Holy Cats II

Now I don't know why I am interested in stories of cat hoarding, but I am. Last July I posted on another such occurrence of 117 cats hoarded in an Omaha home. This story tops that one by exactly one cat. Now I realize that we are amidst a recession but I did not realize that cats were such a valuable commodity at times like these. I suppose if our currency completely fails and we are left to barter with felines, these folks will be the richest folks in the Midwest. This idea of hoarding animals is strange to me. Now I like cats. One, maybe two are ok. But when does a collection of cats turn into something like Hitchcock's birds?

Now on the more serious side for both human and cats...

The woman fits the classic profile of an obsessive-compulsive animal hoarder, "which is sad for both animals and owners," Streff said.

This is certainly a depressing state for any creature to live in. For the owners, motivated perhaps in some sort by compassion for lost animals, which is to be commended, still ends up inflicting them to one another in a very confined environment. What is the classic profile of an obsessive compulsive animal hoarder? What is so lacking in someones life that they collect animals? I cannot help but to wonder what their thought processes are?

The movement towards compassion for God's creation is commendable, if that is what motivates them regardless of if that language is chosen or not. Is it a sign of a lack of community that is sought out in animals? No real answers...just questions.

New Experiments

I put a couple of recent photographic experiments. The top image is of a garden sculpture and the bottom from the Chicago subway system. Both images have undergone heavy modification. Both printed out on digital photo paper by an Epson ink jet printer, boiled, rolled, and had the fiber backing removed. Once dried, I covered them in encaustic. The top image also is backed with gold leafing. They both were then mounted into a shadow matting and frame. Both are experiments rather than ending points. I am not sure where it will lead, but the process is producing some interesting results along the way. The top one is currently being shown in the UND Student Art show.

Lectionary Texts for Epiphany 6, February 15, 2009

Over the past few weeks I have been attempting to study the lectionary readings a bit before Sunday morning. My hope is that I will be able to post a few thoughts on one or more of the upcoming texts each week and create a bit of dialogue of catholicity among those readers who follow the lectionary from week to week.

2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Mark 1:40-45

Study helps from textweek.com

Theology and the Arts Programs

A few weeks back I posted links in the sidebar to several prominent Theology and the Arts academic programs including GTU, Andover Newton, Fuller, Duke, ITIA, Yale, Regent, and United Seminary. Over the past 10 years I have considered applying to each of the programs for a variety of reasons. Each program has its strengths and weaknesses.

One thing that I find curious is that most programs are academically focussed and only nominally arts focussed. Regent offers an occasional course in icon writing or painting. United, the most proximal for me, does have some studio space as well. One school not mentioned is Azusa Pacific's MFA program. I think they are the only evangelical Christian college that offers an MFA. From some conversations I have had with them they try hard to integrate theology into conversation with the process of art making. Additionally it seems to be a low-res. type of program (for better or worse).

My seminary experience in Sioux Falls comes from a line of thought that blends academics with practical experience of ministry. This sort of formation helps direct and remind academically minded folks that their work always exists for the church. I have pondered over the past few years, could there be a like-minded program that balances academic theology with practical artistic output? Rather than courses in preaching, pastoral care, and supervised ministry, artists could take courses in painting or printmaking or whatever their chosen medium along side traditional seminary courses of church history and theology, as well as, specific integration sorts of courses? Not only would this offer great resources for artists, but could help future pastors learn how to integrate the arts more effectively into the life of the ecclesia. This would not and could not replace a MFA from a university, but it could be an opportunity to give young artists a solid theological grounding from which to work.

Historical Jesus(es)

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hear Bill Caraher, history professor at the University of North Dakota speak to the campus ministry groups about the historical Jesus. Earlier in the day he posted on his blog about his intents. While you can read the entirety of his post on the blog, I wanted to interact with a smaller section of it.

