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Mary Ann Beavis, Ph.D.

Hi CTS members! I am in my second year as Secretary of CTS. I’m Professor in the Department of Religion and Culture at St. Thomas More College, a Catholic liberal arts college federated with the University of Saskatchewan, which is in Saskatoon, not Regina! My areas of expertise are biblical studies, religion and popular culture, and women and religion. I also dabble in feminist theology/thealogy, which is how I became involved in the CTS. Although I work at a Catholic college, I’m officially an Anglican, and although I currently live in Saskatoon, I’m a proud Winnipegger. My extra-curricular interests include travel, looking for biblical themes in film, and being a cat-mother to top cat Willow and kitten Jett.

Although I’m not a trained theologian, I’ve found CTS to be a friendly, welcoming and stimulating group of scholars. They have been kind enough to accept two of my paper proposals for presentation at annual meetings, including one last year on Christian Goddess Thealogy. I was honoured to be invited to serve as Secretary of the Executive—believe it or not, they are quite a fun group. See you on Facebook!

Frank L. Emanuel PhD cand.

Greetings! I’m the Communications Officer for the Canadian Theological Society. This is my second time on the executive, I was previously the Student Representative for our society. I am currently finishing up my PhD dissertation on evangelical social action at Saint Paul University in Ottawa. I’ve also taught there sessionally since 2010. I am an evangelical minister, straddling the evangelical and Pentecostal worlds. Since 1990 I’ve worked formally with Foursquare, Convention Baptist, Independent, and Vineyard churches. My theological questions come primarily out of my pastoral work. I am concerned especially about the way narratives, such as eschatological narratives, shape attitudes towards society. I chair a theological development task force for my denomination (Vineyard) which looks at the issue of ongoing theological training for our leaders. When I’m not neck deep in books I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I’m also a huge tabletop gaming geek.

Being part of the CTS has been an incredible opportunity. I enjoy having my boundaries challenged and love working in ecumenical environments. I have also been able to be a bridge between the CTS and the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association by running joint panels for these two societies. As the communications officer I encourage everyone in our society to use our social media connections here and on Facebook to stay in touch and let us know what you are doing.

The new deadline is extended to Monday, January 27th.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Canadian Society for the Study of Religion/Canadian Theological Society

Date:May 26, 2014

Location: Brock University, St.Catharines,Canada

This year, the CSSR and CTS invite submissions for a special joint panel in the area of Religion and Ecology, to be convened during their annual conferences and held in conjunction with the Congress of the Humanities and the Social Sciences, on the campus of Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, on Monday May 26, 2014.

The theme for this year’s Congress is “Borders Without Boundaries.” To cohere with the Congress theme for 2014, and to provide a focus within the theme of the panel, the CSSR and CTS invite proposals from its members regarding “Earth as Subject.” Our topic invites discussion on the role religious traditions play in decentering the human as the only dynamic presence in the cosmos. Papers are encouraged to think beyond the boundary of human subjectivity as is has been established within the borders of modernity, investigating how various world religions conceive of Earth and/or individual other-than-humans as centers of dynamic being in their own right.

We welcome proposals on any topic concerning this theme as understood within the various frameworks and sub-disciplines of those working within the CSSR and the CTS. The CSSR and CTS encourages scholarship which engages the lived realities of religious traditions and the ways in which these impact human perception and feeling toward the planet and/or the individual entities that share Earth’s space. We hope that such perspectives will open up new spaces for understanding that fosters increasingly dignified human/other-than-human relationships and critiques of practices that might undermine the well-being of the planetary community.

We will be accepting a total of three or four submissions for a panel lasting a maximum of two hours.

Submission Guidelines

Normally, the time for delivery in a three- or four-paper panel is twenty minutes, with ten minutes for questions and discussion. A panel will last a maximum of two hours.

All individual paper proposals should be submitted by Monday, January 13, 2014. Abstracts should include some background to the topic you are proposing, a statement of methodology and an indication of your argument. If possible, please try to relate it to this year’s theme.

All proposals are to be submitted through the new CSSR online submission system, SUNFLOWER at http://www.cssrscer.ca/?q=node/544.

• To submit an Individual Paper:

?        Log onto the CSSR website as a “Friend of the CSSR” (learn more here: http://www.cssrscer.ca/?q=node/384). Create your online CSSR profile if you have not already done so: http://www.cssrscer.ca/?q=user/register.

?        Access SUNFLOWER (here: http://www.cssrscer.ca/sunflower) and follow the instructions for submitting your paper.

?        In the “Special Requests” section of SUNFLOWER please indicate that your proposal is for the special CSSR/CTS joint panel in Religion and Ecology, and also indicate whether you are affiliated with CSSR or CTS.

?        Submitters are responsible for ensuring that their proposals have been successfully submitted on SUNFLOWER. Once your proposal has been submitted you may view, edit and download a printable PDF summary of the proposal.

