2019 Conference, "Compassion and Theodicy"

 2019 Ian Ramsey Centre Summer Conference

Mathematical Institute and Eynsham Hall, Oxford, 19-20 July 2019

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Compassion and theodicy do not usually mix. Theodicy is generally a dispassionate activity, conducted through abstract philosophical arguments and “just-so” stories of suffering. Compassion is the realm of the pastor, the health care professional, and the friend, typically outside the discourse of the academy. Exploring these two areas of human thought and experience in tandem, however, offers powerful new possibilities to both: compassion enriched by scholarship, and theodicy shaped by compassion. This conference will seek to build new paths at the intersection of theory and flourishing, with presentations providing perspectives on suffering from theological, philosophical, medical, and pastoral perspectives. 

The keynote speakers will include Alister McGrath, at a public lecture Thursday 18 July in the evening. On Friday 19 July, Joshua Hordern, Bethany Sollereder, and Eleonore Stump will speak, together with a small number of short papers, at the Mathematical Institute. Christopher Southgate will speak at the dinner on Friday evening at Eynsham Hall. The remaining 27 short papers will be presented in three parallel sessions at Eynsham Hall on Saturday 20 July.

The conference will be held at the Mathematical Institute in Oxford and at Eynsham Hall, an 18th century stately home nestled in the English countryside a few miles northwest of Oxford. A coach will be available to take participants to Eynsham Hall on Friday evening, returning on Saturday evening.

Theology and Science is planning to publish a special edition with a selection of papers from the event.

Cost and registration:

The cost is £60 for each day of the event, which includes lunch on Saturday. The dinner on Friday evening, at which Christopher Southgate will speak, costs £25. 

Registration is open via the Oxford University online store

Accommodation:

Accommodation with breakfast is available at Eynsham Hall on Friday night, but needs to be booked and paid separately; call: +44(0)1993 885200 (ext. 1 for rooms).

Timing:

The first event of the conference will be an evening lecture by Prof. Alister McGrath, "Science, Suffering, and Intellectual Coherence" on Thursday 18 July, starting at 7:30pm. This lecture will be open to the public, regardless of any other booking, but please register if you are planning to attend at the following link:

https://events.eventzilla.net/e/science-suffering-and-intellectual-coherence-public-lecture-by-prof-alister-mcgrath-university-of-oxford-2138719454

The first event on Friday 19 July will start at 9:00AM; the last event on Saturday 20 July will finish by 5:30PM. A more detailed timetable is shown below.

Transport:

Participants are welcome to make their own arrangements for travelling to and from Eynsham Hall, but there will be coaches available. Details to be posted shortly.

IMPORTANT NOTICE 23 MAY: Please phone Eynsham Hall to book your room reservation, and tell them you are with the Ian Ramsey Centre Conference. Rooms have been reserved for the conference participants but are not showing as being available on the website’s online booking form.

Detailed timetable:

COMPASSION AND THEODICY
2019 Ian Ramsey Centre Summer Conference
Mathematical Institute and Eynsham Hall, Oxford, 18-20 July

THURSDAY EVENING 18 JULY
Mathematical Institute, Oxford
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7:30pm: PUBLIC LECTURE: Alister McGrath (University of Oxford)
“Science, Suffering, and Intellectual Coherence:
Theological Reflections on the Value and Limits of Theodicy”

https://events.eventzilla.net/e/science-suffering-and-intellectual-coherence-public-lecture-by-prof-alister-mcgrath-university-of-oxford-2138719454

8:45pm Finish
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FRIDAY 19 JULY
Mathematical Institute, Oxford
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8:15am: Registration desk open
8:45am: Conference introduction
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9:00am: PLENARY: Eleonore Stump (St Louis University)
“Suffering and Flourishing”
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10:30am: Break with Tea and Coffee
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11:00am: PLENARY: Joshua Hordern (University of Oxford)
“Compassion, Health, and Hope: Apologetic Reflections”
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12:30pm: Lunch Break
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1:30pm: PLENARY: Bethany Sollereder (University of Oxford)
“Compassionate Theodicy: Moving from the Systematic to the Practical”
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3:00pm: Break with Tea and Coffee
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3:30pm: PLENARY SHORT PAPERS
Victoria Campbell (Asbury Theological Seminary)
“A Theodicy of I-Thou Relationships and Empathetic Love”