"I will emphasize that simply placing Jesus in his ancient context does not necessarily produce a more "historically accurate" depiction of Jesus "the man". In fact, placing Jesus in an ancient context runs the risk of impoverishing the great diversity and brilliance of the Christian traditions which created meaningful images of Jesus throughout the ages. Just as the ancient writers created a Jesus that was meaningful in their context, subsequent generations have contributed their own perspectives on the founder of Christianity.

If post-modern approaches to the past have taught us anything, it is to celebrate the plurality of meaning in the historical record. In the context of the historical Jesus, this opens the door to finding significance in a aspects of the historical figure of Jesus that might have been obscured by accretions of time, scholarly or popular neglect, or the overwhelming pressure of contemporary approaches and concerns. In fact, Christians often observe that Jesus is a figure who transcends time and context. By looking at Jesus historically -- that is through the eyes of history as a dynamic discipline as well as through time -- we have the chance to recognize Jesus in ways that destabilize our expectations, challenge our assumptions, and renews faith."

Bill fully admits his post-modern leanings, if the second paragraph had not clued you into that fact already. What I found interesting in the discussion was his referencing the various "Jesuses" that cultures have created in order to come to terms with the complexity and/or curiosity of who Jesus was (or was not). His contention is that these varieties of Jesus came from a pious attempt to understand rather than undermine. This process has continued up to the present day as various groups within and outside of traditional Orthodoxy grapple with who Jesus was and what that means for Christianity and beyond today. These meanings, or variously "flavored" Jesuses vary by culture and age. Not long ago, Brian McLaren, love him or hate him, pointed out that in his life time he has know 7 different Jesuses: Conservative Protestant Jesus, Roman Catholic Jesus, Eastern Orthodox Jesus, Liberal Protestant Jesus, Anabaptist Jesus, and Jesus of the Oppressed (from A Generous Orthodoxy).

Bill notes, "In fact, Christians often observe that Jesus is a figure who transcends time and context." I think Christians often have a mixed view of Jesus as somehow being a timeless figure untouched by culture...transcending time and place. And yet, we are quick to right former wrongs by noting that Jesus was Jewish in a First C. Mediterranean culture (though most have little to no idea what that means). Trouble seems to appear at every turn. How do we balance a historical figure, with a given context, that proclaimed a "timeless" message, with the limits of our knowledge of that culture, historical accretions, our own cultural biases?

As Bill, Susan and I walked back from the luncheon I mentioned that I felt the chorus of Jesuses were beneficial, if not absolutely necessary. This would suggest my post-modern leanings as well with an appreciation for the dynamics of plurality and my suspicion of genuine knowledge. But what about the timeless message in the Bible? It is there. I am just suspicious of knowing it in a conclusive and modern scientific way. From my perspective, that each of the historical periods, cultural biases, hermeneutical methods simultaneously clarify and obscure who Jesus is. And thus are needed to approximate a dynamic Jesus. The dialogue...the contest for meaning becomes the a central means for grappling with the lively implications of Jesus.

The risk here is that Jesus becomes an everyman where the elusive timeless message and meaning are bent willy-nilly. But again, here the process of constestation keeps Jesus alive and the constituent communities pursuing the depth and breadth of what cannot be fully encompassed.

Zombies Ahead! Run!

Every once in a while a story will touch me so deeply. This particular one from MSN did just that. As I drive through these great midwestern towns and cities, I am often left pondering "how can I re-arrange these sign letters to make something more interesting or comical...or perhaps just juvenile and offensive?" I dream of placing lawn ornaments in compromising positions. Or adding the always classic "in bed" or "in my butt" to the end of billboard statements. So when I read this article from MSN, I knew I was reading about a more technologically advanced bird of a feather.

