Society of Christian Philosophers Midwest Conference: Mercy and Forgiveness

The Society of Christian Philosophers Midwestern Conference Call for Abstracts

November 11th-12th, 2022

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH 43402

Topic: Mercy and Forgiveness

Christians believe that forgiveness and mercy are central to the Christian life. But forgiveness receives less philosophical attention than it merits, and mercy receives almost no philosophical attention at all. This conference will explore the metaphysics, ethics, and theology of mercy and forgiveness. What is mercy, and when should we show it? How does mercy figure into spiritual life and worship? Forgiveness is a more familiar concept. But it also raises puzzles. What does it mean to forgive? Who has the standing to forgive? When ought we forgive? We also know that God forgives and shows mercy. But what is the nature of God’s forgiveness? Why does God forgive and show mercy?

We encourage people to submit 300-400 word abstracts on mercy and forgiveness. But we intend the conference to be broad and cover a variety of paper topics, so submissions do not have to be on the conference theme to be considered.

Indeed, we invite submissions exploring any topic of interest to Christian philosophers, including topics related to teaching. We welcome participation by individuals regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof as presenters and participants. And presenters should feel free to step outside of philosophy of religion in their approach.

Graduate students interested in being considered by a $500 Award for best graduate student submission should submit a fully written paper for submission, and not an abstract.

The deadline for abstracts is June 1st with a decision before August. We also welcome abstracts for papers on related topics.

Please send abstracts to Kevin Vallier at [email protected].

Our Keynote Speakers are

Jada Strabbing

Associate Professor of Philosophy

Wayne State University

Jada Twedt Strabbing is an associate professor of philosophy at Wayne State University. She specializes in moral philosophy, particularly agency and responsibility, moral psychology, and metaethics. Her current research is on the nature of moral responsibility, blame, and forgiveness. She also works on ethical issues in the philosophy of religion. She received her Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Daniel Philpott

Professor of Political Science

University of Notre Dame

Daniel Philpott is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his Ph.D. in 1996 from Harvard University and specializes in religion and global politics, focusing on religious freedom, reconciliation, the political behavior of religious actors, and Christian political theology. His books include Revolutions in Sovereignty (Princeton, 2001), God’s Century: Resurgent Religion in Global Politics (Norton, 2011, coauthored with Monica Duffy Toft and Timothy Samuel Shah), Just and Unjust Peace: An Ethic of Political Reconciliation (Oxford, 2012) and Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World (Oxford, 2019). He has promoted reconciliation as an activist in Kashmir and the Great Lakes Region of Africa.