Open and Relational Theologies Unit

Open Call

The Open and Relational Theologies Unit promotes academic research and discourse on open, relational, and process methods and perspectives (including those of open theism, process philosophy, and other relational and personalists traditions). These explorations tend to be constructive in nature, regularly involving theological and philosophical speculation about the nature of God, freedom, power, relationality, materiality, love, and more. Our Unit's inquiries also explore the implications of open-relational methods and perspectives on a wide range of social, scientific, and spiritual topics. We welcome contributions from across religious traditions.

For the 2024 Meeting, the Open & Relational Theologies Unit invites proposals on the following themes:

• Paper and/or panel proposals relating Open and Relational Theologies to the presidential theme, “Violence, Nonviolence, and the Margin.” Possible questions: Are open and/or relational theological and philosophical commitments inherently less violent than classical perspectives? How do open and relational commitments provide grounds for challenging hierarchies and the power dynamics of center and margin? What resources does ORT offer for dealing concretely with violence in its various manifestations: physical, institutional, structural, intellectual, etc.? How does open and relational discourse recreate its own center-margin dynamic? In what ways might open and relational scholars more robustly engage traditionally marginalized voices and perspectives?
• Roundtable participants on the theme of pedagogy and power for a discussion co-sponsored with the Pragmatism and Empiricism in American Religious Thought Unit. Rather than presenting formal papers, panelists will engage in an extended discussion with fellow panelists and attendees. They will discuss how their theoretical interests and commitments—to an open and relational standpoint or pragmatism and empiricism—inform their teaching practice and understanding of power. Proposals should explain interest in participating in the roundtable and share concrete examples of the creative ways you have adapted your pedagogy based on your commitment to the principles of your discipline. We especially welcome reflection on how you contend with power as part of teaching religion, as well as pedagogical practices that address issues related to marginality in the classroom.

Pre-arranged Roundtable

The ORT Unit will also sponsor an invited roundtable session on “Omnipotence or Amnipotence.” Open and relational theologies have been wary of omnipotence as a divine attribute. Some embrace it after qualifying its meaning; others reject it. In this session, diverse voices explore omnipotence alongside Thomas Jay Oord's alternative: “amnipotence.”