Important Notes

• All CSSR presenters must be paid members in good standing for the year that they wish to present. Membership fees for each presenter are strictly due by January 31st, 2014 or the proposal will be disqualified. You may renew your membership or join us as a paid member here: http://www.cssrscer.ca/?q=node/67. Please allow some time for your payment to be processed.
• Requests to present on specific dates MUST accompany the initial proposal. Date changes cannot be made to the program once it has been circulated.
• A participant is permitted to present one panel presentation and one roundtable or workshop presentation.
• Acceptance of proposals will be done via e-mail. Members who require a ‘hard copy’ acceptance of their proposal for funding purposes may request one from the Program Co-Chairs.
• Panelists must be from different institutions.
• Note: CSSR Program Co-Chairs are Alison Marshall, MarshallA@brandonu.ca, and Joe Velaidum, jvelaidum@upei.ca; CTS Program Co-Chairs are Timothy Harvie, timothy.harvie@stmu.ca, and Matthew Eaton, matt.eaton@mail.utoronto.ca

Selection Criteria

The CSSR and CTS will be jointly selecting the papers for this special joint panel. In selecting proposals for presentations, the committee will consider:

• The clarity and significance of the proposal;
• The quality of the contribution to scholarship;
• The relationship of the presentation to the thematic focus of the annual meeting;
• The contribution of the presentation to a diversity of perspectives and approaches;
• The potential for inspiring discussion and engagement among the members.

Our joint goal as separate but intertwined Societies is to foster collegial discussion of members’ work and of the work of other Canadian scholars of religion.  All presenters and attendees are encouraged to participate in as much of the program as possible.  We welcome all members, students, and other interested persons to join us this year at the annual meeting in St. Catharine’s, Ontario and this special joint session.

Dear Friend of the Canadian Theological Society:

I write to inform you of the upcoming Canadian Theological Society’s  annual meeting and recent developments for the Society.

The upcoming meeting takes place on May  26-28 at Brock University in St. Catharines Ontario as part of the Congress for the Social Sciences and Humanities. The Society began its work in 1955, and we look forward to many more years of fruitful work together.   The Congress theme for 2014 is “Borders without Boundaries.”  We warmly invite you to participate in this coming event.

You may have heard that the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council recently rescinded grants given to the societies for the use of funding student participation in the Congress.  Many of you will have memories of presenting your first academic paper at CTS.  The annual CTS meeting continues to serve as an incubator for emerging theologians and theology in Canada.  It is imperative that we find alternative funding routes.

You may not know that our membership fees account for 84% of our budget.  In order to keep student participation at the meeting affordable, we are reaching out to scholars who have let their membership expire.  By renewing your membership and by encouraging new members, you fund the future of theology in Canada.   Memberships can be renewed at here.  Membership renewal is possible by credit card or cheque.  If your membership is current, please consider inviting a colleague to join the Society.

Established scholars are still encouraged to submit papers for this year’s Congress.  As you may remember, it is not only students who give papers at the annual meeting, where we explore emerging themes in Canada together.  We encourage you to submit a paper or panel proposal this year.    The 2014 Call for Papers is found at here.

Thank you again for your support of CTS, and we look forward to seeing you in St. Catharines.

Allen Jorgenson,

President, CTS

Call for Papers: Canadian Theological Society 2014 Annual Meeting

May 26-28, 2014

Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario

The Congress theme for 2014 is “Borders Without Boundaries.”  It invites consideration of the connections between the academy and communities, boundaries in virtual realities, and new conceptions of rural and urban environments. The theme encourages scholarship which engages these lived realities and the ways in which they intersect.  Theological reflection on these diverging social, cultural, and natural spaces fosters investigation into the historical, ethical, critical, theoretical, and practical disciplines.

To cohere with this program, the Canadian Theological Society invites proposals on the theme “Borders Without Boundaries.”  We also invite proposals on any topic in theology.  We invite submissions in two formats:

1. 20/20 Presentations

We will again follow the 20/20 format used in previous years, inviting presentations of 20 minutes with 20 minutes of discussion to follow.  Typically the presentation will be an account of a larger research project.  Since members work in a variety of fields and specializations, attention should be given to presenting advanced work in an accessible way.

Submission

Submit a proposal that includes:

• Title of presentation;
• Proposal of a maximum 300 words (with word count), which includes an abstract, the problem your scholarship engages, and the contribution you plan to make;
• Requests for audio-visual equipment (A/V equipment will be available only if it is requested in the proposal);
• On a separate page, please include:
  • Presenter’s name, institution or professional affiliation, and contact information.

2. Panels

We invite panels on issues that are relevant to members, especially as related to the theme of the annual meeting.  Panel proposals should be developed to foster dialogue among the panelists and with those attending in the audience.  Thus, we discourage panels that consist only of reading several papers.

Submission

Submit a proposal that includes:

• Title of panel;
• Length of panel (40 or 80 minutes);
• Proposal of a maximum 300-400 words (with word count), which includes an abstract, the problem your scholarship engages, the contribution you plan to make, and how you plan to foster dialogue among panelists and audience (e.g., use and allotment of time);
• Requests for audio-visual equipment (A/V equipment will be available only if it is requested in the proposal);
• On a separate page, please include:
  • Convener’s name, institution, and contact information.  The convener will be the link between the panel and the CTS;
  • Names, institutions and contact information of all members of the panel;
  • Either the name and contact information of the moderator, or a request that CTS provide a moderator.

 

All proposals should be submitted in a Word, .rtf, or .pdf file by email attachment by January 17, 2014 to:

Timothy Harvie, CTS Program Chair

We will confirm receipt of all proposals submitted by email.  If you do not receive such an email confirmation within 3 days of submitting your proposal, call Timothy Harvie at 403-254-3742.

Selection Criteria

In selecting proposals for 20/20 presentations or for panels, the committee will consider:

• The clarity and significance of the proposal;
• The quality of the contribution to scholarship;
• The relationship of the presentation to the thematic focus of the annual meeting;
• The contribution of the presentation to a diversity of perspectives and approaches;
• The potential for inspiring discussion and engagement among the members.

Our goal as a Society is to foster collegial discussion of members’ work and of the work of other Canadian theologians.  All presenters and attendees are encouraged to participate in as much of the program as possible.  We welcome all members, students, and other interested persons to join us this year at the annual meeting in St. Catharine’s, Ontario.

 

 

 1.0                The Canadian Theological Society (“CTS” and “the Society”) shall, from time to time, appoint Honorary Members to the Society.

 2.0                Honorary Members retain their status until their death or until they request to be removed.

 2.1          The status of an Honorary Member may be revoked by the Society’s Executive, if the Member has an egregious breach of conduct, subject to conferral with the general membership.

 3.0                Honorary Members are exempt from all dues payable to the Society.

 3.1.1           The Society will pay any other CTS-related fees (e.g. annual subscriptions to Studies in Religion) on behalf of Honorary Members.

 4.0                Process of Appointment

 4.1                Any CTS Member or Members may nominate any other CTS Member to be appointed as an Honorary Member.

 4.2                The nominator(s) will write a letter to the CTS Secretary outlining the reasons for the nomination, including such things as the candidate’s credentials, contributions to theology (especially theology in Canada), and participation in and service to the Society.  The latter criterion is of particular importance.   Such a letter of nomination may be filed at any time.

 4.3                The Secretary will forward the nomination to the CTS Executive committee for consideration, together with any other relevant materials or information.

 4.4                The Executive will consider the nomination.  If the Executive approves of the nomination, the Secretary will present the positive recommendation to the next Annual General Meeting of the Society.  If the Executive rejects the nomination, the Secretary will send a letter to the nominator(s) with a brief explanation.

 4.5                If the Executive approves of the nomination, the members of the Society in attendance at the Annual General Meeting shall hear the nomination and vote on its approval.

 4.6                Nominations of Honorary Members from the floor of the Annual General Meeting are welcome.  In such cases, the nominator(s) will follow the process outlined in Section 4.0.

 5.0                The Executive shall announce the appointment of a new Honorary Member in an appropriate manner. The Secretary will adjust the membership records accordingly.  The President will write a congratulatory letter to the new appointee.

6.0                The Secretary or Communications Officer shall maintain a list of current and deceased Honorary Members.

 

Ratified June 3, 2013 by the General Membership of the Canadian Theological Society at the Annual General Meeting at the CTS Conference, Victoria, BC. 

We’re pleased to announce the details of our joint CTS-CETA panel on Monday, June 3, 7 to 8:30pm.

Eschatology and Ecology

Is the ecological crisis the end of our world? Is there a coming eschaton that will swallow up all of the concerns we have today? Both eschatology and ecology have the power to evoke apocalyptic images of the end of the world. Drawing from various Canadian theological streams this joint panel of the Canadian Theological Society (CTS) and the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association (CETA) will explore the relationship between the religious and ecological stories we tell about the future and the hope we have for that future. What kind of hope can eschatologies be used to offer our beleaguered planet? What kind of critique does the ecological crisis offer to the ways theologians formulate their eschatological narratives? What can we learn from the popularized use of eschatology amongst evangelicals that has often negated concern for the earth? Can we legitimately talk about the end without taking responsibility to care of the present?

Panel moderator: Erin Green (Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology)
Panelists: Harold Wells (Toronto School of Theology), Jessica Hetherington (Saint Paul University), Frank Emanuel (Saint Paul University)

Please click here to see a PDF version of our schedule for Congress 2013. We have an excellent line up of papers, panels, and lectures for you!