From the 15th till the 17th of September Anthropos organized a conference 'Relation, Vulnerability, and Love: Theological Anthropology in the 21st Century.'
Relation, vulnerability, and love are three concepts we consider important for a theological anthropology for the 21st century. Moreover, it is a trilogy we read in crescendo. That is, the primacy of relationality leads us to understand vulnerability as a universal human condition that is the condition of possibility for both suffering and flourishing. We take up the recent emphasis that vulnerability is not only to be understood as an exposure to suffering but also as an opening up in trust to relations with the other and with the world. Vulnerability is thus also understood as ex-posure, as leaving or being drawn out of one’s position(s) to open up toward the new. Love is the Christian notion that indicates the deepest reality of such relationality and vulnerability as well as its eschatological destiny. We are especially keen to explore how the concept of love can deepen theological reflection on being human understood as being in relation, in vulnerability.
However, we are not only interested in the exploration and critical discussion of these three notions as a set of key concepts for theological anthropology’s speaking of what it means to be human, but also in their relevance as an indication for how theological anthropology is to be done. We aim to explore how these three concepts help us in doing theological anthropology as an endeavor both in dialogue with the human sciences and philosophy and as nourished through and tested in relation to the concrete socio-political, cultural and ecological challenges that urge us to question/re-imagine what it means to be human.
One trace that remains of this gathering is the conference blog and our invitation to browse through it.