If you can't view this HTML newsletter in your e-mail client, click here to view through your web browser or
copy and paste this URL into your web browser:
www.ctns.org/enews_su2006F/index.html


Greetings All New and Returning CTNS Friends.

Contents

Announcements

Journal News (Theology and Science)

The Inside Scoop

Network News

 

CTNS Celebrates a Quarter of a Century on September 16, 2006

The Board of Directors invites you to celebrate The 25th Anniversary of
The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences

Commemorating 25 years of excellence
Envisioning the next 25 years
Announcing The Ian G. Barbour Chair in Theology and Science

You are invited to join the Celebration! On Saturday afternoon into the evening of September 16, following the J. K. Russell research conference on September 14th and 15th, we will be celebrating the history and achievements of twenty-five years of scholarship, teaching and public service as well as looking towards the next twenty-five years.

Key events in this milestone celebration include a historical perspective on the Center's acievements beginning at 2:00 pm, and the presentation of the new publication, "God's Action in Nature's World, " a festschrift in honor of Robert John Russell, edited by Ted Peters and Nathan Hallanger. We anticipate that many of the 16 contributors will be able to be present. We also anticipate that Bob Russell's new book, Cosmology, Evolution and Resurrection Hope: Theology and Science in Creative Mutual Interaction will be newly published and available.

Visual displays, historical highlights, and verbal memories will be shared and exciting  plans for the future, including a special surprise announcement!  We will end this special celebration with a crowning twenty-fifth anniversary special program and dinner.

Saturday, September 16, 2006
2:00 pm, Commemorate 25 Years of Excellence
The GTU Dinner Board Room

4:30 pm, Festschrift Celebration— God's Action in Nature's World:
Essays in Honor of Robert John Russell
Wine & Hors' doeuvres Reception

6:00 pm, Dinner and Announcement of
The Ian G. Barbour Chair in Theology and Science
D'Autremont Hall, Pacific School of Religion – GTU
(Reservation required)
($80 per person. $50 for GTU'/UC student or faculty)
Email: ctnsinfo@ctns.org

 

The 2005-2006 J. K. Russell Research Fellows, Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlett

A major part of the CTNS Twenty-fifth Anniversary events is the annual research fellowship.

You are invited to attend the 2006 J. K. Russell Fellowship events beginning on Thursday, September 14 at 7:00 pm. Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlett will give the Fellowship Public Forum: "The Evolution Controversy: Who's Fighting Whom about What?" (Part 1 of the Fellowship). This Forum will be held at7:00 -8:30 pm at the Graduate Theological Union, Richard S. Dinner Board Room, 2400 Ridge Rd.. Berkeley. California. There is no charge for this event.

On the following day, Friday, September 15, Drs. Hewlett and Peters will continue their program with The J. K. Russell day-long Research Conference, "Assessing The Case(s) for Theistic Evolution" from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm: (Part 2), also at the GTU Board Room. Presenters include Phlilp Hefner, Antje Jackelen, Alex Garcia-Rivera, Robert Russell and Thomas Tracy.

Lunch will be included in the registration fee of $45 (with a $10 discount for CTNS members) for those who pre-register. Visit the website for details: www.ctns.org/jkr_fellow.html

 

STARS Conference Applications Exceed Expectations

Applications to attend a major conference of the Science and Transcendence Advanced Research Series (STARS) by humanities or science scholars were due electronically by June 15, 2006. We are pleased to announce that we received over 390 complete and qualified conference applications for the 150 open slots.

To be held at the beautiful Iberostar Paraiso Maya resort in the Mexican Riviera 45 minutes south of Cancun, the conferences will showcase an aspect of how current scientific discoveries and theories relate to our understanding of ultimate reality. Each conference will be led by an eminent scientific figure in the field, and will allow ample time for lectures as well as formal and informal discussions. Participants will be able to network with scholars from various disciplines and hear from eminent speakers in cosmology, physics, evolution, ET, complexity theory, emergence, and more, while looking at issues of ultimacy.

The modest registration fee will cover the conference, all airport transfers, lodging, meals and conference facilities. Airfare subsidies may be requested.

Graduate students who are ABD, post-docs, scholars and professors may request priority attendance at one of the three conferences convened by Robert John Russell and scheduled for January 2007.

Conference 1, held January 4-8, 2007 will feature Cosmology, Physics, and the Possibility of Life, with speakers Marco Bersanelli. Don Howard, and Trinh Xuan Thuan.

