one step closer to frankenstein...

Well, it's about time! (yeah, that's sarcasm...)

paper proposal for 2008 PNW-AAR conference...

So, for the past couple of weeks I've been reading books and articles by/about Paul Ricoeur, and I've decided I want to try and present a paper at this year's Pacific NW regional AAR conference. I've worked on a brief paper proposal, and today I sent it to the chairs of the "theology and philosophy of religion section." Now, I wait to hear whether my proposal has been accepted or not... in the meantime, here's what I'm proposing (which means I have to start figuring out what I want to say about it! hehe!)

Tentative proposal title: "Disproportionality: Viewing the Problem of Evil through Ricoeur's Concept of Fallibility"

This paper examines and critiques the traditional Christian ("Augustinian") account of original or primordial sin/evil through the lens of Ricoeur's concept of fallibility. Rather than condensing the origin of all sin and evil into the first willful choice of a free being felled by pride, Ricoeur's hypothesis of the "fallible man" consists of a "disproportionality" within the person, and this fallibility is the "constitutional weakness" that makes evil possible for humanity.

I will suggest that Ricoeur's view provides Christian theology with a valuable approach to the theological and philosophical problem of evil; one that mediates between Augustinian and Irenaean ideas, avoids some of the potential pitfalls that plague traditional theodicies, and coheres more effectively to our current understanding of persons and of the natural world.

just some random new year thoughts...

If we have been made "free indeed" in Christ, why do we continue to live in bondage to that which enslaves us? Because freedom cannot be forced, that’s why. Freedom must be lived into, but living into freedom requires actually believing that the freedom we are stepping into is more real than the bondage that provides comfort and a way of coping with life's uncertainties. It is much easier to step back into a slavery that is real and comfortable than a freedom that remains a mystery. In this sense, anything - even one's religion - can be a form of bondage. Clearly, this is not to say that we do not desire freedom. But we are caught in a dilemma which we cannot easily see: Though we long to be free, it is far easier to remain in a world that "makes sense" and provides "stability" than it is to risk stepping into the mystery of potential freedom. My prayer is that I would be more willing to take the risk of freedom in 2008 and in the coming years...

this is kinda cool...

Ever heard of a blog carnival? Well, neither had I, until I was asked if one of my blog entries on Kierkegaard could be included in an upcoming "Kierkegaard Carnival" -- turns out it's a pretty cool idea; a great way to read a bunch of blog entries on a specific topic. So, if you're interested, please check out the Kierkegaard Carnival III, and enjoy the various takes on SK which are available via the wonderful, wacky world of blogdom.