Upcoming Intl. Orthodox Theological Association conference

(IOTA) - Founded in February 2017, the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA) seeks to serve as a vehicle of Orthodox Christian intellectual culture by providing a forum for an interdisciplinary scholarly exchange. IOTA’s 25 groups represent different aspects of Orthodox Christian life and thought. IOTA’s leadership includes well-respected Orthodox scholars from more than 20 countries.

The overarching theme of IOTA’s inaugural conference is Pan-Orthodox unity and conciliarity. As the event will take place in Iasi, Romania, the conference has the support of the leadership of the Romanian Orthodox Church. In addition, the Ecumenical Patriarch and other church leaders look favorably upon the endeavor.

Each IOTA group is presently accepting 600-800 word proposals for the topics stated in the group’s Call for Papers. Submit your proposal by filling out this form before 15 February 2018. The working language of the conference is English. Typical presentations will be 15-20 mins in length, followed by 5-10 min discussion.

The conference speakers will include:

✥ Alexander Agadjanian ✥ Radu Bordeianu
✥ Peter Bouteneff ✥ David Bradshaw
✥ Will Cohen ✥ Mary Cunningham
✥ Effie Fokas ✥ Alexei Fokin
✥ Carrie Frederick Frost ✥ Paul Gavrilyuk
✥ Tamara Grdzelidze ✥ Demetrios Harper
✥ Susan Ashbrook Harvey ✥ David Heith-Stade
✥ Michael Hjälm ✥ Cyril Hovorun
✥ Rastko Jovic ✥ Eleni Kasselouri-Hatzivassiliadi
✥ Assad Elias Kattan ✥ Pantelis Kalaitzidis
✥ Justin Lasser ✥ Nikolaos Loudovikos
✥ Andrew Louth ✥ Vasilios Makrides
✥ John McGuckin ✥ Lina Molokotos-Liederman
✥ Sebastian Moldovan ✥ Irina Paert
✥ Aristotle Papanikolau ✥ Marcus Plested
✥ Marius Portaru ✥ Radu Preda
✥ Dionysios Skliris ✥ Michel Stavrou
✥ Richard Swinburne ✥ Elizabeth Theokritoff
✥ Alexis Torrance ✥ Alexander Treiger
✥ Dmitry Uzlaner ✥ Patriciu Vlaicu
✥ Gayle Woloschak

The conference sessions will include the following topics:

✥ Contemporary State of Dogmatic Theology
✥ Natural Theology in the Orthodox Tradition
✥ Creation and the Ecological Problem
✥ Orthodoxy and the Challenge of Islam
✥ Phenomenon of the Church in Modern Philosophy
✥ From Eucharistic Ecclesiology to the Church as Polis
✥ Orthodox Synodality
✥ Orthodox Ecumenism After Crete
✥ Ethics in Orthodox Thought
✥ Spiritual Perception in Eastern Christianity
✥ Contemporary Biblical Criticism and Patristic & Byzantine Exegesis
✥ Reading Palamas Today ✥ Orthodox Political Theology
✥ Middle Eastern Christianity and Patristic Heritage
✥ The Female Body in Orthodox Theology and Liturgy
✥ Orthodoxy in the Public Square and the Media
✥ Philokalia through the Centuries