CALL \; FOR \; PAPERS \; \; \;JIS \; SYMPOSIUM \; 2026 \;
\nTHE \; FUTURE \; OF \; DEMOCRACY: \; RENEWING \; ORDERED \; LIBERTY
\nPASADENA\, \; CALIFORNIA\, \; USA\, 17 October \; 2026 \; (Online: Zoom) \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; HOSTED \; BY \; OMEGA \; GRADUATE \; SCHOOL
\nSuggested \; Themes:
\nBy its 250th anniversary\, American democracy is at a crossroads. \; The American experiment in self-government faces a triple challenge: moral\, cultural\, and political. \; In The Fragility of Order (2018)\, George Weigel recounts America&rsquo\;s major \; twentieth-century \; challenges whose successes have come into question. Weigel argues that order is a &ldquo\;fragile thing\,&rdquo\; and needs continual renewal\, especially in a postmodern cultural context unsure about the truth of anything. According to Weigel\, order rapidly unraveled in the United States on three levels: moral\, cultural\, and political. Skepticism and relativism of the moral order found expression in nihilism in both popular and high culture\, which also translated into increased partisanship in the political order. \; The question arises how to restore the American Founders&rsquo\; ideal of a government that invoked &ldquo\;the Laws of Nature and of Nature&rsquo\;s God\,&rdquo\; with a conception of human nature as a &ldquo\;crooked timber of humanity\,&rdquo\; but redeemable\, that set up a constitutional framework with checks and balances to circumscribe the exercise of political power. \; If this &ldquo\;One nation under God\, with liberty and justice for all\,&rdquo\; is to endure\, then its Judeo-Christian cultural roots need to be rediscovered to nurture individuals\, families\, and communities\, reaffirming America&rsquo\;s promise of equality of opportunity\, in contrast to quasi-Marxist &ldquo\;equity&rdquo\; as leveling egalitarianism or &ldquo\;equal outcomes\,&rdquo\; a democratic temptation that Alexis de Tocqueville warned against in his Democracy in America. \; The neo-Freudian obsession with sex and its perversions needs to yield to the imago Dei vision of human dignity (Gen 1:27)\; the un-American emphasis on race and gender in education and public policy (affirmative action/DEI) replaced by merit as the best criterion for gauging individual effort\; while politics need the leaven of respect for all. \; In brief\, can America find its soul and redeem the American Dream?
\nJIS Symposium 2026 endeavors to bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines and denominations for an exciting international conference which takes both scholarship and faith seriously. \; JIS Symposium 2026: The Future of Democracy: Renewing Ordered Liberty (Online via Zoom) is co-sponsored by IIR-ICSA-JIS. \; All conference participants must pre-register. \; Abstracts (250 words) due: May 15\, 2026: c/o Dr. O. Gruenwald\, JIS Editor\, 1065 Pine Bluff Dr.\, Pasadena\, CA 91107\, USA\, per e-mail (no attachments) to: info@jis3.org. Include: Paper Title\, First &\; Last Name\, faculty or student\, institution\, mailing address\, telephone &\; e-mail. Fully-developed papers will be considered for publication in the refereed Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies XXXIX 2027. \; Web: https://www.jis3.org/symposium2026.
\n\; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; CONFERENCE STRUCTURE:
\nMain Conference Program via Zoom: Saturday\, 17 October 2026.
\nFormat: Multidisciplinary panels and papers. Suggest PowerPoint presentations.
\nKeynote: Dawn Sutherland (Liberty University): "Democracy after Datafication: Personhood and the Renewal of Ordered Liberty."
\nLeitmotif: In search of virtues (the Tao) in the American Experiment.
\nSponsors: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies\, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research\, International Christian Studies Association.
\nHosted By: Omega Graduate School. Dr. David C. Ward\, Zoom Coordinator.
\nRegistration: Required (tax-deductible). Online Option via PayPal: Use PayPal Donate Button on JIS Symposium 2026 web: https://www.jis3.org/symposium2026.
