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Hope, Optimism & Transformative Experiences

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Hope, Optimism & Transformative Experiences University of Notre Dame | Spring 2015 a publication of the Hope, Optimism & Transformative Experiences Page 9 Still More Advice to A Social Religious Christians in Philosophy Epistemology? Page 6 CENTERPage FOR15 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION | spring 2015 | 1 KRUEGER vol. 1, springring 20120155 3 Around the Center Josh Seachris 4 Understanding Atonement Joshua C. Thurow 6 Still More Advice to Christians in Philosophy Thomas Senor 10 An Exercise in Hope: an Interview with Andrew Chignell 11 The Human Experience: an Interview with L. A. Paul CONTENTS 12 The Atonement Tradition Kathryn Pogin 15 A Social Religious Epistemology? John Greco 16 A Year of Research at the Center Leigh Vicens 19 Self-knowledge in Medieval Mysticism Christina Van Dyke Contact us: Editor: Paul Blaschko Artist Acknowledgments: Center for Philosophy of Religion Logo: Sami Sumpter Anne Jankowski, University of Notre Dame Design: Omega Printing jankowskiart.com 418 Malloy Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 About λogoi: Erin Warner The Center for Philosophy of Religion Kathy Reddy White, email: [email protected] is proud to present the second issue circaartsgallery.com tel: 574.631.7339 of λogoi, a publication of high quality web: philreligion.nd.edu articles and interviews about the fi eld Madeline Renedezer of philosophy of religion and the Nathan Winship Smith Follow us!: Center’s activities. Shawn Kruger, shawnkrueger.tumblr.com 2 | spring 2015 | CENTER FOR PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION KRUEGER AROUND THE CENTER This year has been another exceptional one at the Center. Our staff and fellows, and their projects, keep us on the cutting edge of research in philosophy of religion and analytic theology. In June 2014, we kicked off two large, REBECCA CHAN SPEAKS WITH ROBERT AUDI ROBERT WITH SPEAKS CHAN REBECCA interdisciplinary grant projects. The Experience Project is a $4.8 million, three-year joint research initiative with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to explore the nature and implications of transformative experiences, the character of religious and spiritual experiences, and how work on transformative experiences may illumine our understanding of religious and spiritual experiences. Our other project, Hope & Optimism: Conceptual and Empirical Investigations, is a includes stage and play competitions discussion groups where we discuss $4.5 million, three-year joint research that creatively explore hope and their current work, along with that of initiative with Cornell University to optimism in human life. Notre Dame faculty and visiting explore the theoretical, empirical, scholars. A fascinating range of topics and practical dimensions of hope, These projects follow two highly has been discussed this year, optimism, and related states. It also successful grants: the Analytic including transformative experience, Theology Project and Problem of Evil in divine hiddenness, the atonement, Modern and Contemporary Thought. the metaphysics of union with God, The fi rst of these ended in late 2014. mysticism, and the problem of animal It has already resulted in dozens of suff ering. The engaging conversations high-quality publications, and often continue over a pint at our successfully raised awareness of weekly pub nights each Thursday. analytic theology in the fi elds of theology, philosophy and religious On November 14, 2014, our Alvin studies. One way it did so was through Plantinga fellow, Thomas D. Senor, the annual Analytic Theology Lecture. Professor of Philosophy at the The 2014 Lecture was given by Oliver University of Arkansas, delivered the Crisp from Fuller Seminary. Thirteenth Annual Alvin Plantinga Fellow Lecture, titled “Evidentialism Grant projects such as these, along and the Diachronic Nature of REDDY WHITE, WHITE, REDDY with our annual fellowships, continue Epistemic Evaluation”. to bring top junior and senior scholars to the Center, along with The Center continues to engage the the very best graduate students from undergraduate community at Notre TOUCHDOWN JESUS TOUCHDOWN around the world. This community of Dame though our popular Food for scholars fosters top-notch research, Thought series. Along with a catered as well as friendships that far outlive meal, we bring a speaker to campus to the fellows’ stay. Fellows participate give a lecture followed by Q & A and in our Friday work-in-progress small group discussions. In November CENTER FOR PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION | spring 2015 | 3 2014, Notre Dame philosopher Jeff philosophy can illumine theological of opportunities not already on our Speaks presented “Six words you say inquiry. We also added two round- calendar, please send relevant you believe: Some thoughts on the table discussions, one on faith information to: [email