the unique theological insights of our tradition.

Tracey S. Hebert, Lipscomb University, “Colleges and Universities Affiliated with Churches of Christ: Enrollment trends and the Future of Spiritual Formation”

This paper considers the demographic trends impacting colleges and universities affiliated with Churches of Christ and subsequently what the future of spiritual formation might look like within these institutions. Changing demographics and educational environments are resulting in these institutions serving increasingly diverse student audiences within their traditional residential, commuter, non-traditional, adult, online, off-site, and graduate programs. The distinctiveness that these institutions enjoy within the higher education marketplace is their Christian mission and this paper will address a model for the conceptualization, strategies, and methods for implementing spiritual formation within the diverse student audiences being served.

Jeremy Hegi, Abilene Christian University, “Don Carlos Janes and Reconciliation in the Stone-Campbell Movement: The Murch Witty Unity Meetings”

Don Carlos Janes (1877-1944) was a prominent figure in Church of Christ mission efforts during the first half of the twentieth century. While Janes spent the majority of his time promoting missions among the denomination, he also displayed the best of his Stone-Campbell heritage through his love of and commitment to Christian Unity. In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, he expressed his dedication to reconciliation by participating in the Murch-Witty unity meetings led by James DeForest Murch and Claude Witty. This paper examines Janes’s attitude toward and understanding of Christian Unity and reconciliation as expressed in his involvement with the Murch-Witty unity meetings.

Jeremy Hegi, Abilene Christian University, “Don Carlos Janes, ‘One-Man Missionary Society’”

This paper explores the work of Don Carlos Janes (1877–1944), arguably the most significant missions-related figure in Churches of Christ during the early twentieth century. While Janes never served as a fulltime missionary, he devoted his life to missionary activism. So extensive was his work and significant his impact that some assigned him the title, “one-man missionary society.” This paper suggests that mainstream Churches of Christ marginalized Janes’s work and legacy because of his dispensational premillennial eschatology and seeks to rehabilitate this lost figure from the past to illustrate how Churches of Christ can recover, and thus reconcile, their history.

John Mark Hicks, Lipscomb University, “What's All the Fuss About? Neo-Puritan Evangelicalism and the New Perspective on Paul”

Contemporary Evangelical Theology is presently experiencing some significant tensions. Postconservative Evangelicals have embraced a broad range of ideas that place them in tension with Confessional or Traditional Evangelicals. One significant tension point is the conflict between the New Perspective on Paul with the Confessional understanding of Justification. My paper will explore the nature and importance of this conflict within Evangelicalism through the lens of John Piper and N. T. Wright. Why is this conflict a potential boundary marker of fidelity to the gospel for some Evangelicals, particularly those who are styled the "New Calvinists" (Neo-Puritans)?

Shawn R. Hughes, Lubbock Christian University and Dustin Hahn, Texas Tech University, “Sing it Out: A Study of Worship Media Effectiveness”

This study looks at media messages in a worship assembly, utilizing a Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) framework to determine the effectiveness of delivery of song lyrics in worship.  Overall singing levels in a worship assembly measured the level of subject involvement. Two key variables were manipulated, the familiarly of the song, and the use of text only or a combination of video and text to display song lyrics.  Results indicated that participants sang louder with familiar songs, with only the text of the lyrics being displayed, consistent with the LC4MP theory.

Carolyn Hunter, Pepperdine University (retired), “Esther: A New Reading?” 

When commenting on the story of Esther, scholars unleash a marvelous range of ingenuity in their interpretations.  But when faced with the task of preparing a viable script from this Biblical text for the purpose of public performance, what approach should we choose?  What is the best way to “read” this book with integrity: as a folk tale, as a clever pastiche of allusions, as an adaptable commentary on morality, as a political satire, or as an allegory of redemption?  In this presentation, we will attempt to find our way into the receptive ears of a contemporary audience.

Mac Ice, Independent Scholar, “David Lipscomb on Rebaptism: Contexts of a Controversy.”

