4th Common Dreams Conference: “Progressive Spirituality: New Directions

Date/Time
16 Sep 2016 until 19 Sep 2016
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Location
Somerville House

Category(ies)

• Conference

More Details:

A conference of religious progressives in Australia and the South Pacific.

Keynote Speakers:

• Dr Diana Butler Bass: Dr Diana Butler Bass is an acclaimed author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion
  and culture. She holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Duke University and is the author of nine books, including Grounded: Finding God in the World—A Spiritual Revolution (2015) and the widely influential Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening (2012). Her other books include A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (2009), nominated for a Library of Virginia literary award, and the best-selling Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (2006) which was named as one of the best religion books of the year by Publishers Weekly and was featured in a cover story in USA TODAY.
• Dr Val Webb: Dr Val Webb is one of Australia’s most articulate and persuasive progressive thinkers and writers. Val has taught religious studies and world religions at universities in the United States and Australia and has written eleven books, including Florence Nightingale: the making of a radical theologian; In Defence of Doubt: an invitation to adventure; and Stepping out with the Sacred: human attempts to engage the Divine. Her book Like Catching Water in a Net: human attempts to describe the Divine won the “religion” category of the 2007 Best Books USA Awards. Val’s latest book is Testing Tradition and Liberating Theology: finding your own voice (2015).
• Professor Pamela Eisenbaum: Professor Pamela Eisenbaum is one of four Jewish New Testament scholars teaching in Christian theological schools in USA. She is Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. She is the author of The Jewish Heroes of Christian History: Hebrews 11 in Literary Context, Invitation to Romans and most recently, Paul Was Not a Christian. She is a contributor to the Women’s Bible Commentary and the Jewish Annotated New Testament, and has published many essays on the Bible, ancient Judaism and the origins of Christianity. Two of her greatest professional passions are the apostle Paul and ancient manuscripts, and her current research involves the role of technology (ancient and modern) in the codification, preservation, and transmission of the Bible. In addition to her appointment at Iliff, she is an affiliate faculty member of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver.

Key Events:

• Dr Diana Butler Bass will deliver a major public lecture “Spiritual Revolution: Vertical No More?” (Saturday evening) and a keynote address.
• Dr Val Webb will give a major public lecture “Always Progressing and Evolving: but from what to where and how and why?” (Friday evening).
• Professor Pamela Eisenbaum will give a major public address “The End of the Word as We Know It? The Future of Scripture Past” (Sunday evening).
• Rev Fred Plumer delivers his keynote address “Where Have All The Millennials Gone?”
• Michael Morwood presents a keynote address “A New Template For Religion”.
• Rev Jana Norman gives a keynote address with an Eco-theological Theme “Progressive Spirituality as Reservoir for the Reinvention of the Human Being in the Ecozoic Era”.
• Saara Sabbagh’s keynote address “Living with Faith in a Faithless work” looks at spirituality from a Muslim perspective plus she will also lead a workshop.
• Graeme Mundine’s keynote address has an Indigenous spirituality theme and is titled “Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses”.
• Dr Lorraine Parkinson, Dr Margaret Mayman and Professor Pamela Eisenbaum will form a panel and present three reflections on Spirituality followed by interactive discussion.
• Rev David Felten will deliver the closing address.
• Pre-conference Forum (Free: 2.00pm 16 September) “Introduction to Progressive Religion and Common Dreams”.
• Elective sessions will offer workshops, interactive

Conveniently located across the River from the Brisbane CBD with good accommodation options and public transport links. Wheelchair accessible and the venue has a hearing loop.

For more information go to the website www.commondreams.org.au