Call for Papers 2018

CALL FOR PAPERS 2018:

"The Role and Relevance of the

Adventist Religion/Scholar Today"

Questions of epistemology have become prominent in the western world in the last decade, and have affected the Seventh-day Adventist Church as well. How do we know what is true and real? Further, both our political and religious contexts have been affected by an anti-intellectual phenomenon—one that challenges the very existence of our system of higher education. Moreover, all forms of media have polarized both the general population and the Adventist Church membership. Is there something in Adventist faith and practice that makes people more prone and susceptible to these constructions of reality, or is there something in Adventist faith and practice that provides an antidote to this phenomenon?

Given such a challenging context, this year’s call for papers would like to explore the following questions:

What can the religion scholar/teacher give to Adventist church leaders to encourage change and a less polarized and anti-intellectual church environment? Or, is it the role of the scholar to give a prophetic word?
How can we make ourselves relevant in the world? Or is the quest for relevance itself a misguided priority? What is the role and relevance of the religion teacher/scholar in the world and the church?

The Adventist Society for Religious Studies invites

proposals for brief scholarly papers for presentation at the 2018 meeting in Denver, Colorado. We look for a variety of approaches to the theme and aforementioned context, and welcome all disciplines and ideological streams. Your research may explore the following areas: biblical, ethical, historical, philosophical, practical, E.G. White and Adventist studies.

Your proposal must include a 200-word abstract and working title. Please submit proposals in MS Word format to Denis Fortin (fortind@andrews.edu) no later than March 30, 2018. All presentations are limited to eighteen minutes (or approx. 2,500 words) if you wish to present the entirety of your thoughts. Notifications regarding proposals will go out by May 1. It is understood that the acceptance of a paper proposal commits the presenter to also submit a complete draft of the paper by the first week of November.