01 April 2014

Postscript on Plantinga

This post is mostly for my students, who might wonder why we made such a big deal at the SCP/SCPT conference about this guy named Alvin Plantinga.  Let me refer you to a great article by James Sennett entitled "Faith (Once Again) Seeking Understanding: Alvin Plantinga and the Renaissance of Christian Philosophy" from the Journal of Faith and the Academy.  Sennett recalls the key role of my undergraduate alma mater Wheaton College's annual philosophy conference--a conference very much like the one we just held here at Trinity Christian.  Money quote:
But something else was happening at that Wheaton conference that was just as momentous, that was just as much Plantinga’s doing, and about which I was just as ignorant. I did not realize how amazing it was, given recent history, that over 100 professional philosophers should be gathered together on the basis of their common faith and their common interest in issues at the intersection of Christianity and philosophy. Little did I know that such a scene would have been unheard of just one generation previous or that the difference between that generation and this was due in large part to the efforts of the man we had all come to hear. 
In the Spring of 1980, Time magazine reported, “In a quiet revolution in thought and arguments that hardly anyone could have foreseen only two decades ago, God is making a comeback. Most intriguingly, this is happening not among theologians or ordinary believers ... but in the crisp, intellectual circles of academic philosophers, where the consensus had long banished the Almighty from fruitful discourse.” This revolution has continued and grown in the nearly three decades since that Time report. 
Read on if you want to learn more about Plantinga's influence and about the key role that conference such as ours can play in influencing the wider academy. 
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21 March 2014

FAQs: SCP/T Conference Transportation

What is Trinity's address?
6601 West College Drive, Palos Heights, IL 60463.

 How do I get from O'Hare airport to Trinity Christian College?
Your most affordable option:  
1.  Book your shuttle with Coach USA's shuttle from O'Hare to Crestwood, IL.  (Schedule and timetables here.) It is the most affordable option.  It drops off at 5545 W. 127th Street, which is less than 2 miles from the Trinity Christian College campus.  (Note: the Double Tree will pick up and drop off their guests from the Coach USA stop as well.)
2.  Email us at philosophy@trnty.edu to schedule a pick up from the Crestwood stop.
We will also be glad to take you back to the Crestwood stop upon your departure.

 Otherwise, you can rent a car or take a taxi/limo.

 How do I get from Midway airport to Trinity Christian College?
The two best options are:
A.  If you are staying at the Double Tree in Alsip (the official conference hotel)...
   1.  Call the Double Tree to book your complimentary shuttle pick up from Midway or the Crestwood, IL Coach USA stop: 708-371-7300.
   2.  The Double Tree and the conference organizers are arranging transportation to and from campus at pre-arranged times.
B.  If you are not staying at the Double Tree in Alsip...
   1.  Book your shuttle with Coach USA's shuttle from Midway to Crestwood, IL.  (Schedule and timetables here.)  Again, we find this to be the most affordable option.
   2.  Email us at philosophy@trnty.edu to schedule a pick up from the Crestwood stop.  We will also be glad to take you back to the Crestwood stop upon your departure.

 Otherwise, you should look into renting a car or taking a taxi/limo. 

 Again, how do I get between the Coach USA stop in Crestwood, IL and campus?
The Coach USA shuttle arrives and departs at 10 til the hour (i.e., 9:50, 10:50, etc.) throughout the day.  So throughout the day on Thursday, we plan to have a van waiting for conferees at 9:45, 10:45, etc.  We shall run a van back to the stop again at similar times on Saturday for those departing.  Again, it is best if you inform us of your arrival and departure times in advance (philosophy@trnty.edu). 

 How do I get around while I am at the conference?
If you want wheels to move freely about the south suburbs of Chicago, you will need to rent a car.  (A recent search of Hotwire.com revealed numerous economy car options in the $15-20/day range.)  The conference organizers are helping the Double Tree to shuttle guests to and from the hotel and campus.  We have limited transportation available to serve conference attendees, so that is all we can guarantee.

 What if I am not staying at the Double Tree?  How do I get around?
Again, car rental is your best option (and as we state above, hotwire.com has several options in the $15-20/day range).  You may email us at philosophy@trnty.edu to see if we are able to drop you off and pick you up from your specific hotel--but we make no guarantees.  We regret that we have limited transportation available to serve conference attendees.  We could assist you if, for example, we pass your hotel on the way to and from the Double Tree.  Or if we have a number of conference guests staying at the same area hotel, we would be willing to coordinate a carpool with those guests who do have a car. 