2009 AAR/SBL Upper Midwest Regional Meeting Schedule

Last week was a busy one with presentations, papers, show deadlines and just daily life. I did recieve the schedule for the Upper Midwest Regional AAR meeting which was a good reminder to get to work on the New Topographics and Catholicity project. I am thankful, and a little intimidated that I am presenting this year on the first day and first battery of sessions. Last time I presented I was the second to last paper on the last day. This week I will be trying to get a few posts back to these topics.

2009 AAR SBL ASOR
Upper Midwest Regional Meeting
Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota
27-28 March 2009

FRIDAY
9:00-1:00 Workshop (Room 230)
“Teaching Native American Religions as a Matter of Fact”
Facilitators:
Michelene Pesantubbe, University of Iowa
Dennis Kelley, Iowa State University

11:00-1:00 SBL Graduate Student Seminar, “The Do’s and Don’t’s of Networking”

1:00-2:30 SBL Plenary Session:
Dr. Joel Kaminsky
“The Other in Late Biblical and
Early Rabbinic Texts”
(Auditorium)

2:45-4:15 First Sessions

4:15-4:30 Refreshment Break in the Atrium

4:30-6:00 Second Sessions

6:00-7:00 Reception in the Atrium

SATURDAY
8:00-9:30 Coffee, Juice and Rolls in the Atrium

9:00-10:00 AAR Plenary Session:
Dr. Frederick Denny
“Perceptions of Islam and Muslims: Scholarship and Public Opinion over the Past Four Decades”
(Auditorium)

10:15-11:45 Third Sessions

12:00-1:15 Buffet Lunch and Business Meetings
(Olsen Campus Center)

1:30-3:00 Joint AAR/SBL Discussion:
“Teaching Reflectively in Theological Contexts”
Presiders: Amy Marga and Karoline Lewis, Luther Seminary
Panelists:
Stephen Brookfield, University of St. Thomas
Rolf Jacobson, Luther Seminary
Mary E. Hess, Luther Seminary
David J. Lose, Luther Seminary
(Auditorium)

3:00-3:15 Refreshment Break in the Atrium

3:15-4:45 Fourth Sessions
All sessions are in Northwestern Hall unless otherwise indicated


WORKSHOP
Friday, 9:00-1:00

Workshop: Teaching Native American Religions as a Matter of Fact (Room 230)
Facilitators: Michelene Pesantubbe, University of Iowa and Dennis Kelley, Iowa State University

This workshop will address the complex issues informing the development of an introductory Native American religious traditions course. Selecting thematic approaches, tribal cultures, and religious practices or ideas will be covered. Participants are encouraged to bring to the workshop their own course syllabi to share.

FIRST SESSIONS
Friday, 2:45-4:15

Session 1: Christian Apocrypha
Presider: C.D. Elledge, Gustavus Adolphus College
A Fresh Look at Laodiceans
Richard Pervo, Independent Scholar
Jesus the Murder Victim: Appropriating Scripture in the Gospel of Peter’s Narrative of Deicide
Tim Henderson, Marquette University
From Meal to Morsel: An Anthropological Reading of Christian Eucharistic Practice in the First and Second Centuries C.E.
Cody A. Schmitz, University of Minnesota

Session 2: Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Presider: Juan Miguel Betancourt, University of St. Thomas
Reversed (Chrono)Logical Sequence in Isaiah: Some Implications for the Redaction of the Book
Eric Ortlund, Briercrest Seminary
Creation Traditions in Isaiah 40-66: Their Origin and Purpose
Douglas T. Mangum, University of Wisconsin—Madison
The Prophetic Lineage of Penitential Piety
Dale Patrick, Drake University

Session 3: Systematic Theology/Philosophy of Religion
Presider and Respondant: Paul Capetz, United Theological Seminary
“Resurrecting the Analogia Entis Debate?: A Response to John R. Betz”
Ry O. Siggelkow, University of St. Thomas
Gordon Kaufman vs. Karl Marx?: Alienation, Re-presentation, and the Commodification of Theology
Michael Andres, Northwestern College (Iowa)
“Religious Experience and its Metaphysical Foundation: A Necessary Connection”
Brian Pizzalato, Diocese of Duluth and Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, UK