protected]. Nicene Creed”. In February, Western and reason, and the other on the Washington’s Hud Hudson presented atonement. In the near future, be on The Seventh Annual Logos Workshop “Felix Culpa!” To see what Food for the lookout for new kinds of video in Philosophical Theology will be held Thought is all about, take a look at content featuring our two large grant on May 7-9 on Notre Dame’s campus. our new promotional video at projects. All Center video content can The theme of this year’s workshop (http://philreligion.nd.edu/calendar/ be found on our video page at is Religious Experience. The aim of food-for-thought/). (http://philreligion.nd.edu/videos/). the workshop is to foster interaction between analytic philosophers and The Center continues to experiment We continue to update our Global theologians on topics of common with and expand our media vision Philosophy of Religion Calendar interest. Registration is required for in an eff ort to bring important topics (available on the Center website) as the conference, but is open to anyone in philosophy of religion and analytic a way of helping those interested in who would like to attend. Please visit theology to a wider audience. Our philosophy of religion stay apprised our website to register and to fi nd archive of interviews with philoso- of upcoming events and opportuni- further details. phers and theologians and roundtable ties in the discipline. We hope that this videos is growing. This year we added consolidated, user-friendly calendar is Thanks to all who have made interviews on topics ranging from a helpful service to the philosophy of 2014-2015 a resounding success Jewish systematic theology to how religion community. If you are aware at the Center! Understanding Atonement Joshua C. Thurow, UTSA Central to the Christian message is This is good news because we’ll the atonement—Jesus, God’s son, have good food to eat! I won’t have came to earth to put sinful humans to create something edible from back at rights with, or “at-one with” pasta and wilted, left-over vegetables. God. The letter to the Colossians It’s harder to see how the atonement expresses this concisely: “through is good news. Clearly, it would be WHITE, REDDY [Jesus Christ] God was pleased to good to be reconciled with a holy reconcile to himself all things…by God. But, how does Jesus’s work, making peace through the blood of especially his crucifi xion, bring BVM BYZANTINE his cross. And you who were once about this reconciliation? I’ve been estranged and hostile in mind, doing privileged to spend this year at the evil deeds, he has now reconciled in Center for Philosophy of Religion the fl eshly body through death, so working on a book that aims to as to present you holy and blameless answer these questions. and irreproachable before him” committed to a particular theory. (Col 1:19-22). The New Testament uses various metaphors for the atonement, and I believe that we can better under- Christians proclaim that the it’s hard to see how to unify them stand the atonement by thinking atonement is very good news. into a single theory. Based on these carefully about an idea that shows Usually, it’s easy to see how good metaphors, various theories of up in the New Testament, especially news is good. After a frantic after- atonement have been developed. in the book of Hebrews: Jesus’s noon of caring for kids, my wife calls Each faces challenges, and almost no death is a sacrifi ce for sin analogously to say she’s bringing dinner home. Christian bodies have offi cially to the sacrifi ces on the Day of 4 | spring 2015 | CENTER FOR PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION Atonement. When I fi rst looked This collective atonement enables covering over the death due to us for carefully at this, it struck me that the guilty employees to more easily atone our sins. But, his death communicates sacrifi ces are off ered for the sins of for their personal contributions— life in a way that the old sacrifi ces Israel—the community as a whole, many of them need merely repent couldn’t, because his death is rather than individuals. This suggests and commit themselves to the new conquered by resurrection; and the that Jesus’s death is a sacrifi ce for the policies. power of his life is sent out to those sins of a collective—humanity. I’ve who follow him through the Holy developed this core idea in a way Jesus’s work atones for the collective Spirit. Individual sin is atoned for as that, I believe, can help us understand sin of humanity. His teaching and acts long as an individual confesses, how Christ’s work atones. of healing help humanity become repents, and commits to following Christ in the redeemed Here’s the basic idea. human community—the Not just individuals, but Church. humanity as a whole has a “Humanity as a collective... has responsibility to love God guilt that needs to be atoned for. God This theory has several and neighbor. Neither desires that humanity as a group refl ect advantages.
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