03/07/2026 17:20 - 19:30

HALL: Pola - A105

Contact: Bush S.

Chair: Bush S.

Theology speaks of a God who is just, and thus it must take justice as a matter of central concern. Modern conceptions of justice place great emphasis on equality, that is, that people will not be subordinated or dominated on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, nationality, class, etc. These reflections have put theology in conversation with social criticism, the attempt to understand unjust inequities, to mitigate them, and to propose new ways of living together. The papers on this panel discuss three specific engagements of theology with social criticism. The panel starts with Augustine, whom many have charged with being at the root of sexist features of church doctrine and practice. The first presentation engages William Connolly's The Augustinian Imperative, arguing that Augustine has resources for a more appreciative embrace of diversity than Connolly and many others think. The second presentation looks at the motif of martyrdom in nineteenth-century abolitionist movements, arguing that it played a powerful role in social criticism in that era and can do so today. The third paper looks at the postliberal theology of George Lindbeck and George Frei, addressing concerns that their perspective is inherently conservative by suggesting that their important insights about theology are not, in fact, incompatible with a more critical and progressive approach.