Distinguished theologian to present lecture on
theological humanism

RELEASED: March 8, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—The Centre College Religion Program will present a guest lecture by William Schweiker, professor of theological ethics in the Divinity School at The University of Chicago. The talk, titled "Theological Humanism in an Age of Religious Terrorism and Scientific Atheism," will take place on campus on March 12 at 7 p.m. in Young Hall room 101. 

The question of the meaning of religious conviction is a complex one, Schweiker says. At one extreme are acts of violence perpetrated in the name of religion. At the other extreme is a scientifically based atheism that disparages the value of religious conviction altogether. Against these extremes, Schweiker argues for a new form of religious humanism as an intelligent and responsible approach to this question.

"We're really pleased to have William Schweiker as a convocation speaker," comments W. David Hall, assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Centre. "He's an important scholar and a prolific writer.  His recent turn to the issue of theological humanism has put him at the cutting edge of the study of theology and religious ethics."

Schweiker works in the field of theological ethics. His scholarship and teaching engage theological and ethical questions exploring global dynamics, comparative religious ethics, the history of ethics and hermeneutical philosophy. (Hermeneutics refers to the science of interpretation, especially the study of the principles of Biblical analysis and interpretation.)

Schweiker's books include: Mimetic Reflections: A Study in Hermeneutics, Theology and Ethics; Responsibility and Christian Ethics; Power, Value and Conviction: Theological Ethics in the Postmodern Age; and Theological Ethics and Global Dynamics: In the Time of Many Worlds. He has published numerous articles and award-winning essays, as well as edited and contributed to six volumes, including, most recently, Humanity Before God: Contemporary Faces of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Ethics.

Schweiker is also chief editor and contributor to A Companion to Religious Ethics, a comprehensive and innovative work in the field of comparative religious ethics. He is currently writing a book on theological humanism.

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