Wildman's
Weird Wild Web
About Wesley J. Wildman
Contents
- Books (published, in press, under contract)
- Articles and Book Chapters (published and forthcoming)
- Reviews
- Other
Invited Lectures, Conference Presentations, Panels
Basics
The basics are that I teach philosophy, theology, religion, and ethics at Boston University in the United States. I also direct BU's unique science, philosophy, and religion PhD program and work in the theology, comparative theology, and philosophy of religion programs within BU's graduate school.
Work in Progress
I have several projects underway as of 2007-2008.
Religious Philosophy: Multidisciplinary Comparative Inquiry
This book was my sabbatical project in 2006-7. It surveys the tasks and types and traditions of religious philosophy as they arc across the world’s religious and philosophical traditions and through the variety of intellectual ventures that human beings undertake. The book offers a strong reading of these existing efforts in order to define the venture of religious philosophy as a type of multidisciplinary comparative inquiry. It situates this kind of philosophical inquiry within a general theory of rationality so as to show its relevance to the study of religion as well as its intelligibility and feasibility. Framed in this way, religious philosophy is a field related to but much broader than, and without some of the difficulties of, traditional philosophy of religion. It has great promise because it takes full advantage of the advent of comparative philosophy and the emergence of novel multidisciplinary approaches to religion that make explicit use of the natural and human sciences. Religious Philosophy is completed and currently under publisher's review.
Religious Behaviors, Beliefs, and Experiences
I have returned to this theme in a focused way, preparing a series of public lectures for 2007-8, producing a multidisciplinary book on the subject, and conducting research with Patrick McNamara on the neurology of religious behavior, belief, and experience (see www.ibcsr.org for more details).
Science and Ultimate Reality
Science and Ultimate Reality focuses on the theme of ultimate reality in connection with the natural sciences, especially fundamental physics and fundamental biology. It treats several themes that are significant for science and philosophy of science, on the one hand, and for metaphysics and theology, on the other hand. As a whole, the volume demonstrates that multidisciplinary approaches to such basic questions are necessary and fruitful. This almost-completed book is the second volume in a science and religion trilogy, with volume 1 on Science and Religious Anthropology appearing with Ashgate and volume 3 below.
Science and Religion
Science and Religion: A Problem-Oriented Approach focuses on methodological questions in science and religion. It explains how multidisciplinary inquiry across science, philosophy, and religion works, when it does work. As the subtitle suggests, the book sets out to make the case that research in science and religion should be viewed as a multidisciplinary form of inquiry whose methodological character should be worked out on a case-by-case basis. This almost completed book is volume 3 in the science and religion trio.
Slices of Life: Unconventional Essays in Religious Philosophy
Each chapter of this book is a self-standing philosophical essay on an existentially potent slice of life that is loaded with spiritual significance. These are the sorts of issues that drive religious questioning and inspire commitment to a spiritual outlook on life and sometimes to a particular religious community. They are features of human life widely shared across cultures and eras, even though the treatment they receive here betrays and profits from the author’s training as a western philosopher of religion reaching out to other religious and philosophical wisdom traditions. Collectively, the chapters express a consistent viewpoint on the human condition in its spiritual dimensions—for want of a better phrase, this viewpoint might be called religious naturalism. Slices of Life is virtually finished and currently under publisher's review.
Science Literacy Textbook
This is perpetually evolving introduction to the sciences for people who want to move beyond popular science but who don't have time to get a degree in science. It also serves as an introduction to the "other sciences" for working scientists, who typically don't know much beyond their own fields. And it discusses so-called "boundary questions," which are issues with philosophical, religious, and ethical import that arise at the borders of scientific work and cannot be answered within the sciences themselves. The coauthor is John Darling, a biochemist who has mutated into an environmental ethicist drawing in equal parts on biochemistry, ecology, evolutionary theory, and ethics. Though the book may never be published, we routinely use it as the text for the year-long "Science Literacy and Scientific Boundary Questions" course offered at Boston University (details here).
Publications
Books (published, in press, and under contract)
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Science and Religious Anthropology (Ashgate, forthcoming, 2008) |
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Lost in the Middle: A New Vision for Moderate Christians (Alban Institute, forthcoming, 2008) |
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Found in the Middle: Theology and Ethics for Moderate Christians (Alban Institute, forthcoming, 2008) |
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Encyclopedia of Science and Religion, 2 vols., Co-Editor with Niels Gregersen and Nancy Howell, Chief Editor, Wentzel Van Huyssteen (New York: Macmillan Reference, 2003) |
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Fidelity with Plausibility: Modest Christologies in the Twentieth Century (Albany: SUNY Press, 1998) |
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Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue, ed. with
W. Mark Richardson (New York: Routledge, Inc., 1996) РЕЛИГИЯ И НАУКА: История, Метод, Диалог, translation into Russian of Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue (2001) |
Articles and Book Chapters (published and forthcoming)
(70) “The Inevitability of Religion and the Wisdom of Cooperation with Science,” in Liu Xiaoting, ed., Essays in Science and Religion (in Chinese; forthcoming, 2008).