This paper contextualizes David Lipscomb’s voice in a significant debate among conservative Disciples in the latter decades of the nineteenth century.  Probing Lipscomb’s position on the propriety of reimmersion, this paper situates his role in the discussion in four key contexts:  in a historical context (Lipscomb’s own baptism), in a theological context (the larger framework of his baptismal theology), in his ecclesial context (the practice at Nashville’s South College Street Christian Church where Lipscomb served as an elder), and in its immediate journalistic context (his exchanges, as Editor of the Gospel Advocate, with Austin McGary and the Firm Foundation).

Steve Joiner, Managing Director, Institute for Conflict Management,  Lipscomb University, “Turning the Other Cheek or Draw the Line: Addressing Axelrod's ‘Tit for Tat’ Theory within a Christian Environment”

Robert Axelrod’s game theory approach (Tit for Tat) in managing mixed- motive conflict competitively shapes much of the foundation of conflict management theory in America.  The question must be asked, “Are competitive models of managing conflict appropriate within a faith setting that values ‘turning the other cheek?’” Axelrod and other competitive models will be examined in light of Jesus’ call to humility and meekness.

Earl Lavender, Lipscomb University, “Redemptive Response Through Spiritual Formation: A Unique and Comprehensive Learning Experience”

The “fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.” We, as Christian universities, are to train students into the purposes of God -- the ordering and filling of creation as his image. All vocations should be expressions of God’s continuing creative activity, yet all have been twisted by idolatry. God's redemptive response is Christ followers living as healing influence in the brokenness of the world as God reconciles all things through the blood of the cross. This session will suggest an epistemological foundation and practical ideas for the implementation of such an approach to higher education.

See Huang Lim, Abilene Christian University, “Reconciliation through Indigenization:  Shusako Endo and Christianity in Japan”

Through his novels, the Japanese author Shusaku Endo argues for the necessity of the indigenization of the Christian faith in Japan. He reveals that Christianity is trapped within its Hellenized and western forms; as such, he points out that unless Christianity is contextualized in an authentically Japanese manner, its gospel message will be rendered useless. Brett Dewey, an Endo scholar comments, “His is a literature of liberation from western theological imperialism, and yet radically Catholic.” In this critical examination of Endo's novel, Silence, we will explore the possibilities for cross-cultural reconciliation through the indigenization of the Christian faith.

Suzanne Fournier Macaluso, Abilene Christian University, “Gender Identity Construction: Role Theory and Symbolic Interaction in Religious Contexts”

There are many ways to understand the creation of gender identities. In the social sciences there are competing theories on how gender identities are constructed. Role Theory and Symbolic Interaction are two such theories. Both focus on the role of socialization in the creation and maintenance of gendered norms and expectations. Role and Symbolic Interaction theories posit that boys and girls learn gender norms through their encounters and experiences with significant others of the same sex. The current paper will examine how these two theories are to be understood in religious context.

Suzanne Macaluso & Jared Perkins, Abilene Christian University, “The Effects of Religious Tradition on Women’s Employment at Christian Colleges”

With the rising popularity of attendance at religiously affiliated colleges and universities in the United States and with the emergence of research on women’s roles in religious contexts, the current study seeks to combine these two fields. This study will analyze the number of female faculty at institutions of Christian higher education to see if there is a relationship between the number and rank of female faculty and the denominational affiliation of the institution. The study utilizes data collected from university online catalogs to understand the relationship between religious tradition and female faculty roles.

Tracy Mack, Lubbock Christian University, “Rethinking World Poverty; Causes, Solutions and Unintended Consequences”

Approximately 15% of the world’s population is living in extreme poverty.  Since the 1960s, approximately $2.5 trillion has been invested by governments, NGOs, and religious organizations, attempting to solve this economic problem.  Yet it appears that these investments have not solved this problem; many believe they have exacerbated the problem. Three influential writers examine the causes of and provide their prescriptions for ending this extreme poverty: Jeffrey D. Sachs, Paul Collier, and William Easterly. This paper will examine each of their books to determine what we as believers and educators can learn and what, if anything, we should do.