Session 4: Religion, Arts and Culture: Logos, Place and Embodiment
Presider: Philip Stoltzfus, University of St. Thomas
Benedictus contra Dionysus: Music and Logos in Dialogue with Joseph Ratzinger
J. Andrew Edwards, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
Places of Memory: Philip Sheldrake and the New Topographic Legacy
Ryan Stander, University of North Dakota
Deforming and Reforming Beauty: Disappearance and Presence in the Theo-Political Imagination of Ricardo Cinalli
Kimberly Vrudny, University of St. Thomas

Session 5: Native American Religions
Presider: Dennis Kelley, Iowa State University
Representing Religion: Media Portrayal of the 1890 Ghost Dance
Sarah Dees, University of Iowa
Indigenous Knowledge Documentation Project (IKDO): The Morrison Sessions
Mark F. Ruml, University of Winnipeg
Reflections of Self: Presentations of the “Other” in the Early Modern Period
Ezra Plank, University of Iowa

Session 6: Historical Perspectives on Religion
Presider: Jim Kroemer, Marquette University
Three Contradictory Portrayals of Lady Jane Gray
Sherry Jordan, University of St. Thomas
Friends of Violence: Early Quaker Persecutions in England
Kari Thompson, University of Iowa
The German Christians in Print, 1933-45
Mary M. Solberg, Gustavus Adolphus College

Session 7: Undergraduate Session #1
Presider: Bruce Forbes, Morningside College
NEED TITLE
Nicky Kerr, Graceland University
NEED TITLE
Maria Bady, University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh
Blood Theology: Race as Religion in the Contemporary Pagan Movement
Laura Jan Jones, University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire

Session 8: Open Session
Presider: Lawrence H. Williams, Luther College
Natural Childbirth as Icon in an Iconoclastic Culture
Susan Windley-Daoust, St. Mary’s University of Minnesota
Religion as a Source of Emotional and Material Support
Darin Mather, University of Minnesota
The Theological and the Political in an Era of Globalization: With Reflections on Ethics, Theology and Kant
Hans Gustafson, Claremont Graduate University

SECOND SESSIONS
Friday, 4:30-6:00

Session 1: New Testament: Gospel Studies
Presider: Dan Scholz, Cardinal Stritch University
The Metanarrative Hermeneutic as the Understanding for an Ecclesial Theology
Ross Manders, Bethel University
The Cardiography of Biblical Narrative
Karl Kuhn, Lakeland College
Where has Yahweh Gone? Reclaiming Unsavory Images of God in New Testament Studies
James A. Metzger, Luther College


Session 2: Early Judaism and Judaic Studies
Presider: Michael Wise, Northwestern College
NEED TITLE
Jessica L. Tinklenberg de Vega, Morningside College
According to the Brothers: First-person Narration in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
Brian O. Sigmon, Marquette University
Naturally Unnatural? Women in Midrash
Sarah Imhoff, University of Chicago

Session 3: Systematic Theology/Philosophy of Religion
Presider and Respondant: Paul Capetz, United Theological Seminary
“The Bible and Mikhail Bakhtin's Philosophy of Polyphony. Towards a Non-Authoritarian and Trinitarian Theology of Scripture”
Sorle S. Hovdenak, Luther Seminary
Figural Time: Christian Figural Reading and the “Reciprocal Interiority” of Past, Present and Future
Matthew Gerlach, University of St. Thomas
“Maturity is Salvation”: The Will to Power in the Theological Ethics of Paul Lehmann
Christopher Holmes, Providence Theological Seminary