(69) “Science and Religion,” in Dawn DeVries and Brian A. Gerrish, eds., The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology (forthcoming, 2008).
(68) “Evolution,” in Dawn DeVries and Brian A. Gerrish, eds., The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology (forthcoming, 2008).
(67) “Determinism,” in Dawn DeVries and Brian A. Gerrish, eds., The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology (forthcoming, 2008).
(66) “A Modified Natural Law Approach to Bioethics,” in Jensine Andresen, ed. Cloning (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming, 2008).
(65) “A Review and Critique of ‘The Divine Action Project’—A Dialogue among Scientists and Theologians,” in Fr. Val. A. McInnes, O.P., Philosophy and Theology in the New Millennium (Tulane University Press, forthcoming, 2008).
(64) “The Philosophical Import of Contemporary Physical Cosmology,” Science and Religion 6.2 (forthcoming, May, 2008).
(63) “Hand in Glove: Evaluating the Fit of Method and Theology in van Huyssteen’s Alone in the World? in Zygon (forthcoming, June, 2008).
62. “Nature, God, Jesus, and Creativity,” American Journal of Theology and Philosophy 29/1 (January 2008): 44-60.
61. “Robert Cummings Neville,” for Encyclopedia of American Philosophy (New York: Routledge, 2007).
60. “Basic Christological Distinctions,” Theology Today 64/3 (October 2007).
59. “Incongruous Goodness, Perilous Beauty, Disconcerting Truth: Ultimate Reality and Suffering In Nature,” in Nancey Murphy, Robert J. Russell, and William R. Stoeger, eds., Physics and Cosmology: Scientific Perspectives on the Problem of Natural Evil (Vatican City State: Vatican Observatory and Berkeley: Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, 2007): 267-294.
58. “The Use and Meaning of the Word ‘Suffering’ in Relation to Nature,” in Nancey Murphy, Robert J. Russell, and William R. Stoeger, eds., Physics and Cosmology: Scientific Perspectives on the Problem of Natural Evil (Vatican City State: Vatican Observatory and Berkeley: Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, 2007): 53-66.
57. “Radical Embodiment and Theological Anthropology,” in American Journal of Theology and Philosophy 28/3 (September, 2007): 346-363.
56. “Behind, Between, and Beyond Anthropomoprhic Models of Ultimate Reality,” Philosophia 35/3-4 (2007): 407-425.
55. “From Grand Dreaming to Problem Solving,” guest editorial for Zygon 42/2 (June, 2007): 277-80.
54. “From Law and Chance in Nature to Ultimate Reality,” in Fraser Watts, ed. Creation, Law, and Probability (Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2007).
53. “A Causation-Based Relational Metaphysics,” in John Polkinghorne and John Zizioulas, eds. The Trinity and an Entangled World: Relationality in Physical Science and Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006).
52. “The Significance of the Evolution of Religious Belief and Behavior for Religious Studies and Theology,” commentary and analysis essay for Patrick McNamara, ed., Evolution, Genes, and the Religious Brain, vol. 1 of Where God and Science Meet: How Brain and Evolutionary Studies Alter Our Understanding of Religion, 3 vols. (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2006).
51. “Rational Theory Building: Beyond Modern Enthusiasm and Postmodern Refusal (A Pragmatist Philosophical Offering),” in LeRon Shults, ed., The Evolution of Rationality (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006).
50. “Ground-of-Being Theologies,” in Philip Clayton, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006).
49. “Comparative Natural Theology,” American Journal of Theology and Philosophy 27/2&3 (May/September, 2006): 173-90.
48. “Comparing Religious Ideas: There’s Method in the Mob’s Madness,” in Thomas Athanasius Indinopulos, Brian C. Wilson, and James Constantine Hanges, eds., Comparing Religions: Possibilities and Perils?; Numen History of Religion Series (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2006).
47. “Robert John Russell’s Theology of God’s Action,” in Ted Peters and Nathan Hallanger, eds., God’s Action in Nature’s World: Essays in Honour of Robert John Russell (Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2006).
46. “The Inevitability of Religion and the Wisdom of Cooperation with Science” (in Chinese), Scientific Culture Review (2005).
45. “When Narrative Identities Clash: Liberals versus Evangelicals,” Congregations (Fall 2005): 28-37.