Kraig Martin, Baylor University, “Faith and the Rationality of Closing Inquiry”

One closes inquiry regarding some claim when one intentionally stops checking to see if the claim is true, with no intention of further investigation.  This paper is about the standards of justified closure of inquiry, and how those standards relate to faith, which is plausibly thought of as entailing or constituting an instance of closing inquiry.  What are the standards for a justified closure of inquiry, and how does faith in God fare in light of those standards?  I argue in favor of a non-reductive theory, which I call the Relational Theory of Justified Closure of Inquiry.

Lynette Sharp Penya, Suzanne Macaluso, Garry Bailey, & Lori Anne Shaw, Abilene Christian University, “Measuring Gender-Role Attitudes in Religious Contexts: A Test of Scale Reliability and Validity”

According to prior research , differences in attitudes toward gender roles exist among religious populations at both the denominational and congregational level. Being able to measure these differences may help to facilitate congregational gender-role discussions. However, prior research provides no valid and reliable scale to measure gender-role attitudes in religious contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop a concise, valid and reliable scale that can be used by churches as part of gender-role discussions to assess members’ gender-role attitudes in religious contexts.

Brandon Pierce, Abilene Christian University, “The Pain of Being and Becoming Human: Pain in Christian Ascetic Theological Anthropology”

The ascetic theologian John Climacus writes, “Those who aim at ascending with the body to Heaven, indeed need violence and constant suffering...” Pain—physical and emotional—is the groundwork and facilitator of human striving. By starting from the vantage point of recent interdisciplinary scholarship on pain this paper will aim to articulate the various conceptions of pain in the ascetic theological anthropology of John Climacus and Isaac of Nineveh. The renewed understanding and appreciation of pain from contemporary scholarship will allow us to both understand and criticize the role of pain in ascetic theological anthropology.

Michael Potts, Methodist University, “Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mind Reading, and the Soul”

If “mind reading” through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is possible, it supports a physicalist view of the mind that opposes traditional Christian theology, limiting human beings to a deterministic matter/energy world with no room for the soul. It also replaces Cartesian “mind-body dualism” with a “brain-body dualism” in tension with Christianity’s emphasis on soul-body unity. Yet recent physiological evidence emphasizes the role the extracerebral body plays in human action and identity. “Mind reading” also falls into the same conceptual problems faced by physicalist systems: consciousness, qualia, intentionality, meaning, and creativity. fMRI brain scans, therefore, leave the soul untouched.

Mark Powell, Harding School of Theology, “Is God Essential to Sound Doctrine?”

The five-volume work Sound Doctrine, published in the first half of the 20^th century, both reflects and has shaped theological reflection in Churches of Christ.  This paper compares the organization and presentation of theology in Sound Doctrine with the rules of faith and creedal statements of the early church from the 2^nd-5^th centuries.  The articulation and function of a Trinitarian vision of God in Sound Doctrine will be critically analyzed, and reflections on the future of Restoration theology and spirituality will be offered.

Matthew A. Roberson, Faulkner University, “Lessons Learned from the ‘Immorality and Profaneness’ of the Stage: Issues Concerning Morality and Censorship in Christian Theater Education”

With his Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage in 1698, the clergyman Jeremy Collier ignited a firestorm that waged for the next three decades.  Though most audiences of plays produced in Christian colleges would disagree with (and perhaps laugh at) Collier’s invective, many nonetheless are uncomfortable with Christian students embodying sinful characters. This paper examines the tensions in Christian education that result from the representation of sin onstage and proposes principles for navigating the resulting controversies and learning from those tensions. 

Cynthia Roper, Abilene Christian University, “A Look at Women and Their Roles as Portrayed in Church of Christ Periodicals”

The purpose of this research is to begin an exploratory examination of how women and their roles in Churches of Christ have been portrayed in selected Church of Christ periodicals over the past 50 years.  Specifically, this research will utilize content analysis to discover how women and their roles within churches of Christ have been represented, the nature of that representation, and whether and/or how these representations have changed over time.  The two periodicals which have been chosen for the initial analysis are the Gospel Advocate and the Firm Foundation.

