[Linganth] [Call for Papers] Roundtable: The Language of Theological Anthropology in a Digital World

[jennylouisevanderaa]

Dear colleagues,

Please note the following call for papers for a roundtable on the language of church communities in times of digitalization at this year's American AnthropologicalAssociation’s (AAA) meeting. The roundtable will be organized by myself and can/should include academics, pastors, church clergy and laymen, church practitioners and more.

The language of Theological Anthropology in a Digital World

Abstract

In the wake of the Durham initiatives in ecclesiology and ethnography (e.g. Van Scharen 2015); what can a theological anthropology, in which God and the human perception of God is central, contribute to unraveling the thorough and consistent focus of many churches on administration and efficiency (Ellul 1954) hereby putting in a second place the 'language' of the church community: speeches, cries, sermons and the like. What do we 'loose', in Ellul's 'technological society' in terms of God's centrality in church practice? How does the language of praising, elevating and worshipping God becomes obsolete and replaced by theological technocratic jargon? This roundtable wants to address the ‘unsettling landscapes’ of digitalization, church practice and the 'language loss' and 'shift' that goes hand in hand with it. Invited speakers will be asked to contribute to the ongoing discussion by a position statement and involvement in the roundtable debate. The aim is to look for a new vocabulary of describing these specific, church-related language phenomena.

Ellul, J. (1964). The technological Society. New York: Vintage Books.

Van Scharen, C. (2015), Ed. Explorations in Ecclesiology and Ethnography. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing.

More info concerning the format can be found here:

https://annualmeeting.americananthro.org/submissions/general-call-for-participation/#roundtable_town_hall

Please send a brief statement of interest (250 words max.) before March 22 to j.vanderaa at yahoo.com. I also wish to establish a wider community around these debates, so if you can’t make it to the AAAs but wish to engage in further cooperation, let me know.

All best wishes for now,

Jenny-Louise VAN DER AA (Theological University of Kampen)
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