Mike Kirby (University of Liverpool)
“Encounters in Cancer Care – Pastoral and Professional Ministry Combined”
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4:30pm: Break
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4:45pm: PLENARY SHORT PAPERS
Finney Premkumar (Azusa Pacific University)
“‘Come Cry With Me’: Compassion as a Radical Criticism of Theodicies”

David Efird (University of York)
“Could the God of Christ’s Cry of Dereliction be a God of Compassion? Theodicy in a World of Divine Hiddenness”
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5:45pm: Finish
6:00pm: Coach to Eynsham Hall
7:00pm: Dinner at Eynsham Hall
8:00pm: Poetry by Christopher Southgate
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SATURDAY 20 JULY
Eynsham Hall, Oxford
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Shirburn Suite
8:30am: Andrew Pinsent (University of Oxford)
“Consultancy-led Selling in Academia”

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9:00am: Break with Tea and Coffee
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9:30am: SHORT PAPERS I (THREE STREAMS)
Band A: Shirburn Suite
Craig Boyd, “Job, Theodicy, and Intellectual Humility”
Thea Gomelauri, “Reading Job through the Lens of Moses: An Exploration of Compassion and Theodicy in their Narratives”
Rope Kojonen, “Compassion and the Argument from Design”
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Band B: Bazley suite
James Roberts, “Co-suffering, theodicy and the eschatological vision of Mother Maria Skobtsova”
Andrzej Słowikowski, “Existential theodicy as spiritual upbuilding based on
the religious writings of Kierkegaard”
Luis Torro, “Compassion In A Transhumanist Age: Some Theological Perspectives”
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Band C: Parker suite
Martin Pickney, “Ethics as First Theodicy: The Irreducible and Inexhaustible in the Poetics of Justifying God”
Jonathan Bleacher, “An Evaluation of Christian Ethics on Genome Editing”
Pedro Zafrila, “When Emotions Cry Out For Justice: Recognizing The Voice Of Victims In The Neuroethical Turn”
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11:00am: Break with Tea and Coffee
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11:30am: SHORT PAPERS II (THREE STREAMS)
Band A: Shirburn Suite
Ignacio Silva, “Providence as Compassion (or Mercy)”
Paul Ewart, “Why is Suffering Random?”
Fabian Grassl, “Is the Doctrine of an Intrinsically Suffering God Panentheistic?”
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Band B: Bazley suite
Andrew Loke, “Human Origins and Traditional Adamic Fall Theodicy”
Paul Rezkalla, “Can the Fall play a causal role in the existence of death and suffering despite the evolutionary timeline?”
Arlyn Culwick, “A Theodicy of Kenosis: Eleonore Stump and the Fall of Jericho”
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Band C: Parker suite
Elizabeth Burns, “Theodicy and Transformation”
Mark Scott, “Befriending Job: Theodicy amid the Ashes ”
Franco Manni, “The Individual Soul and the People of God”
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1:00pm: Lunch provided by Eynsham Hall
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2:00pm: SHORT PAPERS III (THREE STREAMS)
Band A: Shirburn Suite
Lluis Oviedo, “Relating compassion, spirituality, and scandal before unjust suffering: an empirical assessment”
Jamie Howard, “A Journey of Hope: Employing Ethnographic Research in the Conjuring and Appropriation of Empathy and Compassion”
Agustín Echavarría, “Theodicy, God's Ethics, and Mercy”
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Band B: Bazley suite
Ellen Lesser, “On the Termination of Species: The Problem of Evil and the Permian Extinction”
Nathan Aviezer, “The Necessity of Evil”
John Baxter, “Theodicy, Religion and Compassion explored from a Buddhist/Humanist Perspective”
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Band C: Parker suite
Rory Philips, “Compassionate Theodicy: Temple’s defence against Evil”
Stuart Jesson, “Compassion, Theodicy, and Nihilism”
Matthew Fleenor, “Creation as the Wound of God”
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3:30pm: Break with Tea and Coffee
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4:00pm: FINAL PANEL SESSION
Shirburn Suite
PANEL: Alister McGrath, Bethany Sollereder,
Christopher Southgate, Eleonore Stump
“Compassion, Theodicy, and Career”
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5:30pm: Conference ends
5:45pm: Coach to Oxford
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