NABPR Region at Large

Amy L. Chilton Thompson, Fuller Theological Seminary (California), amylthompson@fuller.edu

Mike Broadway, Shaw University Divinity School (North Carolina), mbway@mindspring.com

The NABPR Region-at-Large welcomes proposals from NABPR and CTS members on topics related to the conference theme, “American Catholicism in the 21^st Century.” Possibilities for paper proposals include, but are not limited to, themes such as:

1.    Contemporary Baptist/Catholic Engagement

With the European Reformations five hundred years in the past, is Baptist/Catholic ecumenical engagement the next radical Baptist reformation? Paper proposals for this section may address: varieties of Baptist dialogue and engagement with American Catholicism, including: Southern Baptist-Catholic alliances on social issues; Baptist/Catholic dialogue on doctrinal theology; community organizing alliances; and Baptist receptions of Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.

2.    Baptist Social Resistance

From its earliest days, the Baptist family has actively engaged resistance against ruling political, clerical, and social powers, from the early European radical reformers, to Roger Williams, to Walter Rauschenbusch, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Paper proposals for this section may address: “baptist” reexaminations of American exceptionalism and manifest destiny; supersessionist theologies; beloved community; and Baptist appropriations of shared Catholic heritage for social resistances.

3.     Baptists in 21^st Century America

Shifting cultural dynamics, refugee resettlement, and the wars in the Middle East have all contributed to the changing face of Baptist identity in America. Paper proposals for this section may address: Baptist responses to current social crises, expanding Baptist cultural identities, 21^st century manifestations of early Baptist mission efforts (e.g., the growth of Burmese Baptist churches in America); expanded views of Baptist political engagement; ecclesial engagements of gender, sexuality, race, and class; and Baptist liturgy and worship.

Submit your proposal via email to both of the conveners listed above.