I liked Grenz very much and spent time with him just weeks before he tragically died in 2005. I am also enjoying Hauerwas very much.
Here is a little comparison of the two:
[Update April 16, 2009–I have heard that neither Hauerwas nor Edna Grenz thought I got this right! I add some revisions below that complicate my generalizations. They didn't give me any specific criticism].
Grenz lectured for the person in the pew; Hauerwas for grad students [though Hauerwas's whole project is to speak to the Church and much of his teaching is transparent and influential on regular folks. See the Hauerwas Reader. The average person won't get everything but will get his main emphases].
Both could be boring but both could become animated! Grenz was pious
while Hauerwas is salty-mouthed. Both were wonderfully generous with
their students. Grenz really understood evangelicals–Hauerwas doesn't
get them at all [that said Hauerwas has diagnosed America incredibly well and many of those critiques apply to evangelicals]. Grenz loved the Bible; Hauerwas loves philosophy. [Again, this is not true. Both loved philosophy and the Bible. But when speaking and writing I think Grenz referred to Scripture more and Hauerwas to philosophers more.]. Both stressed the Triune God, the church and good theology. Grenz was
a bridge-builder; Hauerwas is polemical [Again of course this a carciature. Hauerwas has bridged between United Methodist and Catholics. Grenz had some folks who didn't like his work]. Both wanted to be liked but
also understood they were tempted to enjoy being liked. Grenz showed
Peanuts cartoons and played camp songs on his guitar to begin class;
Hauewas goes to morning prayer everyday and begins class with prayers
of saints. Both were prolific writers. Grenz wrote a systematic
theology; Hauerwas is known for his essays which resist
systematization. Grenz talked warmly about his Baptist pastor's kid
upbringing; Hauerwas tries to awaken Methodist churches so they
will not be like those of his childhood [I have heard Hauerwas read from his soon-to-be-released memoirs and this might not be the right way to characterize his upbringing. He often talks about the pressure to come forward at playing of 'Just as I am.'] Both were Americans–but
Grenz spent lots of time in Germany and Canada [Grenz might have become a Canadian citizen I'm not sure]; whereas Hauerwas still
thinks of himself as Texan. Both had their critics and their fans.
Both wanted their students to think for themselves. [This is not exactly true as both wanted to shape and train their students to think to some degree like they do!] Both spent most
of their careers at one place. Both wore jeans and running shoes.
I recorded three of the sessions with my little recorder. They are not the best recordings, but if you are highly interested, I assume you will still be grateful. If you have questions about listening to MP3's, see below.
Here is the WMA version which is probably clearer because it is the original version.
2 hr. 6 min session, 144 MB size
BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL DIALOGUES
Thursday, March 13, 2008 SESSION 2
Paul Alexander, Azusa Pacific University, Chair Theme: "The Gospel and Peace: A Pentecostal-Wesleyan-Quaker-Baptist Conversation" Stanley Hauerwas, Duke Divinity School, Panelist Ann Riggs, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Panelist. (Dr. Riggs is now Adjunct Faculty at the Earlham School of Religion.) Glen Stassen, Fuller Theological Seminary, Panelist William C. Turner, Duke Divinity School, Panelist
Thursday, March 13, 2008 OPENING PLENARY SESSION 1 Speaker: Professor Dr. Jürgen Moltmann, Tübingen University Sighs, Signs, and Significance: A Theological Hermeneutics of Nature
Friday, March 14, 2008 PLENARY SESSION 3: PANEL Professor Dr. Jürgen Moltmann, Tübingen University, Presenter "Darwin, Theology, and Culture" Ellen Davis, Duke Divinity School, Respondent Frederick L. Ware, Howard Divinity School, Respondent. (Dr. Ware writes, "I am attaching my full written response to Professor Moltmann. My
oral presentation does not follow verbatim the written text I prepared
for the plenary session. Professor Moltmann has a copy of my written
text." Download Ware_Response_to_Moltmann_Theology_of_Nature_Without_Moral_Realism.pdf) Barry Callen, Anderson University, Respondent
I have given you MP3's which play on any computer. You just right
click on it and click "Save Link As . . ." or "Save Target As . . ."
and you can save it
to your desktop (and it will be on your computer and you can listen to
it whenever you want). If you have an MP3 player, you just plug it in to
your computer like a memory stick and move the MP3's from your computer
to your player.
In the past, I have greatly appreciated it when people have recorded lectures and then posted them on the web. I am keenly aware that it is not always possible to fly across the country to go to that conference you wanted to attend. I posted recordings from the SBL and AAR meetings in November and the feedback from both presenters and listeners was 100% positive.
The period following Lent is the season for conferences. The Wesleyan
Theological Society joined with the Society for Pentecostal Studies at
Duke University in March for a conference called "Sighs, Signs, and Significance: Pentecostal and Wesleyan Explorations of Science and Creation."