Nathan Shank, University of Kentucky, “God of the Gaps: Reconciling Christianity with the Consciousness Impasse”

A theological understanding of the mind contrasts with leading theories of consciousness from philosophy of mind, represented by John Searle and Daniel Dennett.  These secular views offer insufficient accounts of cognition because they reduce it to either a pattern or a structure.   My presentation aims to reconcile them with the theological perspective of a God-breathed consciousness. Drawing on Christian commentators, such as Marilynne Robinson, and narrative theorists, such as Alan Palmer, I propose that a Christian “God of the gaps” argument helps clarify both the insufficiency of current theories of consciousness and the inscrutability of our profound human subjectivity.

Mark Sneed, Lubbock Christian University, “Femmes Fatales and Flawed Females in the Ancient Near East”

The oldest femme fatale story goes back to the Ugaritic story (13^th century bce) of Aqhat, which includes a female character Paghat, who uses her female wiles to slay the murderer of her brother. This ancient story is remarkably similar to those of Jael (Judg 4-5) and Judith. These women appear to employ morally dubious means to bring about justice. Do the ends justify the means? Other biblical women use similar suspicious tactics (Tamar, Esther, etc.). This paper will attempt to explain why the questionable actions of these characters would have been perceived as ultimately pious by the original audiences.

Jeff Stayton, The University of Mississippi, “Reconciliation through Violence: Southern Gothic Meets Spanish Baroque in the Career of Cormac McCarthy”

Cormac McCarthy infuses classic gravitas from an epic lineage and regional genius into contemporary prose. In novels such as The Orchard Keeper; Outer Dark; Child of God; Suttree; Blood Meridian; All the Pretty Horses; The Crossing; Cities of the Plain; No Country for Old Men; and the Road, McCarthy creates both Southern and Southwestern worlds with an apocalyptic vision that seeks reconciliation with God through violence. According to Kenneth Lincoln, McCarthy “chronicles the search for justice and redemption with tragic sorrow and heroic stoicism.” My essay reads McCarthy’s ten novels as a testament to reconciliation through graphic violence.

Barry Stephens, Monterey Church of Christ, Lubbock, TX, “Managing Transition and Change in the Congregational Environment”

Research, from a systems perspective, clearly indicates that the most difficult thing for a system to experience is change.  At one level, church leaders must manage the conflict and anxiety that come with the inevitable changes and transitions of congregational life.  From another perspective, effective church leaders also initiate change and transition as they seek to lead their churches in honoring God’s mission for the church.  This paper will draw from research in systems thinking, and from a biblical theology of conflict, to propose a process to guide church leaders in effectively leading and managing major congregational transitions.

John Struloeff, Pepperdine University, “Tolstoy and the Complexities of Reconciliation in Anna Karenina”

Leo Tolstoy developed an array of characters in Anna Karenina, allowing us to see his complex notions of society, in particular the ways in which people change when interacting with one another.  Many of the characters – most intensely Konstantin Levin and Anna Karenina herself – find themselves yearning for reconciliation within both their relationships with others and their spiritual beliefs but are frustrated by the desires and actions of others.  This paper explores this complex progression in relation to Tolstoy’s own spiritual changes while writing Anna Karenina.

Jennifer Jeanine Thweatt-Bates, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, “Not Without the Others: Volf and Haraway on Gendered Humanity”

How can we construct a theological perspective on gender that avoids both the “oppositional logic of the same” (Irigaray) and the complete dissolution of the self into the other? Volf proposes a theological construction of gender based upon Trinitarian relations, in which each gender must be understood as “not without the other.” Donna Haraway’s cyborg figure also negotiates this issue, yet moves decisively beyond the categorical gender binary, suggesting more complex, fluid, and plural possibilities for construction of gender. This may, in the end, be a more consistent application of the Trinitarian relationships at the heart of Volf’s proposal.