44. “The Resilience of Religion in Secular Social Environments: A Pragmatic Analysis,” in Thomas M. Schmidt and Michael G. Parker, eds., Scientific Explanation and Religious Belief: Science and Religion in Philosophical and Public Discourse (Frankfurt: Mohr-Sieback, 2005): 58-80.
43. “Global Spiritual Confusion and the Neglected Problem of Excess ‘Spiritual Information’,” in Charles L. Harper, Jr., ed., Spiritual Information: 100 Perspectives (Philadelphia, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2005): 33-38.
42. “Further Reflections on the Divine Action Project,” Theology and Science 3/1 (March, 2005): 71-83.
41. “The Divine Action Project, 1988-2003,” Theology and Science 2/1 (April, 2004): 31-75.
40. “The Resilience of Religion in Secular Social Environments: A Pragmatic Philosophical Analysis Regarding Scientific and Religious Problems” (in Chinese), Studies in Dialectics of Nature 12/20 (2004): 79-84.
39. “Neville's Systematic Theology of Symbolic Engagement,” lead essay for Amos Yong and Peter Heltzel, eds., Theology in Global Context: Essays in Honor of Robert Cummings Neville (T. & T. Clark International, 2004): 3-27.
38. “Consciousness Expanded,” in B. V. Sreekantan and Sangeetha Menon, eds., Consciousness and Genetics: A Discussion (Bangalore, India: National Institute of Advanced Studies, 2002): 125-41.
37. “Slipping into Horror,” in Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal 84/1-2 (Spring/Summer, 2001): 143-55.
36. “Theological Literacy: Problem and Promise,” in Rodney Peterson, ed., Theological Literacy for the Twenty-First Century (Eerdmans, 2001): 335-51.
35. “The State of Science-and-Religion Research at the Turn of the Century,” The Journal of Faith and Science Exchange 4 (2000): 1-14.
34. Editor and Team Leader, “Suggestions for Further Reading,” in Neville, ed., Religious Truth (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 237-323.
33. “On the Process of the Project During the Third Year,” in Neville, ed., Religious Truth (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 227-35.
32. Primary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “On the Nature of Religion: Lessons We Have Learned,” in Neville, ed., Religious Truth (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 203-17.
31. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “A Contemporary Understanding of Religious Truth,” in Neville, ed., Religious Truth (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 171-201.
30. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “Religious Truth in the Six Traditions: A Summary,” in Neville, ed., Religious Truth (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 145-169.
29. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “Introduction,” in Neville, ed., Religious Truth (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 1-6.
28. Editor and Team Leader, “Suggestions for Further Reading,” in Neville, ed., Ultimate Realities (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 275-337.
27. “On the Process of the Project During the Second Year,” in Neville, ed., Ultimate Realities (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 261-74.
26. Primary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “How Our Approach to Comparison Relates to Others,” in Neville, ed., Ultimate Realities (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 211-36.
25. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “On Comparing Religious Ideas,” in Neville, ed., Ultimate Realities (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 187-210.
24. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “Comparative Conclusions about Ultimate Realities,” in Neville, ed., Ultimate Realities (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 151-85.
23. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “Introduction,” in Neville, ed., Ultimate Realities (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 1-8.
22. Editor and Team Leader, “Suggestions for Further Reading,” in Neville, ed., The Human Condition (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 287-307. Translated into Portuguese in A Condicao Humana: 398-424.
21. “On the Process of the Project During the First Year,” in Neville, ed., The Human Condition (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 267-86. Translated into Portuguese in A Condicao Humana: 367-95.
20. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “Comparative Hypotheses: Cosmological Categories for the Human Condition,” in Neville, ed., The Human Condition (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 175-235. Translated into Portuguese as “Hipoteses Comparativas: Categorias cosmologicas para a condicao humana” in A Condicao Humana: 245-328.
19. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “On Comparing Religious Ideas,” in Neville, ed., The Human Condition (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 9-20. Translated into Portuguese as “Sobre O Comparar Ideias Religiosas” in A Condicao Humana: 45-60.
18. Secondary author with Robert Cummings Neville, “Introduction,” in Neville, ed., The Human Condition (Albany: SUNY Press, 2000): 1-7. Translated into Portuguese as Prefacio in A Condicao Humana: 37-44.
17. Primary author with Leslie A. Brothers, “A Neuropsychological Semiotic Model of Religious Experiences,” in Robert John Russell, et al., eds., Neurosciences and the Person: Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action (Vatican City State: Vatican Observatory and Berkeley: Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, 1999): 348-416.
16. “The Use and Abuse of Biotechnology: A Modified Natural-Law Approach,” in American Journal of Theology and Philosophy 20/2 (May, 1999): 165-79.
