Conference Program

Thematic Description

Religions today inhabit a world that has been described as experiencing a continuous acceleration of social change, in which ongoing scientific and technological developments persistently alter the fabric of daily life, powerful tides of modernization and secularization erode traditional outlooks and practices, and forces of globalization thrust communities and cultures into ever greater proximity and potential conflict with one another.  These conditions are providing a “stress test” for the abilities of religious traditions to cope with rapid systemic change, and they raise a profound, yet insufficiently explored, question:  What effective practices and resources do religions have, singly and collectively, for adapting themselves to the challenge of changing times and maintaining their viability while retaining their integrity?

In actuality, major religious traditions such as the Abrahamic faiths have long negotiated the delicate historical task of shifting their teachings and practices to adjust to new conditions while preserving core commitments and rites.  In a sense, this is the core function of any tradition worthy of the name.  Rarely, however, have religious authorities made explicit the principles and mechanisms informing this process.  Hence, the following queries become relevant to any contemporary religious practitioner:  How, in general, would you characterize the approach of your tradition to religious change?  Is this process self-conscious and historically critical?  To what extent, for example, does your tradition engage with the issue of how to respond to (“secular”) “modernity”?  How does your tradition identify which sorts of historical developments require a response?  What models of response—e.g., resistance, reform, dialectic, transformation—does your tradition employ?  What internal categories and concepts has it developed for thinking about and responding to a rapidly, even radically, changing world?  What resources does your tradition have for dealing with the specific historical shifts associated with (1) the mutual encounter of world religions, (2) secularization, and (3) scientific advancements, new technologies, and ecological crisis? To what extent might it confront the issue of historical resilience in concert with other religious communities?  Is it useful to think about the present moment in terms of something like a “New Axial Age”? In your view, does your tradition need to modify or significantly change its own approach to change?

The purpose of this research project, organized by the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy with a support from the Raskob foundation, is to (1) encourage systematic reflection on the mechanisms of adaptation within each of the Abrahamic traditions and (2) promote dialogue on and comparative analysis of the hermeneutics of change across those traditions, and (3) help envision constructive ways in which those traditions may transform themselves in order to maintain their viability and vitality in the face of future existential challenges.

The “problematic” defined by this description and set of questions will provide the subject for the two-day gathering at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from December 11-12, 2023, which which will consist of a small scholars-only seminar gathering on the first day, followed the next day by a set of panel presentations open to the public. The workshop will approach the question of the comparative hermeneutics of religious change especially in light of the aspect related to the mutual encounter of world religions. 

For the three panels during the public sessions, our intent is to have all three panels engage to some degree the overarching set of questions animating the conference, but also focus a bit more narrowly on a few particular facets of the “hermeneutics of change.”  Specifically, we look to the first panel to highlight ways in which the “sacred texts” of the respective traditions provide resources for adaptation, both historically and moving forward; we encourage the second panel to consider how epochal shifts, processes of institutional development, and evolving political and legal cultures have shaped strategies of change; and we invite the third panel to reflect especially on emergent capacities of the traditions to grapple resiliently with existential challenges.  With each panel, we will aim for a balance between the presentation of themes from one’s own tradition and a dialogical engagement with the perspectives from the other traditions.

Contact

William A Barbieri (barbieriATcua.edu)

João J. Vila-Chã ((j.vila-chaATunigre.it)

cua-rvp@cua.edu