CFP: Religious Faith and Meaning-Making

Call for Papers

Religious Faith and Meaning-Making

LCC International University, Lithuania

June 22-24, 2023 

The Center for Faith and Human Flourishing at LCC International University, Lithuania is pleased to announce a call for papers to participate in a workshop on faith and meaning-making, to be held from June 22-24, 2023 in Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Religious faith and its connection to meaning in life is a frequent object of study in the contemporary academy. It is studied in humanistic fields such as religious studies, history, and literature. It also occupies the attention of the social sciences, including in fields such as sociology, anthropology, cognitive science, and psychology. However, the work in humanistic disciplines on faith and meaning are not always informed by our best and most up to date scientific knowledge. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together a multidisciplinary group of scholars in order to examine the role that faith plays in meaning-making from a scientifically informed perspective. We invite abstracts of up to 500 words on the question: What role can and does religious faith play when evaluating, creating, and living out one’s sense of meaning in life?

Specific topics include, but are not limited to:

·         The interaction between faith and meaning

·         How faith contributes to meaning

·         Scientifically informed approaches to faith and meaning

·         Connections between scientifically informed approaches and the philosophical or theological literature.

·         Empirical analyses of specific religious approaches to faith and meaning

·         Non-Western approaches to faith and meaning

Empirically informed approaches are particularly welcomed.

Financial Considerations:

Up to 2 participants will be eligible for an award that includes 4 nights accommodations in addition to lunches and dinners on conference days (travel funds cannot be provided).

Publication Opportunity:

Appropriate papers may be selected for inclusion in a volume edited by Kirk Lougheed (LCC International University/University of Pretoria) which will be submitted for consideration in Brill’s Value Inquiry Book Series.

Tentatively Confirmed Speakers Include:

Arbiah Attoe (University of Witwatersrand)

Michael Cox (LCC International University)

Laird Edman (Northwestern College)

Joshua Harris (The King’s University)

Liz Jackson (Toronto Metropolitan University)

Kirk Lougheed (LCC International University/University of Pretoria)

Myron A. Penner (Trinity Western University)

Tricia van Dyk (LCC International University)

Submission:

Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words, along with your CV to Kirk Lougheed at  p[email protected] by January 31, 2023.

Contact:

[email protected]

This workshop is generously funded by an Initiative Grant from the CCCU.