Session 4: Greek and Roman Religion
Presider: Philip Sellew, University of Minnesota
Thucydides’ Rationalizing Idea of Miasma in Book II of His History
Matthew Briel, University of Minnesota
Sacred Texts, Salvation, and the Derveni Papyrus in Light of Traditional Greek Religion
Justin J. Buol, University of Minnesota
Eternity and Divinity in Early Christian Philosophy
Daniel Lloyd, Marquette University
Session 5: Religion, Gender and Sexuality
Presider: C. Neal Keye, The College of St. Scholastica
(Body)Image is Everything: Reflections on Female Faith Identity from the Stories of Gender Project
Claire Bischoff, Emory University
Revisiting the Nicene Creed: A Feminist Perspective
Thomas Jackson, Luther Seminary
The Theopolitics of Motherhood: Deborah’s Song, Hannah’s Prayer, and Mary’s Magnificat as Responses to the ‘Other ’Mothers
Vicki Gaylord, Independent Scholar

Session 6: Religion and Science: History and Perspectives
Gregory Peterson, South Dakota State University
Wolfgang Pauli, Carl Jung, and the Acasual Connection Principle: A Case Study in Transdisciplinarity
Charlene P.E. Burns, University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire
Social Darwinism, Racism, and a Theology of the Human Person
Marguerite L. Spencer, University of St. Thomas
Revisiting Explanation and Description in Religion and Science
Steven Lee, University of Wales Lampeter

Session 7: World Religions: Comparison, Conversation and Character
Need Presider
The Confucian Junzi and Global Ethics
Douglas P. Green, Independent Scholar
The Challenge of Chan 'Encounter Dialogue' Literature to the Speech Act Theory of Questions
Nathan Eric Dickman, University of Iowa
Comparative Theology and Its Possibilities in Three Moments
Peter Feldmeier, University of St. Thomas


Session 8: Undergraduate Session #2
Presider, Lori Brandt Hale, Augsburg College
A Question of Guilt: Religious Reaction to National Wrong in Postwar Germany
Jennifer Gonsalves, Concordia College—Moorhead
A Need to be a Little Less Luther-an: Luther, Jews and Contemporary Responses
Abby Ferjak, Augsburg College
Holding God to Account: The Anti-Theodicies of Job and Elie Wiesel
Katherine Chatelaine, St. Olaf College
NEED TITLE
Charles Buehler, Augustana College






THIRD SESSIONS
Saturday, 10:15-11:45

Session 1: New Testament
Presider: Juan Hernandez, Bethel University
An Ironic Turn of “paradidomi”: Defining “His People” in Matthew 1:21
InHee Cho, Concordia University College of Alberta
Following a Trail of Bread Crumbs: A Study of Intertextuality
D. Mark Davis, Heartland Presbyterian Church
Forty Days and Forty Nights: The Gospel of Matthew (4: 1-11) and the Scriptures of Israel
Daniel M. Gurtner, Bethel Seminary


Session 2: Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Presider: David Penchansky, University of St. Thomas
Breaking the Baqbuq as Ritual Analogy: A Prophetic Action in Jeremiah 19 and its Ancient Near Eastern Context
Katherine S. D. Brink, University of Chicago
Birds of a Feather? The Doves of Genesis 15 in Light of Leviticus
Paul G. Monson, Marquette University
Rhetorical Reversal and Usurpation: Isaiah 10:5-34 and the Use of Neo-Assyrian Royal Ideology in the Construction of Anti-Assyrian Theology
Michael Chan, Luther Seminary

Session 3: Systematic Theology/Philosophy of Religion
Presider and Respondant: Courtney Wilder, Midland Lutheran College
Bondage, Lights, and the Good News: The Need for Proclamation in the Bondage of the Will
Erick Thompson, Lutheran School of Theology—Chicago
"On the Limits of an Ecumenism of Convergence: The Role of Anthropology in Gerhard Ebeling's Rejection of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification"
Scott Celsor, Marquette University
Reinhard Hütter’s Concrete Catholicity: Sic et Non
Kimlyn Bender, University of Sioux Falls