Juanie Walker, Pepperdine University, “Convicted Civility as Communication Ethic”

This essay approaches the theme of reconciliation from the perspective of Richard Mouw’s (2010) Uncommon Decency in which he argues that engaging in a polemic of either relativist or crusader is as common among Christians as others. His “third way” of convicted civility—with central qualities of empathy, curiosity, and teachability—is examined as a communication ethic that draws on virtues-based ethics and a dialogic stance, including Mikhail Bakhtin’s notions of addressivity and answerability among centripetal and centrifugal forces. Recommendations are made for ways to teach and examine convicted civility.

Mark Wiebe, Southern Methodist University, “Molina and Farrer on Providence and Libertarian Freedom”

As a part of his argument to uphold a strong view of providence and libertarian free will, Luis de Molina declares the created agent’s own particular experience of free action must be taken into account.  Several other thinkers echo this point. In the twentieth century, Austin Farrer’s work stands out as an explicit and extended defense of this claim. Focusing on the relevant material from Molina and Farrer, this study will explore and defend both the argument from conscious experience of choice to libertarian free will and consider some of the implications for Christian portrayals of divine providence.

Nathaniel Wiewora, University of Delaware, “’Every Age of the World Has Produced Imposters and Delusions’: The Stone-Campbellite Reaction to the Emergence of Mormonism”

Members of the Stone-Campbell tradition, like Alexander Campbell, had some of the earliest reactions to the appearance of Mormonism in antebellum America.  Overwhelmingly negative, they eviscerated the Book of Mormon as a man-made invention and they pointed out the excessive emotionalism of Mormon religious practices.  These early polemics reveal more than the emergence of an evangelical anti-Mormonism.  They reveals something deeper taking place within Stone-Campbell movement.  What was so galling about Mormonism to Campbell may have had less to do with difference than with seeing some of themselves in the nascent Mormon movement. 

Jonathan Witt, Acton Institute, “Poverty Cure: Reconciliation, Engagement, Enterprise”

This paper will relate findings from my interactions with some eighty global poverty fighters in my work on a documentary and website. Many urged a move from paternalism to partnerships and enterprise solutions to poverty. Others urged charities to stop presenting the poor as objects and emphasized that the poor are made in the image of God, stewards with creativity and potential. A key theme of the presentation is summed up by Mother Theresa: “We do not believe in class conflict but class encounter—where the rich save the poor and the poor save the rich.”

Michael R. Young, Faulkner University, “The Pedagogy of Silence”

The exercise of silence seems almost counter intuitive, or at least counter-productive, in a society with such ready-at- hand access to information of all kinds through technology. The practice of silence appears to be particularly against the grain in education where the applications of new technologies fill the classroom with sound and visual content. Can the spiritual exercise of silence, both exterior and interior, provide any valuable service to the task of learning? The hermeneutical insights from H. G. Gadamer and Paul Ricouer regarding how we come to understanding offer a few supportive connections of silence to learning.

Alvin Ray Yount, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, “Morality - Knowledge – Love:  A Consummate Homogenous Inception of Man”

This paper examines the essence of humanity, specifically the ability to establish a moral system of reciprocity in dealing with fellow humans, the ability to retrieve and process stored information, and the ability to demonstrate outward love toward fellow humans. This meta-analysis finds that morality, knowledge and love are at the core of humanity and that knowledge through communication, using books and stored electronic media dominate as prima-facie in the essence of humanness. This study concludes that people, today, are more human than their ancestors of yesteryear and that civilization has not yet reached its full potential of humanness.

Panel Abstracts

• Saeed Khan, Wayne State University
• Mark Kinzer, Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
• Miroslav Volf, Yale University Divinity School

Many of today’s significant geopolitical challenges surface along the borders of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Religion is not the only category through which to understand geopolitical issues, but Jewish/Christian/Muslim interactions certainly play a vital role when considering phenomena such as the “war on terror,” tensions along the “tenth parallel,” the continuing struggles in the Middle East, the Arab Spring, and the dramatic growth of Islam in Europe and North America.  Interacting with Miroslav Volf and his work in reconciliation studies and Christian/Muslim interactions, a Muslim scholar and a Messianic Jewish scholar will explore the possibilities and challenges of reconciliation among Abraham’s children.

