SCP Academic Conference
Human and Christian Agency
An academic conference sponsored by the Society for Christian Psychology
September 17-18, 2010
To be held on the campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY
(Call 1-877-444-7287 for room reservations at $59 per night)
The notion of human agency-the capacity of humans to be a cause of their own actions-was rejected as a legitimate topic within modern psychology for most of the 20th century (while work on the concept continued in philosophy and theology). However, times have changed, and human agency has returned to psychology - though not without vigorous debate, because of the current dominance of naturalism and the evidence that neuropsychology and socialization are fundamentally related to human action. Historically, Christianity has assumed some form of human agency in their understanding of human beings, and offered a distinctive approach to human and Christian agency, related to God’s involvement. Eight papers on these and related topics will be presented by a diverse group of scholars, with respondents.
Because of the incredible accumulation of knowledge and specialization over the last 100 years, knowledge about human beings today is fragmented and lacks an organizing framework. The Society believes that the various Christian traditions together provide a richly diverse but ultimately unifying paradigm for such knowledge and that there is value in bringing together Christian scholars in different disciplines and from different Christian traditions who are working on the subject of human beings in order to advance a fuller and more unified and holistic understanding within a Christian worldview framework.
Presenters:
C. Stephen Evans, “What Does it Mean To Be a Bodily Soul?” University Professor of Philosophy and the Humanities, Baylor University. Author of Kierkegaard: An Introduction; Søren Kierkegaard’s Christian Psychology; Philosophy of Religion, and The Historical Christ and the Jesus of Faith.
Peter Hampson, “‘By Knowledge and by Love’: The Integrative Role of Habitus in Christian Psychology, and Some Applications.” Professor of Psychology and Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology, Head of the Department of Psychology, University of the West of England.
William Hathaway, “Responsibility & Agency: Similarities in Biblical Thought, Common Law, and Folk Psychology.” Professor of Psychology and Dean of the School of Psychology and Counseling, Regent University. 2008 President of APA’s Division 36 - Psychology of Religion.
Michael Haykin, “Grace and Freedom in the Greek Patristic Tradition: The Witness of Gregory of Nyssa and Macarius-Symeon.” Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Author of The God Who Draws Near, A Foundation for Life, Christ is All: The Piety of Horatius Bonar.
Eric Jones, “Intentional Slavery: Social Influence, Automaticity, and Free Will.” Associate Professor of Psychology, Regent University. Specialist in social psychology.
Michael Pakaluk, “Weakness of Will: If the Will is Free, How Can It Be Coerced?” Professor and Director of Integrative Research, Institute for the Psychological Sciences. Author of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics; Aristotelian Theory of Action and Moral Psychology (in progress)
Andrew Purves, “Vicarious Agency: The Humanity of God in Our Place.”Professor of Reformed Theology, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Author of Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition and Reconstructing Pastoral Theology: A Christological Foundation
William M. Struthers, “Case Studies in the Neuroscience of Agency” Associate Professor of Psychology, Wheaton College. Specialist in neuropsychology and author of Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain.
Please join us for a fascinating dialogue.
You can register by clicking here.
Contact Eric Johnson with questions at ejohnson@sbts.edu.