Session 4: Religions of North America
Presider: Murphy Pizza, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee
The Varieties of Ultimate Concern at Jonestown and Waco
Dan Morris, University of IowaViolent Communication and the Limits of Tolerance
Ryan T. O’Leary, University of Iowa
The Future from Your Point of View: Science Fiction and the Limits of Exemplary Dualism in Our Approach to New Religious Movements
Douglas FitzHenry Jones, University of Iowa


Session 5: Conversation with Frederick Denny
Presider: Bruce Forbes, Morningside College

Session 6: Historical Perspectives on Religion
Presider: Jim Kroemer, Marquette University
“Obeyed Like a God”: A Case Study on Rhetorical Violence in 19th Century Anti-Mormon Novels
Peter J. Yoder, University of Iowa
Revivalism and Social Concern: An Examination of Charles G. Finney’s Involvement in the 19th Century Abolitionist Movement
Rebecca Meier-Rao, Marquette University
An American Catholic Response to Racism and Discrimination
Anthony M. Bonta, Marquette University

Session 7: Teaching the Bible and Religion
Presider: Karoline Lewis, Luther Seminary
Bible School for Public School Teachers: Biblical Scholarship, Teacher Training, and the Teaching of the Bible in Public Schools
Nathan Raybeck, University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
Service Learning as Tool in Teaching Benedictine Values: A Case Study
Suzanne Hequet, College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University
Seminary Secrets: How Foundationalism, Faith Stage, and “God Genes” Affect Students’ Reactions to Scholarly Analysis of Scripture
Julie Black Harder, Independent Scholar

Session 8: Undergraduate Session #3
Presider: Jessica L. Tinklenberg de Vega, Morningside College
Gnosticism in the Johannine Prologue
Amanda R. Morrow, Morningside College
Abraham’s Seed and the Hermeneutical Agility of the Apostle Paul
Justin Pannkuk, Northwestern College (Iowa)
NEED TITLE
Holly Pederson, Simpson College

FOURTH SESSIONS
Saturday, 3:15-4:45

Session 1: New Testament
Presider: Juan Hernandez, Bethel University
The God of Glory in the Johannine Prologue (1:1-18):Narrative Symmetry as the Sculpting Tool for John’s Christology
Scott Hamley, Bethel Seminary

An Earthly Entity: Trans-(local)-church Unity in Ephesians
Ross Jahnke, Bethel Seminary
Rene Girard’s Mimetic Theory in St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians
Eric Vanden Eykel, Marquette University

Session 2: Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Presider: Michael Chan, Luther Seminary
Beauty, Power and Attraction: Aesthetics and the Hebrew Bible
David Penchansky, University of St. Thomas
Two High Priesthoods? Evidence for Changes in the Priesthood from First to Second Temple
David J. Larson, Marquette University
Weeping as They Went: The Implications of Viewing 2 Sam. 15: 23-30 as a Literary Unit
Juan Miguel Betancourt, University of St. Thomas

Session 3: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Religion
Presider: Jim Kroemer, Marquette University
St. John Chrysostom and His Message of Social Justice for Us Today
Joel Cassady, St. John’s University
The People vs. The Mice: Animal Ethics that Worked
Rebecca Proefrock, Lutheran School of Theology—Chicago
The Contemporary Black Church and Economic Development
Lawrence H. Williams, Luther College


Session 4: Religion, Arts and Culture: Religious and Cultural Intersections in the Multicultural Midwest
Presider: Kimberly Vrudny, University of St. Thomas
Magical Children, Meddling Elders: Paradoxical Patterning in Contemporary Pagan Cultural Transmission
Murphy Pizza, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee
“We Dance So That the People Will Live”: Modernity, Tradition and Cultural Performance in the Contemporary Intertribal PowWow
Dennis Kelley, Iowa State University
Intersections of Filipino Culture, Ritual, Theology, and Symbols of Resistance in Anton Juan’s Plays El Flamenco Senaculo and Golgotha Theresa Mason, Independent Scholar

