Theological ethics expert to speak at conference

William Schweiker, director of the Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s West Michigan Academic Consortium Conference, presented in collaboration withe Grand Valley State University’s Kaufman Interfaith Institute.

“Does Religion Have a Future?”
Tuesday, October 14
Cornerstone University, 1001 East Beltline Ave. NE, Grand Rapids

The conference is free and open to the public and includes breakout sessions with local scholars from Grand Valley, Aquinas College, Calvin College, Calvin Theological Seminary, Cornerstone University, Hope College and Western Theological Seminary.

As an expert in the field of theological ethics, Schweiker’s teachings and studies engage theological and ethical questions related to global dynamics, religious ethics, the history of ethics, and the philosophy behind Biblical interpretation and explanation.

Schweiker is the author of numerous articles, award-winning essays and three books, including “Mimetic Reflections: Power, Value and Conviction: Theological Ethics in the Postmodern Age" (1998); “Religion and the Human Future: An Essay in Theological Humanism” (2008, with David Klemm); and most recently, “Dust that Breathes: Christian Faith and the New Humanisms" (2010). He is also chief editor and contributor to “A Companion to Religious Ethics” (2004) – a comprehensive work in the field of comparative religious ethics.

Katie Gordon, Kaufman Interfaith Institute program manager said the conference is an attempt to expand the “inter-institutional dialogue” between various area schools out to the broader community.

“The conference is a unique opportunity to gather people from each of the educational institutions in the greater Grand Rapids area to talk about broader questions of religion in our world today,” said Gordon.

For more information about the conference and to register, visit www.interfaithunderstanding.org, or call (616) 331-5702.