• Amir M. Arain, Vanderbilt University,
• William J. Abraham, Southern Methodist University,
• Shaun Casey, Wesley Theological Seminary,
• C. Melissa Snarr, Vanderbilt University,
• Lee C. Camp, Lipscomb University, Respondent

Some American Christians see Islam as fundamentally violent in ways that Christianity is not.  Others see Islam and Christianity as two expressions of the same universal love of neighbor.  Lee Camp argues against both views in Who Is My Enemy?  Questions American Christians Must Face About Islam – and Themselves.  Camp stresses the difference between Islam and Christianity, even as he makes clear that each tradition has its own record of violence and resources for peace.  This session gathers a distinguished panel of Muslim and Christian scholars to discuss Camp’s book and the prospects for Muslim-Christian dialogue in the United States.

• Rick Marrs, Pepperdine University, “The Prophets and the Land”
• Khalil Jahshan, Pepperdine University, “The Dilemma for Palestinian Christians”
• Hanna Swaid, Member of the Israel Knesset, “Land Issues and the Hope for Reconciliation”
• Gary Burge, Wheaton College Graduate School, Respondent

Reconciliation in the Middle East faces many challenges, especially in the tension between territorial theology and contemporary injustices. Christian Zionists apply prophetic texts from the Old Testament to current events in the land without reflection on the view of Jesus toward the land. Burge argues that the words of the prophets, the perspective of Jesus in the Gospels and the views of Paul all yield a story about a God seeking to reconcile all creation rather than reclaiming a territory. The panel will address the prophetic issues and contemporary challenges to Arab Christians in the land.

• Richard T. Hughes, Messiah College: Reviewer (Distinguished Professor of Religion and Director of the Sider Institute, Messiah College)
• Beth Schweiger, University of Arkansas: Reviewer (Associate Professor, History Department)
• Ted Smith, Vanderbilt University Divinity School: Reviewer (Assistant Professor of Ethics and Society, Director of the Program in Theology and Practice)
• Charles Reagan Wilson, University of Mississippi: Reviewer (Cook Chair of History and Professor of Southern Studies)
• Amanda Porterfield, Florida State University: Respondent (Robert A. Spivey Professor of Religion)

Amanda Porterfield’s new book challenges the commonly held notion of a strong connection between evangelical religion and democracy in the early days of the republic. In the 1790s, religious doubt became common as the new republic shifted from mere skepticism toward darker expressions of suspicion and fear. By the early 1800s, economic instability and other factors worked to undermine optimism about American political and religious independence. Evangelicals blamed religious skeptics for immorality and social distress; thus, Porterfield counters the idea that evangelical growth in this period was the product of enthusiasm for democracy.

• Chris Doran, Pepperdine University
• Dodd Galbreath, Lipscomb University
• Cliff Barbarick, Abilene Christian University

Whether it is framed as the three E’s (environment, economics, ethics) or P’s (planet, profit, people), the triple bottom line approach to sustainability is filtered into the consciousness of mainstream America.  Thinking about sustainability though seems at times to be rather inchoate or even dismissed in faith-based settings.  This panel will reflect on the concept of sustainability by considering whether or not it can be conceived of as a work of reconciliation between three different sets of neighbors: (1) Christian and Secular, (2) human and nonhuman and (3) God and the world.

• Scott Th. Carroll, Director of the Green Collection
• Jerry Pattengale, Director of the Green Scholars Initiative

The Green family of Oklahoma City has invested heavily in amassing artifacts of significance for biblical history and the history of the Bible. Several pieces from their collection will be on display at the Christian Scholars Conference, but the collection has even greater significance. From the beginning the Greens determined to make items from the collection accessible to Christian universities and colleges in order to foster undergraduate research. This provides a marvelous opportunity for students in a wide number of fields to participate in world class scholarship related to faith. Scott Carroll and Jerry Pattengale will describe the collection and the process of engaging students with the collection.