Call for Papers LUTHERANISM & THE CLASSICS VI: Beauty Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana October 1-2, 2020 WHAT: From the Reformation onward, Lutherans have not only held the languages and literatures of the ancient Greeks and Romans in high regard, but also respected their theories of aesthetics and artistic sensibilities. While Martin Luther came to believe that beauty is found not in an Aristotelian golden mean but rather in God’s own self- giving in Christ Jesus under forms that may seem ugly to unbelief, he valued proportionality, aesthetics, music, and the visual arts as precious gifts of a generous Creator. Imaging is not only what the human heart does—whether concocting idols or honoring God—but also how the proclaimed word portrays Christ: primarily as divine gift. The conference organizers seek individual papers (or panels with at least three participants) on such topics as follow: Reformation-era Perspectives on Beauty in Plato and Aristotle Lucas Cranach and the Classical Artistic Tradition The Basilica and Church Architecture The Role of Images in the Early Church Beauty and Aesthetics as Understood by the Church Fathers Iconolatry and Iconoclasm The Strange Beauty of the Cross Luther’s Understanding of Beauty under its Apparent Opposite in Selected Psalms Luther on the Theology and Beauty of Music Lutheran Phil-Hellenism Beauty in Orthodoxy, Pietism, and Rationalism Baroque Beauty: Bach and Others Classical Rhetoric and Christian Preaching The Beauty of Holiness Luther’s Aesthetics in Contrast to Modern Views of Beauty How Might Christian Children Learn Aesthetics? Our subject is broadly conceived and considerable latitude will be given to cogent abstracts. Proposals should exemplify philological excellence, contribute to the conference theme however broadly and avoid overspecialization. Sectional presenters should plan for their papers to be 17 minutes in length. Selected papers from this conference may be published. WHO: Keynote addresses by Dr. Christian Preus, Mount Hope Lutheran Church; Dr. Mark Mattes, Grand View University; Dr. R. Alden Smith, Baylor University; and Dr. E. Christian Kopff, University of Colorado. WHEN: Abstracts of no more than 250 words should be submitted by electronic attachment to Professor Carl P.E. Springer, SunTrust Chair of Excellence in the Humanities, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, at [email protected] by November 1, 2019. .