Academy Regained – a satellite conference overlapping with “From Cosmos to Psyche”

In by Arnold SikkemaLeave a Comment


Event Details


UPDATE: Registration remains open but dinner registration closes 10am July 25. See below for details.

Chaired by Russ Kosits and David Koyzis of Redeemer University College, this is an overlapping satellite conference with the CSCA/ASA/CiS Conference “From Cosmos to Psyche.” The morning session is held as part of the main conference at McMaster University, and the balance of the day is held at Redeemer.

In 1987, historian George Marsden described what he called “the triumph—or nearly so—of what may be loosely called Kuyperian presuppositionalism in the evangelical [academic] community.” This “style of Christian thought” involved the rejection of certain forms of Enlightenment thinking widely embraced by North American Christians of previous generations, in which it was understood that contentious intellectual disputes between Christians and non-Christians could be settled though empirical inquiry and “clear thinking.” From a Kuyperian vantage point, by contrast, such disputes are the result of “disagreements about pretheoretical first principles, presuppositions, first commitments, or basic beliefs.” From one perspective, Marsden was right: this “worldview thinking” has become ubiquitous in Christian colleges and universities and in the Christian community more broadly. But from another point of view, worldview thinking remains a promise unfulfilled. The insights of Kuyperian presuppositionalism are underapplied, often cordoned off in university faculty mentoring programs or in “foundational” theology or philosophy courses, with the rest of the curriculum being taught pretty much the way it’s taught anywhere else, and with faculty research often indistinguishable from that conducted by our secular counterparts. Indeed, a decade later Marsden would lament that there are “almost no identifiable Christian schools of thought” in the mainstream academic disciplines. These presentations—part of a book project tentatively entitled Academy Regained—will attempt to redress this situation. Here we hope to show the relevance, usefulness, and power of Kuyperian presuppositionalism (with an emphasis on the biblical narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation) for the academic disciplines. In so doing, we hope to portray the Reformational worldview, not as merely a collection of slogans, but as an emerging school of thought with a worthwhile programme of research.

SCHEDULE

Morning at McMaster University (map here; see also special map indicating CSCA-ASA-CiS meeting locations)

Registered participants only: Pick up your Academy Regained nametags at the ASA registration table, which is open from 8:15am to noon in the lobby of the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery (MDCL).

8:45-9:45am: Optional Plenary Lecture (open to Academy Regained participants) — Location: MDCL 1307 (McMaster)

  • Jeffrey P Schloss, “Evolution, Moral Cognition, and the Question of Human Exceptionalism”

10:15am-12:00pm: Natural Sciences — Location: MDCL 1009 (McMaster)

  • 10:15: Programme chairs, D. Koyzis, R. Kosits: Introductory comments
  • 10:30: K. VanderMeulen/C. Jongsma, “A Neo-Kuyperian Approach to Mathematics”
  • 11:00: D. Schuurman/S. Vander Leest, “Exploring a Biblical Perspective of Engineering”
  • 11:30: A. Sikkema, “Reformational Perspectives in Physical Science”

12:00-1:00pm: Lunch – McMaster options are identified on this map. If you wish to eat in the McMaster dining room at Centro along with registrants of “From Cosmos to Psyche,” you must first purchase a meal ticket at the ASA registration table. Meal tickets are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. (You cannot purchase meals in the dining room at Centro.)

Afternoon & Evening at Redeemer University College (campus maps here – free parking in the large lot)

2:00-4:00pm: Social Sciences — room 214 (Redeemer: south end of main building, closest to Garner Road; see maps for further guidance)

  • 2:00: V. Asatryan, “Exploring a Biblical Perspective of Marketing”
  • 2:30: R. Kosits/E. Johnson, “A Preliminary Rationale for Reformed and Reformational Perspective in Psychological Science”
  • 3:00: J. Vanderwoerd, “Toward a Biblical Grounding for Professional Social Work Practice”
  • 3:30: D. Koyzis, “Political Science Regained”

4:00-4:30pm: Break

4:30-6:30pm: Humanities — room 214 (Redeemer)

  • 4:30: J. Danielson, “Music as Science and Art”
  • 5:00: K. Flatt, “What Does Kuyper Have to Do with Ranke and Foucault? A Reformational Perspective on the Discipline of History”
  • 5:30: A. Wilkinson, “Word and Flesh: Toward a Christian View of English Literature”
  • 6:00: J. Rusthoven, “Toward a Reformed Understanding of Biomedical Ethics”

6:30pm-8:30: Dinner, with Wolters & the Danielsons (Redeemer: Executive Dining Room, main building, downstairs, near bookstore; see maps for further guidance)

  • Reflections from Al Wolters, author of Creation Regained
  • Highlights from Six Pieces of a Reverberant Cosmos by Janet Danielson, narrated by Dennis Danielson

REGISTRATION

  • $15 for the morning session at McMaster and the afternoon sessions at Redeemer (early-bird rate was $10, on or before July 1)
  • $30 for the dinner (with Wolters & the Danielsons) (early-bird $25). Dinner registration closes at 10am July 25.
  • Taxes will be added to this (13% HST).
  • To register, fill in this form and then submit your payment by calling Redeemer University’s Campus Services at 905-648-2131 ext. 4521 or ask for Darlene Komadan ([email protected]).
  • Same-day registrations are made at Redeemer’s Campus Services, room 129.

ACCOMMODATIONS

  • One option is to stay at Visitors Inn near McMaster. Request the conference rate “American Scientific Affiliation”.
  • Accommodations at Redeemer may also be available; when registering by phone [see above], please ask Darlene if you are interested, and she will describe the options.

See also the Facebook event page. (Please join, share, and invite friends.) The short URL for this website is goo.gl/a5crgc .

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