Political Theologies: Past, Present, and Future

October 15-16, 2008

This event was the inaugural conference of the Berkley Center's project on the Future of Political Theologies, which inquires about the meaning of religion's role in politics, especially about the enduring way that human reflection continues in the modern West to seek legitimacy for political and legal affairs in religious narratives and first principles. Leading thinkers and practitioners from within each tradition, as well as critics from outside the traditions, came together to examine core questions at the intersection of religious pluralism and democratic politics: What are the main trends and challenges for political theologies today? How do globalization, secularization, and pluralism affect political theologies? How might political theologies change in the twenty-first century?

Schedule

October 15

Keynote Discussion | Mark Lilla, John Milbank

October 16

Panel 1: Domesticating Religion: The Abrahamic Faiths and the Rise of the Democratic State | Patrick Deneen, Jerome Copulsky, Eric Gregory, Paul Heck, Michael Kessler

Panel 2: Confronting Pluralism: Main Trends in Political Theologies Today |
Jacques Berlinerblau, Jocelyne Cesari, Hent de Vries, Charles Mathewes

Panel 3: The Way Forward: Political Theologies and the American Future |
Elizabeth Bucar, David Novak, Damon Linker, Robin Lovin, Erik Owens

Participating in absentia: José Casanova, Jean Bethke Elshtain

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Other Participants

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