More than 600 scholars attended. Jürgen Moltmann delivered the keynote
address, which explored the harmony between revealed Scripture and the
natural world. Andy Rowell has posted audio.
In the past, I have been enormously helped by people who recorded audio of various lectures and conferences and then kindly posted it on the web. I have recorded a few of the sessions from the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and the American Academy of Religion (AAR) annual meetings November 17-20, 2007 in San Diego. See my previous post about attending the meetings. There are literally thousands of lectures at the meetings but I thought I would give you a sample of the ones I attended. At each time slot, there are about 30-40 choices to choose from. Sometimes I bounce from one to another. Other times I find someone to talk to and skip the sessions. So some of the talks are not complete. But I still thought I would post what my little MP3 player recorded and see if anyone was interested.
For the next couple of years, SBL and AAR will not meet together. Some AAR people led this divorce but people in my circles are hopeful that after a couple of years people will reconsider. Typically theologians, historians, practical theology, and people who study other religions than Christianity attend AAR. Biblical studies people attend SBL. But in the past these have occurred together so that many of us have enjoyed sessions from both. April 28, 2008 Update:the AAR has decide to begin meeting with SBL again when they are able to work out the logistics in a few years again.
Also Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) has this on their site:
As in previous years, ACTS, inc. will be recording all sessions at the conference. Online orders for these recordings may be placed on their web site at the following address: http://actsonline.biz/ets_21_ctg.htm. The entire conference costs $149.00.
I do not think AAR and SBL record their sessions at all.
I have given you MP3’s which play on any computer. You just right click on it and click “Save Link As . . .” or “Save Target As . . .” and you can save it to your desktop (and it will be on your computer and you can listen to it whenever you want). If you have an MP3 player, you just plug in to your computer like a memory stick and move the MP3’s from your computer to your player.
I have pasted below the SBL or AAR description of the session (S is for SBL and A is for AAR) and then put a note in italics with my comment about the recording. I’m sorry to say that I have not listened to these recordings nor edited them. If you are interested, I thought you would appreciate them anyway.
Let me know in the comments if you appreciated them or if they were too poor quality to be helpful. I haven’t done this before so I just thought I would give it a shot. I have emailed the speakers to let them know I have posted these and I will take down the talks if any of them wish. But I do think this is good publicity for AAR, SBL and each of the speakers. Without further ado, here are the MP3’s I recorded from 9 presentations I heard at SBL/AAR this past weekend.
AM17-28 ________________________________________ Emergent Church Forum 11/17/2007 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM Room: 29 C – CC The panelists are Tony Jones, Diana Butler Bass and Scot McKnight and the moderator, from Azusa Pacific University, is Keith Matthews. I missed the first ten minutes of this one. Tony was speaking when I arrived.
Emergent Church Forum.mp3 (131 MB; 2 hrs. 19 min.)
AM17-53 ________________________________________ Mission and Biblical Interpretation: toward a Missional Hermeneutic 11/17/2007 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: 28 C – CC What would it mean to read the Bible with an explicit methodological starting point in an ecclesial location understood as fundamentally missional? Join us for our sixth annual session focused on such questions, as Princeton Theological Seminary professors Darrell Guder and J. Ross Wagner present their work on missional hermeneutics in the seminary classroom. We anticipate a thought-provoking and productive discussion.
I only taped Ross’s brief comments about Philippians. The first two minutes are the end of Darrell Guder speaking.
Mission and Biblical Interpretation – toward a Missional Hermeneutic.mp3 (12 MB; 13 min.)
S17-79 ________________________________________ Synoptic Gospels 11/17/2007 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: San Diego C – MM Theme: Panel Review of Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006) Jeffrey Peterson, Austin Graduate School of Theology, Texas, Presiding John Kloppenborg, University of Toronto, Panelist (20 min) Adela Yarbro Collins, Yale University, Panelist (20 min) James Crossley, University of Sheffield, Panelist (20 min) Richard Bauckham, University of St. Andrews-Scotland, Respondent (25 min) Discussion (65 min)
I only recorded Bauckham’s response. The room was packed.
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses – The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony.mp3 (23 MB; 24 min.)
A18-122 Scriptural Reasoning Group Sunday – 9:00 am-11:30 am Steven D. Kepnes, Colgate University, Presiding Theme: Pragmatism and Biblical Hermeneutics: A Discussion of the Work of Peter Ochs Panelists: David Lamberth, Harvard University Leora Batnitzky, Princeton University James K. A. Smith, Calvin College Nicholas Adams, University of Edinburgh Responding: Peter Ochs, University of Virginia
Abstract Scriptural Reasoning Group Theme: Pragmatism and Biblical Hermeneutics: A Discussion of the Work of Peter Ochs The session will discuss the theoretical contribution of the work of Peter Ochs in terms of its contribution to the field of American pragmatism and to theoretical advances in biblical hermeneutics as well as in contemporary analyses of religious community and inter-religious dialogue. In particular the session will discuss the impact of Professor Ochs’ work on the recently developed set of practices referred to as scriptural reasoning. Panelists will speak from the perspective of their various disciplines including, philosophy of religion, Christian theology and contemporary Jewish philosophy. I recorded until from the beginning of the session until Smith was finished (the first three speakers). Ochs was not present because he had to do a eulogy at a funeral.
