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Theology Conference

Creation Care & Justice

October 18-19, 2024

Lament and hope for God’s Creation.

Scholars, practitioners, students, and ministry leaders converge to explore the topic of Creation Care & Justice with noted biblical scholar and speaker Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat. Engage in a time of interdisciplinary learning and discovery.

Featured Talks

Webinar–Creation Care, Justice, and Formation*

Join us for a dynamic conversation with—Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat of Bible Remixed and Dr. Marlena Graves, Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation at Northeastern Seminary. Together, they will explore how creation care, social justice, and spiritual formation interconnect and shape our faith and communities.

Lecture–Torn Between Grief and Hope: Biblical Wisdom and the Climate Catastrophe*

We are often so weighed down with grief over creational destruction that it is difficult to look to the future with hope. This talk will explore not only how this grief is present in the biblical story, but also how a future of possibility and renewal shaped the biblical imagination of those who lived with that grief.

Lecture–The Lament of the Land and the Tears of God

The lens of trauma and grief offers a relatively new approach to interpreting biblical texts about creational destruction and land loss. In this talk, we will explore a few texts that highlight the grief of both the Creator and creation, alongside an imaginative hope that calls us to be servants of restoration.

*The noted featured talks are free to attend, thanks to the generous support of David S. and F. Avis Barnes and the Barnes Science and Faith Symposium at Roberts Wesleyan University. However, registration is required.

Call for Papers

Proposals for papers to be presented at the Theology Conference are being accepted. This Call for Papers goes out to established scholars or practitioners in the theological and scientific disciplines, as well as to graduate students, post-docs, and pre-tenured faculty.

In line with the topic of Dr. Keesmaat’s lectures, we invite submission of high quality papers on any topic related to the broad theme of “Creation Care and Justice.” We welcome papers from the theological or the scientific side, especially those that explore intersections of a biblical-theological vision with issues in science. Papers should be scholarly but not highly specialized presentations of about 25 minutes, aimed at an audience of students, pastors, and faculty from across the spectrum of theological and scientific disciplines.

Proposals should be approximately 250 words in length. The best proposals articulate a clear thesis and include a brief explanation of their plan (and/or method). Please prepare them for blind review and submit as an email attachment, accompanied by a short curriculum vitae or resume in a separate file. To facilitate anonymous review of proposals, please include your name, institutional affiliation, contact information, and the title of your proposal in the body of your email. 

All proposals should be submitted electronically as file attachments in *DOC or *PDF format to the address below. Please title your email “Creation Care and Justice.” Please email conference paper proposals to Dr. Patrick Franklin at pfranklin@tyndale.ca by September 20, 2024. Papers chosen for participation will be notified by September 27, 2024.

Graduate students, post-docs, and pre-tenured faculty are invited to submit finished papers that address biblical interpretation by September 20 (full draft due by October 4) for the Jack and Phyllis Middleton Award for Excellence in Bible and Theology.

The Jack and Phyllis Middleton Award for Excellence in Bible and Theology

Competition Invitation

Graduate students, post-docs, independent scholars, and pre-tenured faculty are invited to enter the Paper Competition, the winner of which will receive The Jack and Phyllis Middleton Award for Excellence in Bible and Theology.

In line with the topic of Dr. Keesmaat’s lectures, we invite submission of high quality papers on any topic related to the broad theme of “Creation Care and Justice.”

Please see the conference Call for Papers for more details on paper proposals.

Submission Instructions:

All competition submissions must be submitted simultaneously as paper proposals for the October 19 conference (Word or PDF format). Paper competition proposals are due by September 20, 2024 and the full draft for the paper competition is due by October 4, 2024. Please email your submission proposal and draft to Dr. Patrick Franklin at pfranklin@tyndale.ca by the dates indicated. Please indicate “Creation Care and Justice Paper Competition” in the subject line of your email.

Evaluation Criteria for Excellence:

  • The essay should be well written and have a clear, coherently argued point of view (thesis)

  • The essay should be academically rigorous, with evidence of significant research and nuanced understanding of the relevant issues

  • The essay should engage Scripture in a significant way, bringing informed analysis of the Bible into conversation with other theological disciplines and/or the theological topic at hand

  • Special consideration will be given to essays that have relevance to life outside the academy

  • Citations should conform to the formatting guidelines of the SBL Handbook of Style or the Chicago Manual of Style

  • The essay must be of publishable quality

  • The award will be granted only when there is an essay of sufficient excellence

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Sylvia C. Keesmaat is a biblical scholar, activist, and  farmer. She obtained her doctorate at Oxford University, studying with N.T. Wright. She was the Senior Member in Biblical Studies and Hermeneutics at the Institute for Christians Studies from 1994-2004, before leaving to more deeply ground her academic work in environmental issues. She has taught at Oxford University, Canadian Mennonite University, Wycliffe College and Trinity College (both part of the Toronto School of Theology) as well as for the Creation Care Studies Program in Belize.

Sylvia is the co-author, with Brian Walsh, of Romans Disarmed: Resisting Empire, Demanding Justice  (Brazos Press, 2019) and Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire (IVP, 2004). She is also the author of Paul and His Story: (Re)Interpreting the Exodus Tradition and editor of The Advent of Justice. She has also authored many academic articles and book chapters, as well as popular articles.

She speaks frequently on topics related to the Bible and economic justice, climate catastrophe, gender justice, and Indigenous justice. Sylvia lives at Russet House Farm, an off-grid permaculture farm in the Kawartha Lakes on the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg, with her husband, Brian Walsh, and a fluctuating number of people and animals.

Location

The Theology Conference will be held in the Golisano Community Engagement Center at 2280 Westside Drive, Rochester, NY 14624. Signage for event parking will be visible from Westside Drive. Parking will be available in Lot H behind the Community Engagement Center, Lot I in front of Beeson Apartments, and Lot J outside of Davison Hall.