Session 5: Ethics
Need Presider
Conscientious Objection: Judging Which Beliefs and Convictions Count
Joan Henriksen Hellyer, Mayo Clinic/Luther College
“Why Should I Care?”: Responding to the Genocide in Darfur
Stephen Pattee, St. Mary’s University, Minnesota

Ethics as Lived Faith: Bonhoeffer’s Changing Forms of Political Involvement as Personal Faith Responses
David M. Gides, Christian Brothers University

Session 6: Religion and Science: Science, Theology and Scripture
Glen Enander, South Dakota State Univeristy
The Monism-Dualism Debate Regarding Humanity: Handling the Data of the Bible
Douglas S. Huffman, Northwestern College (Minnesota)
The Scriptures and Science: The Value of the Bible in a Science-Dominated World
Vincent M. Smiles, College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University
Science and the Eternal Clarity of Scripture—Basic Issues
Dennis Bielfeldt, South Dakota State University

Session 7: Undergraduate Session #4
Presider: Elna Solvang, Concordia College—Moorhead
Mother Teresa: Abandoned by God or Model of Markan Discipleship?
Logan Richman, Concordia College—Moorhead
NEED TITLE
Jennifer Lind, University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire
NEED TITLE
Ashley Anderson, Augustana College

Session 8: Religion and Ecology
Presider: Marguerite Spencer, University of St. Thomas
Beyond Ecocentrism: Examining Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic Through a Theological Lens
Jeff Reed, St. John’s School of Theology
Global Warming and the Ethics of Virtue
Nancy Menning, University of Iowa
Vaishnava Ecology: Lessons for the Future from an Ancient Faith
Virajita Singh, University of Minnesota


Plenary Speakers:

Dr. Joel Kaminsky teaches courses on the Hebrew Bible and on ancient Jewish Religion and Literature in the Religion Department at Smith College where he also Co-Directs the Program in Jewish Studies. Kaminsky received his doctorate in 1993 from the University of Chicago and came to Smith College in 1997 after teaching at a number of other institutions including: St. Olaf College, Muhlenberg College, Whitman College, and Loyola University of Chicago. Professor Kaminsky was a Visiting Fellow in the Durham University Department of Theology and Religion in 2006, as well as serving as a Visiting Associate Professor at Yale Divinity School in 2007. His research interests include narrative and theological analysis of the Hebrew Bible as well as an abiding fascination with Rabbinic techniques of biblical interpretation. He is the author of two books and one co-edited collection of essays and has published a number of articles and many book reviews in various scholarly journals. His most recent book, Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election (Abingdon Press, 2007) examines the idea of chosenness in the Hebrew Bible, and explores how this central and pervasive idea both unites and divides Jews and Christians.His first book Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995) explored the topic of intergenerational punishment.
His next independent project will be a theological commentary on Judges for the OTT series being published by Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Frederick Denny is Professor Emeritus of Islamic Studies and the History of Religions at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Among his many publications, two of the most widely recognized are the college textbook An Introduction to Islam (3rd edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005) and his work as lead editor for the second edition of the Atlas of World Religions (Oxford University Press, 2007), succeeding the late Ninian Smart who edited the first edition. Denny earned degrees from the College of William and Mary and Andover Newton Theological School, with an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a Certificate in Advanced Arabic Studies from the American University of Cairo. His lifetime of teaching has included appointments at Colby-Sawyer College, Yale College, the University of Virginia, and Colorado (Boulder), plus Fulbright-sponsored teaching in Indonesia and Malaysia, through which he has observed, supported, and nurtured the development of a new generation of Islamic scholars. Denny also has been fully involved in responsibilities within the American Academy of Religion, serving eleven years on the AAR’s national board, as president and regional director of the Rocky Mountain Great Plains Region, and in extensive committee service to the profession.