15. “Strategic Mechanisms within Religious Symbol Systems,” in Lieven Boeve and Kurt Feyaerts, eds., Metaphor and God-talk, Religions and Discourse series, James Francis, Gen. Ed., vol. 2 (Bern: Peter Lang, 1999): 273-91.
14. “Evaluating the Teleological Argument for Divine Action,” in Robert John Russell, et al., eds., Evolutionary and Molecular Biology: Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action (Vatican City State: Vatican Observatory and Berkeley: Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, 1998): 117-150.
13. “A Theological Challenge: Coordinating Biological, Social, and Religious Visions of Humanity,” Zygon 33/4 (December, 1998): 571-97.
12. “Pinning Down the Crisis in Contemporary Christology,” in Dialog (Winter, 1997): 15-21.
11. “In Praise of Loneliness,” in Leroy Rouner, ed., Loneliness, Institute for Philosophy and Religion Series (University of Notre Dame Press: 1998): 15-39.
10. “The Quest for Harmony: An Interpretation of Contemporary Theology and Science,” in Mark Richardson and Wesley Wildman, eds., Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue (New York: Routledge, 1996): 41-60.
9. Secondary author with W. Mark Richardson, “Introduction to Part III: Dialogue,” in Richardson and Wildman, eds., Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue (New York: Routledge, 1996): 170-79.
8. Primary author with W. Mark Richardson, “Introduction to Part II: Method,” in Richardson and Wildman, eds., Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue (New York: Routledge, 1996): 84-92.
7. Secondary author with W. Mark Richardson, “Introduction to Part I: History,” in Richardson and Wildman, eds., Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue (New York: Routledge, 1996): 2-6.
6. Primary author with W. Mark Richardson, “General Introduction,” in Richardson and Wildman, eds., Religion and Science: History, Method, Dialogue (New York: Routledge, 1996): xi-xx.
5. “But Consciousness Isn’t Everything,” in CrossCurrents 46/2 (Summer, 1996): 215-20.
4. Primary author with Robert John Russell, “Chaos: A Mathematical Introduction with Philosophical Reflections,” in Russell, et al., eds., Chaos and Complexity (Vatican City State: Vatican Observatory, Fall, 1995): 49-90.
3. “Similarities and Differences in the Practice of Science and Theology,” in CTNS Bulletin 14.4 (Fall, 1994): 1-14.
2. “From the World to God? An Assessment of George Ellis’s Before the Beginning: Creation Explained, in CTNS Bulletin 14.2 (Spring, 1994): 18-21.
1. “Bridging Theology and Science in the Seminary: Who Really Cares?” CTNS Bulletin 11.3 (Summer, 1991): 1-5.
Reviews (published and forthcoming)
11. Review of Gordon D. Kaufman, Jesus and Creativity (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006), in Interpretation 61/2 (April, 2007): 231-232.
10. Review of Laurence Tancredi, Hardwired Behavior: What Neuroscience Reveals about Morality (Cambridge University Press, 2005), in Journal of the American Academy of Religion 75/1 (March 2007): 233-36.
9. Review of Nicholas Saunders, Divine Action and Modern Science, in Research News and Opportunities (2003)
8. Review of Robert S. Corrington, A Semiotic Theory of Theology and Philosophy, in Journal of Religion 82/4 (Oct 2002): 657-8.
7. Review of Nancey Murphy, Anglo-American Postmodernity: Philosophical Perspectives on Science, Religion, and Ethics, and Wentzel van Huyssteen, Essays in Postfoundationalist Theology, in Journal of the American Academy of Religion (Fall, 1999)
6. Review of Charley Hardwick, Events of Grace: Naturalism, Existentialism, and Theology, in American Journal of Theology and Philosophy (September, 1998)
5. Review of Denham Grierson, Uluru Journey: An Exploration into Narrative Theology, in Uniting Church Studies 2/2 (August, 1996)
4. Review
of William Lane Craig and Quentin Smith, Theism,
Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology, in Journal
of the American Academy of Religion LXIV/1 (1996); reprinted in the
Templeton Foundation Religion and Science Newsletter
3. Review of Stephen Toulmin, Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity, in CTNS Bulletin 16.2 (Summer, 1996)
2. Review of Adina Davidovich, Religion as a Province of Meaning: The Kantian Foundations of Modern Theology, in Lutheran Quarterly (Fall, 1994)
1. Review of Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Magic, Science, Religion, and the Scope of Rationality, in CTNS Bulletin 12.2 (Summer, 1992)
Other Publications
11. Cover blurb for The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques (Santa Margarita: Collins Foundation Press, 2008).
