news...
Prayer from a Process Perspective
February 6 - March 2, 2012
with Jeanyne Slettom
Jeanyne Slettom will be teaching an Online Intensive Continuing Education Course offered through Claremont School of Theology titled: "Prayer from a Process Perspective." Prayer engages our spiritual/worshiping selves as well as reflecting our understanding of God, human beings, and how they relate in the world. This course explores the meaning, practice, and language of prayer from the perspective of process-relational theology, with practical applications for worship, pastoral care, and personal enrichment. [learn more]
Conviviality in a Multireligious Community
February 22-24, 2012
Haddon Conference Center, Claremont School of Theology
The World Parliament of Religions adopted Hans Küng’s precept that there will be "No peace among the nations without peace among the religions…without dialogue between the religions…without investigation of the foundation of the religions". Others add, that there will not be peace in this world, even with the unified force of the world’s religions and wisdom traditions, without justice among people, cultures and religions as well as within them. In one way or another, “unity” among religions, as based on justice and the will to accept the other’s religions and even irreligiosity as means of justice, will not prevail without an internal and external, spiritual, theological, philosophical and practical investigation into the very reasons for religious strife and fanaticism as well as the resources that people, cultures, religions and wisdom traditions might provide to disentangle them from the injustices of their host regimes, and to seek the “balance” that leads to a measure of universal fairness among the multiplicity of religious and non-religious expressions of humanity.
“Conviviality” expresses the depth and breadth of “living together,” which itself can be understood as a translation of a central term of Whitehead's philosophy and the process tradition—“concrescence” (growing together, becoming concrete)—as it is recently and increasingly used in different discourses to name the concrete community of difference of individuals, cultures, and religions in appreciation of the mutual inclusiveness of their lives.
Since the work of the Center for Process Studies, home of the process tradition of philosophy and theology for more than 40 years, reflects and is an essential part of the groundbreaking new multireligious university at Claremont, this conference seeks to bring together experts from different religious (and non-religious) traditions and spiritual persuasions and versed in process thought with members of the multireligious faculty at Claremont to suggest ways in which the living wisdom traditions might contribute to, and transform themselves into, a universal conviviality among the people, cultures and religions of this world for a common future. It wishes to test the resources that we can contribute to this concurrent and urgent matter, aware of Whitehead's call for a radical transformation of power and violence in thought and action as, perhaps, the ultimate theory of conflict resolution.
Visit the conference website
Contact: Jeremy Fackenthal (jfackenthal@gmail.com)
Process Thought and Christian Scriptures
March 21, 2012
with Jon Berquist
On March 21, Rev. Dr. Jon L. Berquist, President of the Disciples Seminary Foundation, will be leading a seminar on the topic of Process Thought and Christian Scriptures. Berquist is a native Californian from First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Ventura, and is an ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He received a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Christian University, in Eugene, Oregon, and a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as New Brunswick Theological Seminary and several other seminaries. He is also the author or editor of more than ten books, including Ancient Wine, New Wineskins: The Lord’s Supper in Old Testament Perspective, Reclaiming Her Story: The Witness of Women in the Old Testament, and Judaism in Persia’s Shadow: A Social and Historical Approach.
Money and Banking in Ecological Economics
April 10-12, 2012
On April 11 and 12, we will have a conference on “Money and Banking in Ecological Economics.” The conference has been planned since last April when Ellen Brown spoke at a conference sponsored by the China Project on Ecological Economics. We and the two main spokespersons for ecological economics, Joshua Farley and Mark Anielski, were impressed by her understanding of how the private sector enriches itself by creating money and how the larger community would benefit by recovering this role. Her formulations, however, took the growth economy as their context, whereas she is, in fact, quite supportive of ecological economics. We decided to meet again to discuss how to integrate her wisdom about finance into ecological economics. This will be the focus of the conversation, although the enrichment of the vision of ecological economics will go beyond this in some of the presentations.
Celebrating Reenchantment: The Philosophical, Religious, and Political Thought of David Ray Griffin
April 12-14, 2012
This spring the Center for Process Studies will celebrate the lifetime achievements of one of its founders and co-directors, David Ray Griffin. The scope of the conference has been developed to encompass the several principal strands of Griffin’s scholarship on philosophical, religious, and political thought. Presentations will be made during the two day event, culminating with David Griffin’s reprise of his scholarly journey, to be followed by a banquet on Saturday, April 14. An effort has been made to gather the most qualified scholars familiar with Griffin’s scholarly contribution.The following presentations of papers will be made in the course of the conference: John Buchanan (life after death); Philip Clayton (scientific naturalism and religion); Marcus Ford (parapsychology, philosophy, and spirituality); John Cobb (evolution); Gary Dorrien (Process Theology); Catherine Keller (problem of evil); Tod Fletcher (9/11 and the 9/11 truth movement); Peter Dale Scott (9/11, deep politics, and spirituality); Richard Falk (postmodern politics and spirituality); Gene Reeves (morality); Sandra Lubarsky (religious pluralism); Nancy Frankenberry (truth and religious experience); Daniel Dombrowski (mind/ body in Whitehead and Griffin); David Ray Griffin (the intellectual journey); and Beth Johnson (banquet remarks). See conference website for more details.
