The conference theme this year is God, Meaning & Nature. Does God’s existence make our lives more meaningful? Many have thought so, and one aspect of this pertains to our engagements with the natural world. For many theists, engaging with nature takes on a kind of spiritual significance. They find the world “charged with the grandeur of God,” as Hopkins put it. However, while this aspect of theistic spirituality is often important in the lives of practicing theists, it remains generally underexplored in the philosophy of religion today. This conference theme seeks to remedy that.
Registration
Registration is open! Here are the rates:
* Fully employed, not an SCP member + 1 year of SCP membership -- $90
* Fully employed, not an SCP member -- $60
* Fully employed, SCP member -- $50
* Student/Retired/Underemployed/K12 Educator, not an SCP member -- $30
* Student/Retired/Underemployed/K12 Educator, not an SCP member + 1 year of SCP membership -- $30
* Student/Retired/Underemployed/K12 Educator, SCP member -- $20
The normal SCP registration rate is $45/yr or $10/yr for students/retired/underemployed/K12. So, adding a membership to your conference registration is a deal--at the fully employed rate, you'd essentially get the conference rate of an SCP member plus membership at a discount. At the student/retired/underemployed/K12 rate, you can get 1 year of SCP membership for free!
Lodging
There are several hotels within a fairly short distance from Loyola Marymount.
Schedule
Thursday (May 28)
1-2 check-in
2-2:50 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“A Superior Non-Identity Theodicy”, Jeremy Skrzypek (Ohio Dominican University)
“God as Infallible Communicator, Nature as Fallible Source”, Wes Siscoe (Ohio State)
“Agent Causation Bypasses Occasionalism and Concurrentism”, Emily McCall (Independent scholar)
3-3:50 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“Does Christian Spirituality Need Science?”, Jack VanDrunen (Westminster Seminary California)
“Thomas Aquinas on Gratitude to God”, Christopher Kaczor (Loyola Marymount University)
“Why God Cannot Be Identical with the Universe”, Fuyao Zhang (Tulane University)
4:10-5 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“From Potentiality to Norm: Reframing Christian Accounts of Dignity”, Derek Estes (Pepperdine)
“A Reformed Conception of the Structure of Faith”, Eyob Zewdie (UC Irvine)
“God, Concurrentism, and the Metaphysics of Meaningful Natural Causality”, Patricius Neonnub (UNWIRA)
5-7 Dinner
7-8:15 KEYNOTE: “What Are Children For? God and the Goodness of Human Life”, Anastasia Berg (UC Irvine)
Friday (May 29)
9-9:50 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“The Ethics of Theism”, David Kovacs (Loyola Marymount University)
“Nahmanides and Miraculous Occasions”, Menashe C. Roberts (St. Louis University)
“The Threat of Moral Arguments Against Religious Commitment”, Joshua Thurow (UT San Antonio)
10-10:50 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“The Natural World and Second-Personal Knowledge”, David Smitherman (Biola)
“Personal Identity and God in Us: Metaphysics, Modality, and Meaning”, Jon Kelly (Independent scholar)
“The Axiology of Classical Theism”, Chris Tomaszewski (Belmont Abbey College)
11-11:50 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“Edenomics: Work, Exchange, and Meaning in the New Creation”, Kyle Swan (Sacramento State University)
“Fans, Fanatics, and the Faithful”, Rebecca Chan (San Jose State University)
“What’s Still Wrong with Tooley’s Argument from Evil”, Michael DeBord-Hall and Jacob T. Hollis (Baylor University)
11:50-1:40 Lunch
1:40-2:40 PRIZE TALK
“Attend To No Evil”, Laura Siscoe (Ohio State)
Commentator: TBD
3:00-4:30 AXIOLOGY OF THEISM PANEL
Moderator: Daniel Speak (Loyola Marymount University)
Panelists: Brian Ballard (Loyola Marymount University), Mark Schroeder (USC), Robert Audi (Notre Dame)
4:30-6:30 Banquet
6:30-7:45 Keynote: “God’s Eternal Love for Individuals”, Thomas Ward (UT Austin)
Saturday (May 30)
9-9:50 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“Moral Insignificance in Theism”, David Hancock (Biola)
“Sonship without Subordination: Deflating the Monarchy of the
Father”, Harriet Baber (University of San Diego)
“Meaning in Hell”, Eric Yang (Santa Clara University)
10:00-11:00 PRIZE TALK
“Remembering Heaven”, Matt Frise (Milwaukee School of Engineering)
Commentator: Robert Garcia (Baylor University)
11:20-12:10 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“Sticking Up for the Worth of a God-Created World,” Brian Ballard (Loyola Marymount University)
“Classical Theism and the Problem of God’s Worship-Worthiness”, Matt Garza (Independent Scholar)
“Joy of Always Being Guilty? Kierkegaard on Our Ambivalence About True Love”, Jaeha Woo (Evangelia University)
12:10-1:40 Lunch
1:40-2:30 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
“Creation and Divine Relationality: A Response to Murphy,” Joseph Long (Georgetown University)
“Can Beauty Save the Individual at Least? Dostoevsky on Natural Beauty, Transcendence, and Supernaturalismm,” Daniel Grasso (St. Louis University)
“Grace Outside Morality,” Christopher Yee (University of Michigan)
2:45-4:10 BOOK SYMPOSIUM: Jason Baehr’s Inquiry and Agency
Jason Baehr (Loyola Marymount University)
Duncan Pritchard (UC Irvine)
Linda Zagzebski (University of Oklahoma)
4:30-5:45 KEYNOTE: “Divinity, Dignity, and Devotion,” Robert Audi (Notre Dame)
*with special surprise announcement*
End of conference ("lay thee down and roar!”)