Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict: The Wounds of God

Thursday, September 8, 2011
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EDT
Location: New North McNeir Auditorium Map

A full case for religious tolerance that employed the resources of Christian scripture and the Christian theological tradition would argue that Christian scripture and theology permit religious tolerance; that human persons, one and all, have dignity; and that religious intolerance is a violation of that dignity. In this lecture, Nicholas Wolterstorff pointed to a theme in the Christian tradition concerning the significance of perpetrating on someone the injustice of religious intolerance, or any other sort of injustice. To treat someone unjustly, to violate their worth or dignity, is not only to wrong them but is also to wrong God. His lecture took the form of an exposition of John Calvin's theology of social injustice, since this theme is more prominent in the thought of John Calvin than in any other theologian from the tradition.

This event was part of a series commemorating the tenth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. It was co-sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and Calvin College.

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Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict: The Wounds of God

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About Nicholas Wolterstorff

Nicholas Wolterstorff is the Noah Porter Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Yale University and currently a senior research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. Active in teaching and research at Yale from 1989 to 2001, prior to that Wolterstorff taught at Calvin College from 1959 to 1989. He is the author of numerous books and published articles, including Justice: Rights and Wrongs (2010) and Until Justice and Peace Embrace (1983/1994). Former president of the American Philosophical Association (Central Division), Wolterstorff helped found the Society of Christian Philosophers in 1978; he is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science. He has given the Wilde Lectures at Oxford University, the Gifford Lectures at St Andrews University, the Stone Lectures at Princeton Seminary, and the Taylor Lectures at Yale. Wolterstorff received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University and his A.B. from Calvin College.

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