The Place of Harmony in Ecological Civilization
6th Annual Conference on Ecological Civilization
April 27-28, 2012
This is the Sixth International Forum on Ecological Civilization held in Claremont cosponsored by The Institute for Postmodern Development of China (IPDC), and a Chinese government thinktank. The purpose of the Forum is to contribute to fresh reflections on the requirements of an ecological civilization from both constructive postmodern and Marxist perspectives. One deep value of Chinese culture has been harmony, and this term is also important in the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. However, modern thought in general has not emphasized harmony, partly because of its apparent tension with both “justice” and “growth.” The 2012 forum will consider harmony within society, harmony between humanity and the natural environment, and harmony among nations with these tensions in mind.
news of the past...
Process, Pragmatism, and Religious Pluralism
January 10-12, 2012
Butler 201, Claremont School of Theology
with C. Robert Mesle
This is a January Course sponsored by the Center for Process Studies. This course will explore the challenges of religious pluralism, and especially how they might be addressed through the resources of process relational thought and American pragmatism. Attention will also be given to the work of John Hick and others. We will explore questions about the nature of truth, creative transformation, unilateral and relational power, different visions of God, and what approaches best help us to seek compassionate wisdom and make the world. [learn more]
Whitehead International Film Festival/Faith and Film Class
January 13-16, 2012
Mudd Theatre, Claremont School of Theology
Films are the common language of people around the world; we share our cultures through film; we share our perceptions of what it is to be human, our trials and our transformations. Through film, the ‘strangeness’ of other cultures can turn into appreciation and understanding. And through appreciating and understanding one another, we exercise care for one another, doing what we can to seek and promote the common good. The Whitehead International Film Festival selects films of artistic excellence that do this very thing. Each film speaks of human dignity, of our responsibilities to one another, of problems common to us all, and of the hope of creative transformation in our very togetherness. Whiteheadian philosophy provides a worldview that fosters social and personal responsibility to one another and to the earth that sustains us. For registration and more information Visit the Conference Website.
Offered in conjunction with the 11th Whitehead International Film Festival, is the Faith and Film Class taught by Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki. The class fulfills several purposes: 1) to increase our ability to understand the artistic merits in film; 2) to explore ways of utilizing films to probe issues of faith; 3) to serve as a jury for the 11th Annual Whitehead International Film Festival, deciding which of the nine contemporary feature films best meets the criteria of “Celebrating Films that Promote the Common Good.” For registration and more information Visit the Course Website.
Postmodern Youth Ministry Under the Influence of Whitehead
January 25, 2012
4pm - 5:30pm
Haddon Conference Center, Claremont School of Theology
with Tripp Fuller
On January 25, Tripp Fuller will be leading a seminar titled "Postmodern Youth Ministry Under the Influence of Whitehead." Fuller is a graduate of Campbell University and the Divinity School of Wake Forest University. He is currently finishing his PhD in Philosophy of Religion and Theology at Claremont Graduate University. Fuller is an ordained minister of and serves as the Minister of Youth at Neighborhood Church of Palos Verdes, CA. He is also the co-founder of the very successful Homebrewed Christianity Podcast.
Hope to see you there!
Emergent Church & Process Theology
January 31 - February 2, 2012
Haddon Conference Center, Claremont School of Theology
The Emergent Village Theological Conversation has quickly established a reputation for deep thought and rich interaction. This year’s conversation will engage Process Theology as we explore the dynamic conception of the living and life-giving God. Monica A. Coleman, John Cobb and Philip Clayton will lead the conversation engaging with Jeanyne Slettom, Bruce Epperly, Julie Clawson and Daniel Shroyer - with plenty of other partners to be added.
Cobb has proclaimed that the church should “join God in working for the salvation of the world.” This strong assertion flows right out of the open and relational vision of theology he has pioneered throughout his career. It is our belief that in conversation with Cobb a progressive, missional, holistic, and radically relational theology with legs will emerge.
After setting the context with an introduction to process theology we will immediately turn towards the biggest challenges facing the world, making those essential conversations for all creation the location for doing theology. Through practical engagements of Process and Emergence we will reflect on how God relates to the world, works within the world, and do what all theology is suppose to be doing: seeking to engage and transform the world as it exists in reality. This will take us into ecology, economics, religious pluralism, secularism, and the relational ramifications for the Church both locally and globally. Click here for registration and more information.
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