10. “What’s Radical about Christian Ethics?” in Focus, Boston University School of Theology’s Alumni Magazine (forthcoming, Fall 2007).
9. “The Soulful Soul,” a review article of Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary, The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul, and B. Allan Wallace, Hidden Dimensions: The Unification of Physics and Consciousness, in Science & Spirit (forthcoming, 2007).
8. “When Narrative Identities Clash: Liberals Versus Evangelicals,” on the website of The Progressive Christian Witness (http://www.progressivechristianwitness.org).
7. “When Narrative Identities Clash: Liberals Versus Evangelicals,” in Congregations (Fall, 2005): 28-31.
6. “Intelligent Design: Pseudoscience, Bad Theology,” in Bulletin of the Boston Theological Institute 5.2 (Spring 2006): 15.
5. “Alum Directs Exchange Program between China and North America,” Focus (Boston University School of Theology Alumni Magazine), March 2005.
4. “The Importance of Cooperative Problem Solving,” Research News 1/5 (January, 2001): 23.
3. Program notes for Julian Wachner, “First Symphony,” premiere performance, Boston, 2000.
2. Program notes for Julian Wachner, Sacred Music compact disc, 1999.
Invited Lectures, Conference Presentations, Panels
117. “Make it Start, Make it Stop! Religious and Spiritual Experiences and the Longer-Range Future,” public lecture at Boston University, Boston, MA, April 14, 2008.
116. “Ultimacy Images Arising from the Microbial Ocean,” to the American Theological Society, April 5, 2008.
115. “Peeking Behind the Ideological Curtain: The Social Embedding of Religious and Spiritual Experiences,” public lecture at Boston University, Boston, MA, March 17, 2008.
114. “Can You Trust Your Instincts? Cognitive Reliability and an Ecological-Semiotic Theory of Religious Engagement,” public lecture at Boston University, Boston, MA, February 25, 2008.
113. “A Smorgasbord of Dangers and Delights: The Phenomenology of Religious and Spiritual Experiences,” public lecture at Boston University, Boston, MA, December 10, 2007.
112. “Theology, Ethics, and the Biology of Sex Differences,” to Science, Technology, and Religion Group, American Academy of Religion, San Diego, November 17, 2007.
111. “Radical Ethics and a Polarized World,” Willson Lecture to Oikos Scholar’s program, Oklahoma City University, October 26, 2007.
110. “Radical Empathy and a Polarized Nation,” Willson Lecture to Oikos Scholar’s program, Oklahoma City University, October 25, 2007.
109. “Radical Inclusiveness and a Polarized Church,” Willson Lecture to Oikos Scholar’s program, Oklahoma City University, October 25, 2007.
108. “Spirituality and the Brain: A Revolutionary Scientific Approach to Religious and Spiritual Experiences,” public lecture at Boston University, Boston, MA, October 1, 2007.
107. “What Do We Think We Are Doing? A Framework for Interpreting Religious and Spiritual Experiences,” public lecture at Boston University, Boston, MA, September 17, 2007.
106. Consultation on Buddhism and Science, Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA, April 20-21, 2007.
105. “Behind, Between, and Beyond Anthropomorphic Models of Ultimate Reality,” keynote address to the "Models of God" pre-conference, Pacific Coast Division of the American Philosophical Association, San Francisco, CA, April 4-5, 2007.
104. “Naturalizing Ritual,” response to H. Paul Santmire, “Ritualizing Nature,” Boston Theological Society, December 7, 2006.
103. “Hand in Glove: Evaluating the Fit of Method and Theology in van Huyssteen’s Interpretation of Human Uniqueness,” to Science, Technology, and Religion group, American Academy of Religion, Washington DC, November 18-21, 2006.
102. “Kaufman on Creativity,” to American Journal of Philosophy and Theology Group, American Academy of Religion, Washington DC, November 18-21, 2006.
101. “The Import of Physical Cosmology for Philosophy and Theology,” to research conference on “Cosmology and Process Philosophy in Dialogue: Fundamental Philosophical Issues in Recent Cosmology and their Religious Significance,” Center for Process Studies, Claremont, CA, October 7, 2006.
100. “Wildman on Griffin on Process Cosmology,” to research conference on “Cosmology and Process Philosophy in Dialogue: Fundamental Philosophical Issues in Recent Cosmology and their Religious Significance,” Center for Process Studies, Claremont, CA, October 5, 2006.
99. “Causation-Based Relational Metaphysics,” to the research conference on “Relationality and Fundamental Physics,” Queens College, Cambridge; discussed in my absence, September 2-3, 2006.
98. “Radical Embodiment and Theological Anthropology,” to the Annual Meeting of the Highlands Institute for American Religion, Philosophy, and Theology, Highlands, NC, June 15, 2006.