Conference 2, held January 11-15 will feature Evolution, ET and the Significance of Life in the Universe with speakers Francisco J. Ayala, John Barrow, Paul Davies and Chris MacKay.

Conference 3, held January 18-22 will feature Complexity Theory, Emergence, and the Influence of Life on Matter with speakers Paul Davies, George Ellis, Alicia Juarrero, Nancey Murphy and Alwyn Scott.

Attendance at a conference is not required for grant applicants, but attendance should assist potential researchers to prepare proposals and form teams for a future grant application.www.ctnsstars.org/conferences.

Specific questions may be addressed to the STARS program director, Dr. Dennis Hair or by calling 866-848-2350 between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm PDT.

The STARS program is funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

^Back to Top

 

CTNS Announces 2006 Graduate Student Fellowship Recipients

On Friday February 24th, 2006 CTNS announced the winners of the 2006 CTNS Graduate Student Fellowship Awards. The announcement was made by Dr. Robert John Russell, CTNS Founder and Director, at a reception marking the end of a day-long joint science and religion conference between CTNS and the Korean Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (KIATS). The reception took place at the Badé museum on the campus of the Pacific School of Religion, one of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) member schools.

Gaymon Bennett, Jr. (L), Bob Russell (C) and James Haag (C); Guests enjoying the reception (top); Friends anticipating announcement of awards (bottom)
 

The award recipients for 2006 are Gaymon Lamont Bennett, Jr (L). and James W. Haag, both students in the area of Systematic Theology at the Graduate Theological Union. The purpose of the Fellowship is to honor doctoral students who have demonstrated the clear ability to do very promising research on issues related to theology and science. The award is based on academic excellence and is split into two categories based on the students' progress in the doctoral program at the GTU. Bennett received the award for students who are working on their qualifying exams, and Haag received the award for students who are at the dissertation stage of their graduate program.

The paper which Bennett submitted for the fellowship focused on the role of anthropology in theological method with special attention to the relationship between theology and science in the construction of such anthropologies. More specifically his research cued in on human embryonic stem cell research and the debate it has generated. This topic was fitting in the context of the KIATS/CTNS conference: attendees had spent the day discussing science and religion, stem cell controversies and the case of Hwang Woo-suk, of South Korean stem cell infamy.

Haag's dissertation research focuses on the question of conflicting truths in differing disciplines, emergence theory in science, and the topic of freedom as a prime example of the interaction between theology and science, all with the hope of building a robust understanding of human agency and responsibility in which the human person as an embodied agent is both constrained and enabled for freedom.

The $500 grants are the second annual CTNS graduate student fellowship awards, and were given in response to invited to submit their curriculum vitae, a sample of their best writing in theology and science, and a statement of 1000 words about their research topic and methodology.

In the next edition of the CTNS E-News, we will feature one of the winning essays.

^Back to Top

Festschrift in Honor of Robert Russell Debuts

God's Action in Nature's World: Essays in Honor of Robert John Russell is Now Published!

This 233-page volume edited by Ted Peters and Nathan Hallanger and published by Ashgate, UK is now available. This volume, the latest in Ashgate's Science and Religion Series, brings together sixteen internationally recognized scholars to assess Dr. Russell's impact on the discipline of science and religion.

Focusing on three areas of Russell's work - methodology, cosmology, and divine action in quantum physics - God's Action in Nature's World assesses and celebrates Russell's impact on the discipline of science and religion. Ordering information can be found at the CTNS website: www.ctns.org/news_060806.html.

For full contents, please visit the website: www.ashgate.com


New Infinity Program

New Frontiers in Research on Infinity will gather scientists, philosophers and theologians to explore the concept of infinity. New Frontiers is a year-long program which will explore the concept of infinity in a unique, interdisciplinary context. The centerpiece of the project is a two-day, invitation-only conference which will take place August 19-20, 2006 in the Republic of San Marino. The conference, co-organized by CTNS and the John Templeton Foundation, will explore the concept and meaning of infinity in the fields of mathematics, physics, cosmology, philosophy, and theology.

Appreciation is expressed to The John Templeton Foundation for their support of this program.

 

 

New Book by Bob Russell Soon to be Published

In the spring of 2005, Bob Russell was the keynote speaker at the Fifth Annual Goshen Conference on Religion and Science at Goshen College, Indiana. Bob gave lectures on the role of philosophy and theology in relativity and cosmology, on evolution and natural theodicy, and ‘new creation' eschatology and cosmology: guidelines for their mutual interaction. These lectures and the discussions that followed have been transcribed, edited and will soon be available in book form edited by Dr. Carl S. Helrich, Professor of Physics at Goshen College and titled Cosmology, Evolution and Resurrection Hope: Theology and Science in Creative Mutual Interaction (Pandora Press). For information, visit: www.pandorapress.com or phone the Pandora Press Bookstore at: (866) 696-1678.

