Bulletin The North American Paul Tillich Society Volume XXXVIII, Number 1 Winter 2012 Editor: Frederick J. Parrella, Secretary-Treasurer Religious Studies Department, Santa Clara University Kenna Hall, Suite 300, Room H, Santa Clara, California 95053 Associate Editor: Jonathan Rothchild, Loyola Marymount University Assistant to the Editor: Vicky Gonzalez, Santa Clara University Production Assistant: Alicia Calcutt Telephone: 408.554.4714/ 408.554.4547 FAX: 408.554.2387 Email: [email protected] Website: www.NAPTS.org/ Webmeister: Michael Burch, San Raphael, California _________________________________________________________________________ In this issue: The Financial Situation of the NAPTS News from the 2011 Meeting in San Francisco: New Officers Call for Papers for the NAPTS and the Tillich AAR Group New Publications on Tillich The Paul Tillich Lecture at Harvard, May 2012 The Annual NAPTS Banquet Address: “Tillich’s Alternate Interpretation of Western Cultural History” by Owen C. Thomas “Theologies of Culture as a Base for Interreligious Efforts to Address Fundamentalisms” by Mary Ann Stenger “Tillich’s Theology and Cognitive Science: The Prospects for Theological Anthropology” by Samuel M. Powell “Tillich at the Tip of the Spear” by Jeffrey Moore “Tillich and the Spilled Coffee Cup: The Breakthrough of the Spirit in Contemporary Church Architecture” by Bert Daelemans “Being and Gaia: Seeking Resources toward a Vocabulary for Naturalistic Theology” by Ryan T. O’Leary T he Financial Situation of the ciety and to continue to publish this Bulletin in a NAPTS timely manner. I urge every member of the society, if he or she For some time, the financial situation of the has not paid dues in 2011 or 2010, to do so as soon North American Paul Tillich Society has been tenu- as possible. Tax-deductible contributions to the soci- ous. As a result of expenses incurred at the 2011 ety will be gratefully accepted. Please consider mak- meeting in San Francisco, the Society is now run- ing a small contribution to the Society if your means ning at a large deficit. The secretary-treasurer will will allow. Send your contribution to the Secretary make every effort to maintain the records of the so- Treasurer at the above address. Thank you. Bulletin of the North American Paul Tillich Society, vol. 38, 1, Winter 2012 2 Annual Meeting and New Officers vember 16, and Saturday, November 17, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. The American Academy of he annual meeting of the North American Paul Religion and the “Tillich: Issues in Theology, Relig- T Tillich Society took place on 18–19 October ion, and Culture Group” will meet November 17 to 2011, in San Francisco, California. New officers of November 19. (See Call for Papers below.) the Society were elected: NAPTS: Call for Papers President Courtney Wilder, Midland Lutheran College The North American Paul Tillich Society (NAPTS) President Elect welcomes proposals for its annual meeting that will Echol Nix, Furman University take place Friday and Saturday, 16–17 November Vice President 2012 in connection with the Annual Meeting of the Duane Olsen, McKendree University American Academy of Religion (AAR) in Chicago, Secretary Treasurer Illinois, 17-20 November 2012. We welcome pro- Frederick J. Parrella, Santa Clara University posals for individual papers and panels on the fol- Past President lowing issues: Russell Manning, University of Cambridge 1. Tillich and pedagogy, particularly teaching any of Tillich’s primary writings New Members of the Board (Term expires 2014) 2. Tillich at the University of Chicago, including but Marc Dumas, Université de Sherbrooke not limited to interactions with Joseph Kitagawa, Janet Giddings, Santa Clara University and San Mircea Eliade, and/or other conversation part- Jose State University ners and how they contributed to his legacy Marcia MacLennan, Kansas Wesleyan 3. Tillich and the Harvard Years: On the 50th anni- University versary of his final lecture The Society wishes to extend its most sincere thanks 4. Tillich, religion, and politics to Echol Nix, Furman University, Anne Marie Rei- 5. Tillich and popular culture, including faith and jnen, Faculteit voor Protestantse Godgeleerdheid spirituality (Brussel), Institut Protestant de Théologie (Paris), 6. Barth and Tillich: Revisited Institut Supérieur d’Etudes oecuméniques, and Proposals should be sent to the Vice President Courtney Wilder, Midland Lutheran College for and Program Chair of this year’s meeting (electroni- their three years of service on the Board of Directors cally preferred): of the Society. Congratulations to the new officers Dr. Echol Nix and their willingness to lead and direct the Society. [email protected] (please put NAPTS Call in The annual banquet was held this year at Le the subject line) Furman University Central Restaurant, a French bistro on Bush Street in Department of Religion San Francisco. The speaker was Owen Thomas, Pro- 3300 Poinsett Highway fessor of Theology Emeritus at the Episcopal Divin- Greenville, SC 29613 ity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The title of (864) 294-2393 (Office) Professor Thomas’s outstanding address was “Til- lich’s Alternate Interpretation of Western Cultural AAR Group: Call for Papers History.” The address is printed in this Bulletin. Russell Manning, President of the Society, presided The American Academy of Religion Group at the banquet. “Tillich: Issues in Theology, Religion, and Cul- The Society was honored to have Dr. Mutie C. ture” welcomes proposals for its sessions at the An- Farris present at the meeting and the banquet. Dr. nual Meeting of the AAR in Chicago, 17-20 No- Farris was a faithful attendee at all the papers. We vember 2012. are grateful to her for her ongoing commitment to We welcome proposals for individual papers and Tillich scholarship. panels on the following issues in theology, religion, and culture that engage with Tillich or post- Please Mark Your Calendars Tillichian thought: The 2012 Annual Meeting of the North Ameri- can Paul Tillich Society takes place on Friday, No- Bulletin of the North American Paul Tillich Society, vol. 38, 1, Winter 2012 3 • Tillich in Chicago North American Paul Tillich Society for possible From 1962 until his death in 1965 Tillich was inclusion in their Annual Meeting. A winning stu- Professor of Theology in the University of Chicago; dent paper receives the Annual Tillich Prize. notable events included the classes he co-taught with The group fosters scholarship and scholarly ex- Mircea Eliade and the publication of Systematic changes that analyze, criticize, and interpret the Theology, Volume III. Who were Tillich’s conversa- thought or impact of Paul Tillich (1886-1965), and tion partners in Chicago and how did they contribute that use his thought—or use revisions of, or reac- to his legacy there? How was Tillich’s mature tions against his thought—to deal with contemporary thought developed during his time in Chicago, in issues in theology, religion, ethics, or the political, particular through his engagement with non- social, psychotherapeutic, scientific, or artistic Christian religions? spheres of human culture. The group cooperates with •Music and Ultimate Concern (co-sponsored the North American Paul Tillich Society (a Related with Music and Religion Group) Scholarly Organization of the AAR), which is linked Music has been called the “unwritten theology with the German, French-speaking, and other Tillich of those who lack a formal creed” (G. Steiner), but societies. Papers at Group sessions are published in how might music’s relation to ultimate concern be the Society's quarterly Bulletin without prejudice to thought of outside of a religious setting? Can secular their also appearing elsewhere. music be said to invoke the Holy? Tillich wrote sur- Proposals should be submitted online at the prisingly little about music; but what resources does AAR website or sent by email (preferably as attach- his approach offer to thinking about music and tran- ments) to the group’s co-chairs, Dr Russell Re Man- scendence? ning, University of Cambridge ([email protected]) • Theologies of American Cultures and Dr Sharon Peebles Burch, Interfaith Counseling Tillich developed the most important framework Centre ([email protected]). Proposals should be of no for theology of culture in the twentieth century more than 1000 words and be accompanied by a 150 forged in the cultural revolutions of post-World War word abstract. Please indicate if eligible for the stu- I Europe. In what ways do Tillich’s analyses of the dent prize. religious meaning of culture intersect with current Proposals should be received by 1 March 2012. interpretations of American cultures? Please feel free to circulate this Call for Papers. • The Radical Tillich and Contemporary American Continental Thought New Publications Tillich is sometimes seen as a precursor to radi- cal theological thinking in the latter half of the twen- Bryan L. Wagoner (Harvard University): “The Sub- tieth century. From “Death of God” theologies to ject of Emancipation: Critique, Reason and Re- postmodern a/theology, Tillich’s is an ambiguous ligion in the Thought of Theodor Adorno, Max presence, often unacknowledged but clearly forma- Horkheimer and Paul Tillich.” Ph.D. Disserta- tive. If Tillich is one of the original “American con- tion, Harvard University, 2011. tinental” thinkers, what is his significance for con- temporary American continental thought? • Religious Socialism: Then and Now Paul Tillich Lecture at Harvard Religious socialism was central to Tillich’s po- litical theology in response to a situation dominated Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 5:30 p.m. by capitalist hegemony, a financial crisis, and the The Memorial Church resurgence of forms of religious and political Ro- Harvard University manticism, and yet surprisingly under-studied. How 50th Anniversary Symposium does Tillich’s account of religious socialism relate to “Paul Tillich at Harvard: First and Future other contemporaneous theories? What relevance Generations” does Tillich’s religious socialism have for our cur- Speakers: rent situation? What are the prospects for a religious socialist political theology today? —Richard M.