97. “Wildman on Rolston on God,” response to Holmes Roston, followed by panel discussion, Institute for Philosophy and Religion, Boston University, January 24, 2006
96. “Neuroscience and Religious Experience,” at Core Curriculum Science Forum, Boston University, December 7, 2005
95. “New Natural Theology,” to New Haven Theological Discussion Group, Yale University, New Haven, CT, October 29, 2005
94. “A Causal Theory of Relationality,” to research conference on “Relationality and Fundamental Physics,” Academy of Sciences, Athens, October 14, 2005
93. “Liberal Evangelicals in the United States,” presentation and retreat leader, Young Clergy Group, West Newbury, MA, September 23-24, 2005
92. “Ultimacy and Suffering,” to Research Conference on Natural Evil sponsored by the Vatican Observatory and the Center for Theology and Natural Sciences, Castel Gandolfo, Rome, September 15, 2005
91. “Suffering in Nature,” to Research Conference on Natural Evil sponsored by the Vatican Observatory and the Center for Theology and Natural Sciences, Castel Gandolfo, Rome, September 15, 2005
90. “Science and Religion in the Contemporary American Scene,” to Summer Institute of the Chinese Christian Scholars Association in North America, Newton, MA, June 29, 2005
89. “A Commentary on Gordon Kaufman’s In the Beginning…Creativity,” Highlands Institute for American Religion, Philosophy, and Theology, Highlands, NC, June 24, 2005
88. “The New Natural Theology: Tracing the Path from Nature to Ultimate Reality,” Highlands Institute for American Religion, Philosophy, and Theology, Highlands, NC, June 23, 2005
87. “Introduction to the Science-Religion Specialization,” Invited Lecture, Zhe Jiang University, Hang Zhou, China, January 8, 2005
86. “The Value of the Science-Religion Specialization,” Invited Lecture, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China, January 6, 2005
85. Member of panel on “Prospects for Religion in Modern China,” Jilin University, Chang Chun, China, January 5, 2005
84. “The Resilience of Religion in Secular, Scientific Environments,” Jilin University, Chang Chun, China, January 5, 2005
83. “Beyond Scientism, Superstition, and Fundamentalism: Harmonizing Science and Religion,” Invited Lecture, Jilin University, Chang Chun, China, January 4, 2005
82. “Harmonizing Science and Religion,” Invited Lecture, Heilong Jiang University, Harbin, China, January 3, 2005
81. “Two Great Mistakes in the History of Science and Religion in the West,” Invited Lecture, Harbin College, Harbin, China, January 2, 2005
80. Member of panel on “The Future of Science and Religion in China,” Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China, January 2, 2005
79. “The Inevitability of Religion and the Wisdom of Cooperation with Science,” Invited Lecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China, January 2, 2005
78. “Science and Religion,” Keynote Address to Sino-American Exchange on Science and Religion, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China, December 31, 2004
77. “The Value of the Science-Religion Specialization,” Keynote Address to First Annual Conference on Science and Religion, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, December 28, 2004
76. “A Review and Critique of ‘The Divine Action Project’—A Dialogue among Scientists and Theologians,” The Catherine and Henry J. Gaisman Annual Memorial Lecture, Tulane University, New Orleans, October 28, 2004
75. “Law, Chance, Nature, and God,” International Society for Science and Religion, Boston, Massachusetts, August 19, 2004
74. Member of panel roundtable on “Types, Virtues, and Liabilities of Religious Naturalism,” Highlands Institute for American Religious Thought Members’ Seminar, Highlands, North Carolina, June 25, 2004
73. Chair of panel session on “Corrington’s Aesthetic Naturalism,” Highlands Institute for American Religious Thought Members’ Seminar, Highlands, North Carolina, June 24, 2004
72. “Science and Religion: What it is and how to teach it,” to conference of visiting Chinese professors sponsored by Chinese Christian Scholars Association in North America, Newton, Massachusetts, June 17, 2004
71. “The Resilience of Religion in Secular Social Environments,” Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, March 9, 2004
70. “Consensus and Divergence: A Review of the Divine Action Project, Castel Gandolfo, Italy, September, 2003
69. “Quantum Mechanics and Divine Action,” to Divine Action Project, Castel Gandolfo, Italy, September, 2003
68. “Religious Experience and the Church,” to one-day symposium devoted to my work on the topic, Boston University, August, 2003
67. “The Theological Project of Robert Cummings Neville,” to American Theological Society, Princeton Theological Seminary, April 5, 2003
66. “Does God Direct Evolution? A Discussion of Purpose in Nature from Aristotle to the Intelligent Design Movement,” to Boston University Philosophy Club, November 12, 2002
