CFP: LATC 2022: Confessing the Church

March 17-18, 2022 at Biola University, La Mirada, CA

The 2022 Los Angeles Theology Conference will engage ecclesiology, that is, the doctrine about the Church. The goal of the conference is to offer constructive proposals for understanding and confessing the doctrine of the Church with historical depth, ecumenical scope, and analytic clarity. We are inviting theologians (philosophical, biblical, historical, and otherwise) to address this vital Christian doctrine.

Call for Papers

Abstracts of no more than 200 words should be sent to LAtheology@gmail.com before October 1, 2021. An acceptable paper will be approximately 3,500 words (to be delivered in 35 minutes with 5–10 minutes for Q&A).

The 9th Annual Los Angeles Theology Conference will be held on March 17-18, 2022 on the campus of Biola University in La Mirada, CA. The theme of the conference is “Confessing the Church.” We are inviting theologians who can situate the doctrine of the Church in its larger systematic theological context, showing its connections and implications with other doctrines.

Beyond the five plenary papers, nine papers will be selected from the responses to this call. We are especially seeking papers that are theologically constructive accounts of the Church, describing how it is related to the catholic confession as being “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” In particular, we welcome papers that offer reflection on the way in which the Church exhibits (or fails to exhibit) one or more of these features. Preference will be given to papers that offer constructive proposals rather than merely critiques.

The plenary sessions feature Natalie Carnes (Baylor University); Millard J. Erickson (independent scholar); Tom Greggs (University of Aberdeen); Jennifer Powell McNutt (Wheaton College); and Paul Nimmo (University of Aberdeen).

Those with completed doctorate degrees are invited to submit paper proposals on this year’s theme. The focus of the conference is on constructive or systematic theology, rather than upon exegesis, the history of doctrine, or social scientific approaches to religion. Papers that engage the theological tradition as a means of theological retrieval are most welcome.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.