We also anticipate that publications will be available in English as well as various languages. Contact The Australian Theological Forum or email: Hilary Regan at ATF: hdregan@atf.org.au

CTNS Public Forum will Host Andrew Newberg

Dr. Andrew Newberg will present at a CTNS Forum at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 at the GTU Board Room in Berkeley. Newberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Nuclear Medicine, and Nuclear Cardiology. He is the director and co-founder of the Center for Spirituality and the Neurosciences, also at the University of Pennsylvania.

In Dr. Newberg's new book, Why We Believe What We Believe, he focuses on the underlying mechanisms which govern our spiritual, social, and individual beliefs, arguing that we are biologically driven to find meaning and wholeness throughout our lives. There is no charge for this event. Details will be available in August at www.ctns.org/news.html.

 

^Back to Top

Theology and Science Volume 4, Number 2 Contents Announced

CONTENTS 4.2

Dialogues

Niels Henrik Gregersen's Contribution to Theology-and-Science Methodology
- Nancey Murphy

Biology, Directionality, and God: Getting Clear on the Stakes for Religion-Science Discussion
- Philip Clayton

An Appreciative Response to Niels Henrik Gregersen's JKR Research Conference Lecture
- Robert John Russell

Articles

Quantum Perichoresis: Quantum Field Theory and the Trinity
- Ernest L. Simmons

Subjectivist—Observing and Objective—Participant Perspectives on the World
- Roger Paul

Why Darwin 's Theory of Evolution Deserves Theological Support
- Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlett

Bridging Science and Religion in China
- Kang Phee Sang

A Critical Response to Cardinal Schönborn's Concern Over Evolution
- Robert John Russell

Book Reviews

For new instructions on CTNS members' accessing the journal articles online see “Members News” below.

Scholars wishing to submit articles for consideration to Theology and Science may contact the Managing Editor, James Haag by emailing theology-science@ctns.org or by writing to Theology and Science, CTNS, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley, CA 94709. If you are interested in writing a book review, contact Nathan Hallanger, Book Review Editor, via email: bookreviews@ctns.org or call 510-848-8152 Tuesday-Wednesday, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm PDT.

Please send editorial comments or suggestions to: theology-science@ctns.org. Information for authors or reviewers may visit www.ctns.org/theology_science.html or call the CTNS Publications office at 510-848-8152 between the hours of 9:30 am to 1:00 pm PDT, Monday-Thursday.

^Back to Top

 

 

Video Documentary Wins Award

Tsunami: Where was God?, a documentary made for the BBC by 3BM TV recently received a prestigious award. Produced by Mark Dowd, the film won the best religious documentary of 2005 as voted for by the British public on May 17, 2006 and also picked up a merit award from the adjudicating panel of the Church of England Trust that hands out annual awards to programmes of excellence. The documentary explores different religions' views towards natural disasters and responses to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsumani in particular. Bob Russell appears in an interview in the video as does CTNS board member Nancey Murphy and others who were taking part of a CTNS/Vatican Observatory joint conference on divine action in Italy during the filming of the documentary. For information, visit: www.3bmtv.co.uk/.

CTNS Member Receives Fellowship

Dr. Alan G. Padgett, CTNS member and professor of systematic theology at Luther Seminary, has received the Frederick J. Crosson Fellowship for 2006-07. The fellowship is awarded by the Center for the Philosophy of Religion at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. Congratulations Alan!

^Back to Top

Bioethics Summer Course in Rome 
Technologizing humanity or humanizing technology? Bioethics toward the future.
Three session between June 26 - July 7, 2006. The course is open to anyone holding a university-level degree. To register, contact the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, Via degli Aldobrandeschi, 190, 00163, Rome, Italy. Tel: (+39) 06-66527800,
Fax: (+39) 06-66527814
Email: bioethics@upra.org   Website: http://www.upra.org/articulo.phtml?se=3&id=1652  

  ^Back to Top

Feedback
We'd like to hear from You.
We would appreciate your comments about this E-News via email or via written letter.
Bonnie Johnston, Editor
Melissa Moritz, Copy Editor
CTNS
2400 Ridge Rd.
Berkeley, CA 94709 USA
Email: bonniej@ctns.org
510-848-8152
fax. 510-848-2535
www.ctns.org

^Back to Top