65. “A Pragmatic Approach to Rationality in Science and Religion,” to Goethe Institute Conference on Religion in Dialogue with Science, Tradition and Plural Cultures, Boston University, October 22-24, 2002
64. “Solving Complicated Problems: A Pragmatist Philosophical Framework for Negotiating Competing Truth Claims,” to CTNS Science and Religion Conference, Harvard University, July 2, 2002
63. “Wildman on Smith on Chemically-Assisted Religious Experience,” response to Huston Smith for Institute for Philosophy and Religion, Boston University, November 14, 2001
62. “John,” dramatic presentation/lecture to Humanities Core Curriculum
61. “Religious Diversity,” to Fall Info Blizzard, Boston University, October 2, 2001
60. “Consciousness Expanded: Western Evolutionary Theory Meets South Asian Philosophy,” International Seminar on Science and Metaphysics: A Discussion on Consciousness and Genetics, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore, India, June 26, 2001
59. “Metaphysical Implications of Modern Science,” Panel Chair and Presenter, International Seminar on Science and Metaphysics: A Discussion on Consciousness and Genetics, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore, India, June 25, 2001
58. “A Theological Appraisal of the Neuropsychological Study of Religious Experience,” CTNS Science and Religion Course Program, Advanced Workshop, Montreal, June 1, 2001
57. “Wildman on Ferré on Values,” American Theological Society, Princeton, NJ, April 21, 2001
56. “Speaking of Ultimacy,” Boston Theological Society, April 5, 2001
55. “Theology, Science, and Animals,” Tufts University, Veterinary School, March 30, 2001
54. “Religion and Science in Action: Changing Education, Inquiry, and Practice,” Templeton Lecture, Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT, February 8, 2001
53. “Wildman on Neville on Courage,” response to Robert Cummings Neville, “Courage: Heroes and Anti-heroes,” Institute for Philosophy and Religion, Boston University, January 24, 2001
52. “Making Scholarly Expertise Count: Paths Toward Action,” Plenary Address to Future Visions Conference, State of the World Forum 2000, New York, September 7, 2000
51. “The State of Scholarship in Science and Religion at the Turn of the Century,” Inaugural Keynote Address to the First Annual Boston Theological Institute Science and Religion Colloquium, Boston University, April 27, 2000
50. “Religion and Ecology—Blending Research and Action,” panel with Mary Evelyn Tucker, Boston University, March 14, 2000
49. “Moral Values from Scientific and Religious Perspectives,” visiting lecture, Simmons College, Boston, November 8, 1999
48. “Relevance is the Question: Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory in relation to Theological Topics in the World’s Religions,” to the Pre-Conference of the Vatican Observatory-Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences Divine Action Project, Wye College, University of London, Kent, England, September 26, 1999
47. “Rethinking the Ethics of Biotechnology,” to the Bioethics and Cloning Conference, Boston University, June 1, 1999
46. “The Ethics of Fetal Cell Transplants,” dialogue with Susan Stafford, Simmons College, Boston, April 27, 1999
45. “Wilson and Gould: When Scientists Let their Hair Down,” faculty lecture, Providence College, Connecticut, April 16, 1999
44. “Does the Universe have a Purpose?” public lecture, Biology Lecture Series, Providence College, Connecticut, April 16, 1999
43. “Religion and Science,” visiting lecture, Simmons College, Boston, March 23, 1999
42. “Comparing Religious Ideas: A New Approach,” public lecture, Adelaide College of Divinity, Australia, March 16, 1999
41. “Jesus Christ for Today,” public lecture, Adelaide College of Divinity, Australia, March 11, 1999
40. “Comparing Religious Ideas: A New Approach,” interdisciplinary Social Science faculty lecture, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia, March 5, 1999
39. “Integration in Theological Education,” to the faculty of United Theological College, Sydney, Australia, March 2, 1999
38. “Adventures in Genetic Technology,” response paper to Highlands Institute for American Religion, Philosophy, and Theology, Orlando, November 23, 1998
37. “Theology and Science in Global Philosophical Perspective,” to conference, “The Interplay between Philosophy, Science, and Religion: The European Tradition,” Leuven, Belgium, November 18, 1998
36. “The State of Science and Religion Teaching,” to the Advisory Committee for the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences’ Science and Religion Course Program, November 1, 1998
35. “What’s Happening in Recent Science and Theology?” lecture to Pastor’s Colloquium, September 14, 1998
--. Chair of Plenary Session for Christianity and Ecology Conference, Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard, April 17, 1998
--. Presentation on “Church-Seminary Relations” to Faculty, Staff, and Student Retreat, Boston University, March 25, 1998
34. “The Dynamics of the Cognitive Breakdown of Religious Symbols,” to Boston Theological Society, February 10, 1998