\n ORGANIZER;CN=Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies;CN=Oskar Gruenwald: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260430T195022Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261017T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261017T170000 SUMMARY:JIS Symposium 2026: The Future of Democracy: Renewing Ordered Liberty UID:20260502T041148Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-6b96c54f56-bljdq TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:CALL \; FOR \; PAPERS \; JIS \; SYMPOSIUM \; 2026 \;
\nTHE \; FUTURE \; OF \; DEMOCRACY: \; RENEWING \; ORDERED \; LIBERTY
\nPASADENA\, \; CALIFORNIA\, \; USA\, 17 October \; 2026 \; (Online: Zoom) \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; HOSTED \; BY \; OMEGA \; GRADUATE \; SCHOOL
\nSuggested \; Themes:
\nBy its 250th anniversary\, American democracy is at a crossroads. \; The American experiment in self-government faces a triple challenge: moral\, cultural\, and political. \; In The Fragility of Order (2018)\, George Weigel recounts America&rsquo\;s major \; twentieth-century \; challenges whose successes have come into question. Weigel argues that order is a &ldquo\;fragile thing\,&rdquo\; and needs continual renewal\, especially in a postmodern cultural context unsure about the truth of anything. According to Weigel\, order rapidly unraveled in the United States on three levels: moral\, cultural\, and political. Skepticism and relativism of the moral order found expression in nihilism in both popular and high culture\, which also translated into increased partisanship in the political order. \; The question arises how to restore the American Founders&rsquo\; ideal of a government that invoked &ldquo\;the Laws of Nature and of Nature&rsquo\;s God\,&rdquo\; with a conception of human nature as a &ldquo\;crooked timber of humanity\,&rdquo\; but redeemable\, that set up a constitutional framework with checks and balances to circumscribe the exercise of political power. \; If this &ldquo\;One nation under God\, with liberty and justice for all\,&rdquo\; is to endure\, then its Judeo-Christian cultural roots need to be rediscovered to nurture individuals\, families\, and communities\, reaffirming America&rsquo\;s promise of equality of opportunity\, in contrast to quasi-Marxist &ldquo\;equity&rdquo\; as leveling egalitarianism or &ldquo\;equal outcomes\,&rdquo\; a democratic temptation that Alexis de Tocqueville warned against in his Democracy in America. \; The neo-Freudian obsession with sex and its perversions needs to yield to the imago Dei vision of human dignity (Gen 1:27)\; the un-American emphasis on race and gender in education and public policy (affirmative action/DEI) replaced by merit as the best criterion for gauging individual effort\; while politics need the leaven of respect for all. \; In brief\, can America find its soul and redeem the American Dream?
\nJIS Symposium 2026 endeavors to bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines and denominations for an exciting international conference which takes both scholarship and faith seriously. \; JIS Symposium 2026: The Future of Democracy: Renewing Ordered Liberty (Online via Zoom) is co-sponsored by IIR-ICSA-JIS. \; All conference participants must pre-register. \; Abstracts (250 words) due: May 15\, 2026: c/o Dr. O. Gruenwald\, JIS Editor\, 1065 Pine Bluff Dr.\, Pasadena\, CA 91107\, USA\, per e-mail (no attachments) to: info@jis3.org. Include: Paper Title\, First &\; Last Name\, faculty or student\, institution\, mailing address\, telephone &\; e-mail. Fully-developed papers will be considered for publication in the refereed Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies XXXIX 2027. \; Web: https://www.jis3.org/symposium2026.
\n \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; CONFERENCE STRUCTURE:\nMain Conference Program via Zoom: Saturday\, 17 October 2026.
\nFormat: Multidisciplinary panels and papers. Suggest PowerPoint presentations.
\nKeynote: Dawn Sutherland (Liberty University): "Democracy after Datafication: Personhood and the Renewal of Ordered Liberty."
\nLeitmotif: In search of virtues (the Tao) in the American Experiment.
\nSponsors: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies\, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research\, International Christian Studies Association.
\nHosted By: Omega Graduate School. Dr. David C. Ward\, Zoom Coordinator.
\nRegistration: Donation (tax-deductible). Online Option via PayPal: Use PayPal Donate Button on JIS Symposium 2026 web: https://www.jis3.org/symposium2026.
\n ORGANIZER;CN=Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies;CN=Oskar Gruenwald: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR