The Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts is hosting its annual conference in September, and this year it’s dedicated to the work of David Brown.
I had the pleasure of talking with Prof. Brown at the recent SST conference in Manchester. He is a very charming man who was kind enough not only to listen generously to my ramblings about art and aesthetics, and encourage me in my work, but also to buy me a drink. He also happens to be very accomplished in his field and has published a five-volume series of works with OUP which will be the focus of the conference:
The ‘fundamental thesis’ underlying all five volumes is that ‘both natural and revealed theology are in crisis, and that the only way out is to give proper attention to the cultural embeddedness of both.’ Responding to the richness of the Christian tradition and undeniable presence of ‘divine generosity’ within more recent art and culture, Professor Brown explores various artistic contributions both within the Christian tradition and outside the Church.
Together, these five volumes offer a prescient account of divine revelation and an experience of God through culture and the arts. This conference will delve into the cumulative significance of Brown’s thesis as developed in these five volumes for a wider and richer theological conversation.
For this conference, each participant has been selected due to their expertise in the themes of the book to which they have been asked to respond and their interest in Brown’s fundamental thesis— ‘the fate of natural and revealed theology.’ Participants represent various Christian confessions, from diverse disciplines, and from across the theological spectrum. The conference will involve chaired sessions of two speakers per text with a summary response from Professor Brown to conclude the event.
There’s an impressive line-up of speakers for what looks like another great conference for theology and the arts this year: Margaret R. Miles, William J. Abraham, Richard Bauckham, Tina Beattie, Gordon Graham, Charles Taliaferro, Graham Ward, Jeremy Begbie, Gavin Hopps, Clive Marsh, Ben Quash and Trevor Hart will all take to the lectern in addition to David Brown.
You can go to the booking pages via St. Andrews School of Divinity site, or here. Unfortunately there’s no student discount, or part-time wage discount.
The call for short papers is now open. Hopefully see you there.
Filed under: Exhibitions & Events, Pass it on, Ben Quash, Charles Taliaferro, Clive Marsh, Culture, David Brown, Gavin Hopps, Gordon Graham, Graham Ward, Institute for Theology Imagination and the Arts, Jeremy Begbie, Margaret R. Miles, Natural Theology, Revealed Theology, Richard Bauckham, Theological aesthetics, Tina Beattie, Trevor Hart, William J. Abraham