33. “Pedagogy in the Theology and Science Classroom,” lecture to Templeton Science and Religion Workshop, Berkeley, January 17, 1997
32. “What’s Happening in Recent Theology?” lecture to Pastors’ Colloquium, Boston University, October 6, 1997
31. “The Problem of Suffering in Job,” lecture to Humanities Core Curriculum, Boston University, October 2, 1997
30. “Coordinating Biological, Social, and Religious Visions of Humanity,” public lecture at Truman State University, Missouri, September 25, 1997
29. “Theology and Science from a Pragmatic Philosophical Perspective,” lecture to the Philosophy and Religion Club at Truman State University, Missouri, September 25, 1997
28. “Neurophysiology and Language about Ultimacy,” CTNS/Vatican Observatory Joint Preconference on Divine Action, Berkeley, September 14, 1997
27. “Strategic Mechanisms within Religious Symbol Systems,” LAUD Symposium, University of Duisburg, Germany, April, 1997
26. “Brain, Consciousness, and Theology,” FASET Lecture Series at Trinity Episcopal Church, Concord, Massachusetts, March 9, 1997
25. “Notes on Lamentations,” program notes for Julian Wachner, “Lamentations,” December 31, 1996
24. “God and Loneliness,” Boston Theological Society, December 10, 1996
23. “Slipping into Horror: A Theological Approach to the Underside of Life,” at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, New Orleans, November 25, 1996
22. “The Challenge of Theological Anthropology: Coordinating Biological, Social, and Religious Visions of Humanity,” at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, New Orleans, November 24, 1996
21. “Science and Religion at CTNS: Retrospect, Prospect, Celebration,” public lecture with W. Mark Richardson for CTNS, Berkeley, November 11, 1996
20. “In Praise of Loneliness,” Institute for Philosophy and Religion Lecture Series, Boston University, October 23, 1996
19. “Evolution, Teleology, and Divine Action,” CTNS/Vatican Observatory Joint Conference on Divine Action, Castel Gondolfo, Rome, June 28, 1996
18. “Religion and Science Update: Religious Anthropology and Evolutionary Theory,” to Lunchtime Seminar Series, Marsh Chapel, March 30, 1996
17. “Hart on Fall or Fault in Human Nature,” response paper for Institute for Philosophy and Religion, Boston University, April 10, 1996
16. “Evolution, Teleology and Metaphysical Ambiguity,” to Boston Theological Society, April 9, 1996
15. “Religious Pluralism and Social Stability,” to Symposium on Theology, Philosophy, and Religion, Boston University, February 17, 1995
14. “Christology and Cult, Faith and History: A Troeltschian Interpretation,” to Boston Theological Society, December 13, 1994
13. Participant in Boston Theological Institute’s “Theology of Life” Roundtable Conference (two meetings, October and December, 1994)
12. “Introduction to Chaos Theory,” to meeting of US Delegates to Vatican Observatory Conference on Chaos Theory and Divine Action, September, 1994
11. “Doing Metaphysics Properly,” to Colloquium of Faculty of the Sydney College of Divinity, United Theological College, Sydney Australia, August 9, 1994
10. “Divine Action,” United Theological College, Sydney, Australia, August 9, 1994
9. “God and the New Physics,” United Theological College, Sydney, Australia, August 9, 1994
8. “Getting Clear About Similarities and Differences Between Theology and Science,” Public Lecture for Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, May 9, 1994
7. Panel Member for Research Conference on Ellis, Before the Beginning, Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, April 16, 1994
6. “Modest Christology” at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Washington DC, November, 1993
5. “What is Metaphysics Good For?” to the Boston University Society for Theology, Religion and Philosophy, Boston, MA, September 23, 1993
4. “A Modest Christology,” Boston University School of Theology, Boston, MA, February, 1993
3. “A Study of the Logistic Mapping: A Simple Deterministic Equation Showing Chaotic Behavior” at the Conference of US Delegates to the Vatican Observatory/Center for Theology and Natural Sciences Research Project on Chaos, Complexity and Self-Organization, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, October 23-25, 1992
2. “Theology and Science in Contemporary Perspective,” Tenth Anniversary Lecture for Center for Theology and Natural Sciences, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, April 1992
1. “Science and Theology in the Seminary,” Public Lecture for the Center for Theology and Natural Sciences, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, 1991
Other Interests
I am interested in and from time to time devote energy to music, mathematics, computer programming, retail religion, youth education, and games with my family. Keeping balanced is tricky but everything together makes for an enjoyable and challenging life for me.
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