Pragmatism and Biblical Hermeneutics – A Discussion of the Work of Peter Ochs.mp3 (72 MB; 1 hr. 16 min.)
A18-106 Sunday – 9:00 am-11:30 am William Schweiker, University of Chicago, Presiding Theme: Living in a Secular Age: Charles Taylor and the Philosophy of Religion F. B. A. Asiedu, Middlebury College The Post-Secular Condition: The Usefulness of Belief in the Philosophy of Charles Taylor Jennifer A. Herdt, University of Notre Dame Secularization, Recomposition, and Bad Faith in Contemporary Christian Ethics Joseph Prabhu, California State University, Los Angeles, University of Chicago Re-examining the Secularization Hypothesis Robert N. Bellah, University of California, Berkeley Taylor on Religion and Modernity Responding: Charles Taylor, Northwestern University
I only taped Taylor’s response and I was sitting in an area of the room where the sound was terrible. The room was absolutely packed.
Living in a Secular Age – Charles Taylor and the Philosophy of Religion.mp3 (44 MB; 47 min.)
A18-200 Sunday – 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Sponsored by the Public Understanding of Religion Committee Lawrence Mamiya, Vassar College, Presiding Theme: The Marty Forum: Robert N. Bellah Panelists: Robert N. Bellah, University of California Randall Balmer, Columbia University
Abstract Special Topics Forum Theme: The Marty Forum: Robert N. Bellah Sponsored by the Public Understanding of Religion Committee The recipient of the 2007 Martin Marty Award for contributions to the public understanding of religion is Robert N. Bellah, Elliott Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Bellah has authored or co-authored numerous influential books and articles in the sociology of religion, including Beyond Belief, The Broken Covenant, The New Religious Consciousness, Varieties of Civil Religion and Uncivil Religion, Habits of the Heart and The Good Society. The Marty Forum provides an informal setting in which Dr. Bellah will talk about his work with Professor of American Religion Randall Balmer and will engage in discussion with the audience. I taped all of it except the last ten minutes when my battery ran out. This should be a very good recording.
Interview with Robert N. Bellah.mp3 (70 MB; 1 hr. 15 min.)
A18-251 Sunday – 3:00 pm-4:30 pm Paul Oslington, Princeton University, Presiding Theme: Theological Readings of Economics Panelists: Alasdair John Milbank, University of Nottingham Albino Barrera, Providence College Kathryn Blanchard, Alma College Rebecca Todd Peters, Elon University
Abstract Wildcard Session Theme: Theological Readings of Economics This session is about religious voices in political economy. Deeper theological engagement with economic theory is needed because (a) much contemporary religious discussion of economics is ill-informed and superficial (b) economics dominates contemporary culture. In the session panel members will consider a number of recent theological readings of economics, followed by discussion. The emphasis will be economic theory rather than particular economic issues because religious engagement with particular issues depends on our view of the relationship between theology and the economic tools we use to consider the various issues. At the end of the session we will discuss the proposal for a new AAR group on religion and economics and its relationship to the Religion and Social Sciences Section.
I taped Milbank and Barrera. Barrera told me he listened to my recording and could make it out.
Theological Readings of Economics.mp3 (36 MB; 39 min.)
S18-117 ________________________________________ God in Public? 11/18/2007 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Room: Salon C – MM N. T. Wright, Durham Cathedral God in Public? The Bible and Politics in Tomorrow’s World (45 min) I taped all of this. The room was packed.
God in Public – The Bible and Politics in Tomorrow’s World.mp3 (44 MB; 58 min.)
S19-50 ________________________________________ Pauline Epistles 11/19/2007 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: 20 A – CC Theme: Paul and Empire Papers by John M.G. Barclay, Durham University, and Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, with a response by Robert Jewett, University of Heidelberg Alexandra Brown, Washington and Lee University, Presiding John M.G. Barclay, Durham University Why the Roman Empire was Insignificant to Paul (40 min) N. Thomas Wright, Church of England Paul’s Counter-Imperial Theology (40 min) Robert Jewett, University of Heidelberg, Respondent
I taped this in two parts as there was a five minute break after Barclay and Wright presented. The first part has Barclay and Wright. In the second part, Jewett responds and Barclay and Wright respond. They then took some questions but I skipped out at that point. Many New Testament scholars were there. There is lots of talk on the blogosphere about this one. If you google, Wright Barclay Paul Empire, you’ll get lots of hits.