 Can I take a train from Chicago to Palos Heights, IL and get to the conference that way?
Unfortunately, it is not recommended.  (This is the American suburbs we are talking about, after all!)  Metra Rail does run trains to and from Palos Heights and Palos Hills, both relatively nearby.  Unfortunately, the stops are not in walking distance and we do not have enough vehicles available to provide transportation to and from these train stops.  If you elect to take the train out to the suburbs, you may email us at philosophy@trnty.edu to see if we know of a ride-provider--but we make no guarantees.
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10 March 2014

SCP/T Conference Schedule

Society of Christian Philosophers
Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology
Conference Schedule
Conference Registration & Other Details at:
27 March 2014
Thursday, 12:00PM            Introduction & Welcome            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
Thursday, 12:20PM            Concurrent 1
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Property Borrowing and Compositional Christology”
                                                Gideon Jeffrey, Saint Louis University

                                                “The Type, Token, and Type/Token Readings of the Athanasian Creed”
                                                Sanjay Merchant, Moody Bible Institute

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “An Open Theistic Multiverse?”
                                                Tim Blank, Ryerson University

                                                “Closing the Door on Limited-Risk Open Theism"
         Johannes Groessl, Institute of Christian Philosophy (Austria), Rutgers University


Thursday, 1:30PM            Concurrent 2
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Discerning Discernment: A Phenomenological Account”
                                                Kyle David Bennett, The King's College

                                                “Christian Philosophy as an Exercise in Humility”
                                                Craig A. Boyd, St. Louis University

           “On the Virtue of Graciousness”
          Heidi Giannini, Wake Forest University

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “Sufferer Centered Constraints and Genuinely Regrettable Evils”
                                                Dustin Crummett, University of Notre Dame

                                                “William Hasker On Gratuitous Evil”
                                                Klaas J. Kraay, Ryerson University

                                                “Morality With God: A Response To Walter Sinnott-Armstrong”
                                                Beth A. Rath, Saint Louis University

                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “Paradoxicality as a Criterion of an Authentic Revelation”
                                                C. Stephen Evans, Baylor University

                                                “After the Postmodern ‘Third Sophistic’: The Promise of Christian Philosophical Rhetoric in Augustine and Milbank”
                                                Drew Van’t Land, Trinity Christian College

Thursday, 3:00PM            Break


Thursday, 3:30PM            Concurrent 3
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Humility's Intellectual Rewards”
                                                Jay Wood, Wheaton College

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “An Argument against Divine Simplicity from Divine Beauty”
                                                Matthew Baddorf, University of Rochester

                                                “Can God’s Willing Be Made Simple?”
                                                John Giannini, Baylor University

                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “Alasdair MacIntyre and Christian Philosophy: Reflections on MacIntyrean Advice to Christian Philosophers”
                                                Paul F. Jeffries, Ripon College

                                                “Christian Philosophy as World Critique: Charles Taylor’s Deconstructive Philosophy of Religion”
                                                Zane Yi, Loma Linda University

Thursday, 4:40PM            Keynote Address            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Faith in Philosophy or Philosophy in Faith?”
                                                Adriaan Peperzak, Loyola University Chicago

28 March 2014
Friday, 8:30AM            Morning Prayer & Announcements            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel

Friday, 8:45AM            Concurrent 4
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “The Strategies of Christian Philosophy”
                                                J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “Medieval Philosophy and Christian Philosophical Practice”
                                                Josh Blander, The King's College

                                                “How To Repair Human Nature: Anselm’s Understanding of the Relation Between Belief, Understanding, Will, and Grace”
                                                Jennifer Kling, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “Philosophical Reflection, Religious Experience, and Faith: the Case of Michel Henry”
                                                Jeremy H. Smith, Otterbein University

                                                “Competing Conceptions of God: The Personal God versus the God Beyond Being”
                                                Mikael Stenmark, Uppsala University
Friday, 10:00AM            Chapel                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Too Small to Notice”
                                                Greg Clark, North Park University

Friday, 11:00AM            Keynote Address            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “The Two-Fold Task of Christian Philosophy”
                                                Bruce Ellis Benson, Wheaton College

Friday, 12:30PM            Lunch                        Various Locations

Friday, 2:00PM            Concurrent 5
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                Panel: “Biblical and Historical Perspectives on The Nature of Christian Philosophy,” Faculty of The King’s College

                                                “Some Biblical Perspective on Philosophical Inquiry”
                                                Dru Johnson

                                                “Socratic Christian Philosophy”
                                                David Talcott

                                                “Modern Theology and Philosophical Inquiry”
                                                Gregory Thornbury

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “Religious Epistemology Idealized”
                                                Mark Boespflug, University of Colorado, Boulder

                                                “Relational Autonomy: A Lesson for Christian Philosophers”
                                                Anne Jeffrey, Georgetown University

                                                “A Virtue-Theoretic Approach to Religious Epistemology”
                                                Benjamin W. McCraw, University of South Carolina Upstate


                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “What Can Eastern Orthodoxy Contribute to Christian Philosophy?”
          David Bradshaw, University of Kentucky

                                                “Christian Philosophy as Attunement: What Can We Learn from the Jew Passing as an Atheist?”
                                                Nathan Crawford, Trinity United Methodist Church, Plymouth, IN

                                                “Substitution at the Cross”
                                                Chungsoo J. Lee, Loyola University of Chicago.

