Following Christ 2008: Theology & Religious Studies Track
Welcome to the Theology & Religious Studies Track informational page for Following Christ 2008! Read here about our plans for the program and get to know those who are leading the track.
You may be interested in participating in this track if your field of study or area of research is theology or religion. Some philosophers, depending on their focus, may also want to consider this track.
Return to the Tracks page to consider other options available to you. |
Track Leaders
Garwood P. Anderson, Chair
Dr. Garwood Anderson is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, a seminary of the Episcopal Church–U.S.A. in Nashotah, Wisconsin. He received a B.A. in Music from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and then served for seventeen years on the staff of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in various positions, including as the Divisional Director for Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Woody received an M.A. in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology from Marquette University. His academic interests center especially on narrative approaches to reading the gospels, the parables of Jesus in the gospels, and the theological appropriation of the biblical text for Christian life and witness. He also enjoys sports of all kinds and music, especially classical and jazz. Woody has been married to his wife, Dawn, for 24 years, and they have three children: Thad (20), Lindsay (18), and Lauren (16). They live in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
 Allen Wakabayashi, Point
Allen Wakabayashi has been on staff with InterVarsity for 19 years. Currently, he is Associate Pastor at Twin City Bible Church in Urbana, Illinois, and part-time Teaching Specialist for InterVarsity at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. He is the author of Kingdom Come: How Jesus Wants to Change the World (InterVarsity Press, 2003). Allen received a B.A. from Millikin University, an M.A. in World Missions from Wheaton College Graduate School, and an M.A. in Theology from Loyola University of Chicago. He and his wife Diane have four dogs: Abby, Tiberius Caesar, Flavius Josephus, and Buckaroo.
Program Summary
Following Christ 2008 focuses on the theme of human flourishing. While this rich and suggestive integrative center holds great promise for the wide range of disciplines and professions represented at FC08, the theme also catalyzes a peculiar set of concerns for students of theology and religion. The Theology & Religious Studies track will look at the concept of human flourishing in a focused way as it relates to the gospel, the ministerial professions, and the study of religion and theology.
We will first pursue a robustly theological definition of human flourishing and then consider how that theologically informed notion of human flourishing casts light on our vocations in theology and religious studies. More particularly, we will consider how a commitment to human flourishing affects the way scholars and students engage Scripture, Christian thought, theological ethics, and the study of religion. How would a focus on human flourishing affect the disciplinary praxis of theology and religious studies? Likewise, how might those called to shepherd Christian communities flourish as ministers themselves and promote the flourishing of people in their communities?
The Theology & Religious Studies track welcomes those who are involved in the research and study of theological disciplines and religion as well as those engaged in, or preparing for, vocations of Christian ministry. We will explore the strengths and weaknesses of a focus on the theme of human flourishing in the study and practice of theology and religion and propose practical ways to promote flourishing in both the Christian community and the academy.
Track Presenters
Christine D. Pohl is Professor of Social Ethics at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. She has taught at Asbury for nineteen years in the area of Christian Ethics, including courses such as Women in Church and Society, The Ethics of Hospitality, Ethics of Community, and Theories of Justice. Prior to graduate studies and teaching at Asbury, she was involved in ministry at the congregational level, in parachurch work, and in work with refugees. Her recent books include Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition (Eerdmans, 1999); Responding to Refugees: Christian Reflections on a Global Crisis, with Ben Donley (Crossroads Monograph Series, 2000); and Living on the Boundaries: Evangelical Women, Feminism and the Theological Academy, with Nicola Hoggard Creegan (InterVarsity, 2005). She is currently finishing a book on practices that make and break community.
Telford Work Telford Work is associate professor of theology at Westmont College. He is the author of the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible: Deuteronomy (Brazos, 2009), Ain’t Too Proud to Beg: Living through the Lord’s Prayer (Eerdmans, 2007), and Living and Active: Scripture in the Economy of Salvation (Eerdmans, 2002). He is also a contributor and signatory of In One Body through the Cross: the Princeton Proposal for Christian Unity (Eerdmans, 2003). His articles have appeared in Oxford University Press and Eerdmans books, Theology Today, Scottish Journal of Theology, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Pro Ecclesia, Books & Culture, Christianity Today, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Quarterly, Perspectives, The New Pantagruel, Studies in Interreligious Dialogue, and Re:generation Quarterly. He is also an associate editor of Pro Ecclesia. His Ph.D. in religion (theology and ethics) is from Duke University, where he minored in New Testament and Islamics and distinguished himself by failing to attend even one basketball game. He also holds an M.A. in theological and biblical studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, at whose Santa Barbara extension campus he teaches, and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University. He maintains a website at telfordwork.net. He and his wife Kim have four children (Jeremy, Daniel, Junia, and Benjamin), making hobbies out of the question.
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