Reformed Theology and History Unit
The Reformed Theology and History Unit seeks paper proposals on the following topics:
Reformed Confessions and the Church
In connection with the 100th anniversary of Karl Barth’s lectures on the Reformed confessions during his formational tenure at Göttingen, the Reformed Theology and History Unit invites proposals that examine the nature of Reformed confessions and their significance for the Church. Theological, historical, contextual approaches, among others, are welcome including, but in no way limited to, approaches that engage with Barth’s own reflections in this significant lecture cycle and elsewhere. Alternatively, proposals may wish to explore the historical and/or theological importance of confessions in the history and theology of Reformed Christianities such as the Three Forms of Unity, the Westminster Confession of Faith, Barmen, or the Accra Confessions. Proposals that engage theological with the strengths and limitations of confessions and confessionalism, especially in relationship to church unity, discipline, and idenity are also welcome. Constructive proposals that explore the offerings of past (or potential future) confessions for present ecclesiological concerns are especially encouraged.
Reformed Theological Ethics: War, Violence, and Peace
In light of the AAR Presidential Theme for 2023, the RTHU invites proposals related to issues of war, peace, violence, and the Reformed faith. This might include studies of early Reformed Christian engagement in or reflection by figures like Zwingli, Calvin, or Knox on practices of war, rebellion, and migration. Or papers might consider how Reformed Christianities have supported slavery in antebellum America, burned 'witches' for heresy, persecuted Anabaptists in early modern Switzerland, committed war-time atrocities in modern Korea as well as resisted Japanese colonialism in Taiwan or protested apartheid in South Africa. We welcome analyses of case studies and theological writings from different global contexts and time periods that capture the positive and negative contributions of the Reformed tradition in relation to war, peace, and violence. We also welcome studies of how contemporary Reformed Christian communities are relating to these complex and fraught histories in current ecclesiology and ethics.
The Reformed Theology and History Unit plans to co-sponsor with the Christian Systematic Unit a panel on Paul Dafyyd Jones' new book.
This Unit seeks to open up the traditions of Reformed Christianity for critical review and study, attending to their theological and historical patterns of belief, practice, and polity. Our aim is to present panels and paper sessions that balance theological and historical approaches, and that attend from diverse perspectives to single figures and larger cultural movements, with a particular interest in exploring emerging or forgotten elements of Reformed thought and practice. In all of these topics, we hope to demonstrate the vitality, originality, and diversity of Reformed Christianity in its worldwide expression.