Friday, 3:30PM            Break                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel



Friday, 4:00PM            Concurrent 6
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Philosophy in Light of the Person of Jesus Christ: Reflections on Birth, Family, Aging, and Dying”
                                                Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “God’s Knowledge by Acquaintance”
                                                Travis M. Dickinson, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

                                                “Three Kinds of Divine Thoughts”
                                                Walter Schultz, University of Northwestern

                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “Propositions, Art and Truth: Revisiting Zuidervaart’s Critique of Wolterstorff”
                                                Joshua Lee Harris, Institute for Christian Studies

                                                “A Particular Collision: Arendt, CERN, and Reformational Philosophy”
                                                Matt Johnson, Institute for Christian Studies

Friday, 5:00PM            Keynote Address            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Augustinian Christian Philosophy”
                                                Alvin Plantinga, Calvin College

Friday, 6:30PM            Conference Banquet            Mama Vesuvio’s
                                                                        6361 W College Drive
                                                                        Palos Heights, IL 60463


29 March 2014
Saturday, 8:30AM            Morning Prayer & Announcements            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel

Saturday, 8:45AM            Concurrent 7
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “St. Thomas on Creation and the Best”
                                                Samuel Murray, St. Louis University

                                                “Why Disembodied Souls? Origins Essentialism and Aquinas's Account of the Resurrection”
                                                Adam Wood, Wheaton College

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “Distinctive Danger, Signal Sin: a Reply to Moser on Philosophy and the Law of Love”
                                                Donald Bungum, St. Louis University

                                                “Christian Philosophy as Loving Stance”
                                                Robert Whitaker, Marquette University


Saturday, 8:45AM            Concurrent 7 (Cont’d)
                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “Faith as Acceptance: A Tentative Solution to the Problem of Religious Disagreement”
                                                Kirk Lougheed, Ryerson University

                                                “The Religious Problem of Religious Disagreement”
                                                Tanya Randle, St. Ambrose University

Saturday, 10:00AM            Keynote Address            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                “Christian Philosophy and the Christian Life”
                                                Kyla Ebels-Duggan, Northwestern University

Saturday, 11:30AM            Lunch                        Various Locations

Saturday, 12:30PM            Concurrent 8
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                Panel: “Embodiment and Method in Christian Philosophy”

                                                “Body and Method: Merleau-Ponty on Institution”
                                                John Brittingham, SIU Carbondale

                                                “Methods and Ap/prehension”
                                                Jonathan Heaps, Marquette University

                                                “Body, Cognition, and Method: A Theological Response”
                                                Ryan Hemmer, Marquette University

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “Compatibilism and Atonement”
                                                Peter Furlong, University of North Carolina Asheville

                                                “Hard Facts Made Easy”
                                                Blake McAllister, Baylor University

                                                “Why Molinism Does Not Help with the Rollback Argument”
                                                Dan Sheffler, University of Kentucky

                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “From Defending Theism to Discerning Spirits: Reconceiving the Task of Christian Philosophy”
                                                Neal DeRoo, Dordt College

                                                “Back to the Rough Ground! Into Life!: (Anti-)philosophy as Christian Philosophy”
                                                Dean Dettloff, Institute for Christian Studies

                                                “Christian Philosophy: A Proposal”
                                                Jazz Feyer-Salo, Cornerstone University


Saturday, 2:15PM            Concurrent 9
                                                                        Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
                                                Advice to a Christian Philosopher: You Gotta have (Socratic) Faith!
                                                Paul E. Carron, Baylor University

                                                How Christian Philosophy Can Appropriate the Causal Closure of the Physical
                                                Timothy Dolch, University of Dallas

                                                                        Board Room, Huizenga Library
                                                “George Berkeley’s Unabashedly Supernaturalist Christian Philosophy”
                                                Nathan Greeley, Claremont Graduate University

                                                “Kierkegaard’s Advice to Christian Philosophers: Christian Philosophy as Confession and the Conversion of the Mind”
                                                Chikara Saito, Hope College

                                                                        Fireside Room
                                                “Faith Requires Belief, But Rationality Does Not Require Truth-aiming”
                                                Joshua Mugg, York University

                                                “A Synthesis Of Evidentialism and Dissagreement As A De Jure Objection To Plantinga”
                                                Hannah Scanlon, Calvin College


Saturday, 3:15PM            Benediction            Grand Lobby, Ozinga Chapel
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