The Society for the Study of Psychology and Wesleyan Theology

2008 Annual Conference 

Duke University Divinity School -- March 13, 2008

 

Call for Papers

 

 

Conference Theme:

New Research in Psychology as It Relates to Wesleyan Thought

 

The Society for the Study of Psychology and Wesleyan Theology (SSPWT) invites paper proposals on the theme:  “New Research in Psychology as It Relates to Wesleyan Thought” for its 2008 annual meeting, to be held at Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, on Thursday, March 13, 2008.  All proposals should bring some aspect of psychology and theology into conversation and articulate a relevance to Wesleyan theology and/or the development of Wesleyan communities of faith.

 

The SSPWT council encourages participation by undergraduate and graduate students.  We invite those who are interested to present a proposal along with school affiliation and a brief bio.

 

Please submit SSPWT proposals no later than October 1, 2007 to Kathy Armistead, program chair, at karmistead@umpublishing.org.  Proposals should include paper title, an abstract of 500 words (maximum), institutional affiliation (if applicable), and professional vita (if first-time presenter).  Kathy will confirm receipt of your email and notify you as quickly as possible whether your proposal has been accepted for conference presentation. Please feel free to email or call her at 615-749-6788 if you have any questions.

Our plenary speaker will be Dr. Don Browning.             

 

 Dr. Browning's most recent work concentrates on the borderline between theological ethics, the social sciences, and the law, particularly topics related to family law and Christian jurisprudence with special attention to best interests of the child. Dr. Browning is the Alexander Campbell Professor Emeritus of Ethics and the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His most recent books include, Christian Ethics and Moral Psychologies; Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies; Equality and the Family: A Fundamental, Practical Theology of Children, Mothers, and Fathers in Modern Societies; and A Fundamental Practical Theology: Descriptive and Strategic Proposals.

Don Browning has interests in the relation of religious thought to the social sciences,  specifically in the way theological ethics may employ sociology, psychology, and the social scientific study of religion. A student of psychology, he has special interests in psychoanalysis, self-psychology, object-relations theory, and evolutionary psychology, and has written on the cultural, theological, and ethical analysis of the modern psychologies. An interest in issues and methods in practical theology led to his work, A Fundamental Practical Theology: With Descriptive and Strategic Proposals. As Director of the Lilly Project on Religion, Culture, and the Family, Professor Browning is now working on issues pertaining to the shape and future of the postmodern family. He has co-authored From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and the American Family Debate. He is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

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