2009 Lutheran Ethicists Gathering

 

“Christian Ethics and Genetics”
The 2009 Annual Gathering of Lutheran Ethicists will be held January 7-9 at the Cenacle Retreat Center in Chicago. [Create web link to: http://www.cenaclesisters.org/chicago-retreat-conference-center/] You may click here to register and pay online with a credit card. Online registrants may pay with an American Express, Discover, Mastercard, or Visa card only. Deadline for registration is December 1, 2008.

Topic—The focus of the program on Thursday will be on the intersection of science, Christian ethics, and genetics. The program is still taking shape at this time, but presenters who have committed at this time to participating include:

  • Ted Peters of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union
  • Gayle Woloschak, Northwestern University Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and the Zygon Center for Religion and Science
  • The program will also include presentation by an ethicist from the ELCA Task Force on Genetics of an ethical framework being developed by the task force for a study for congregations
  • Richard J. Perry, Jr., Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
  • Maura A. Ryan, University of Notre Dame Department of Theology, will be the respondent


Lodging—Please note that the availability of single rooms is limited at the Cenacle Retreat Center. We will honor registrations for singles in the order they are received. Those who register will receive more information in December with details about the meeting and its arrangements.

Student Scholarships—Faculty members are urged to encourage their graduate students to attend the gathering. Student scholarships for registration at the gathering are available.

About the Meeting— Copies of the papers from the panel discussion will be distributed in advance in December by e-mail for your reading prior to the meeting unless you request paper copies be sent to you. Presentations will be kept short to allow more time for discussion.

As usual, those who have arrived before supper on Wednesday will go out in groups to eat at local restaurants around 5-5:30 p.m. We will begin our gathering on Wednesday evening, January 7th, at 7:30 with introductions and updates, and news from Church in Society’s Department for Studies. Thursday afternoon will include the selection of next year’s planning committee and a selection of a topic for the 2009 Gathering. After breakfast on Friday morning, most of the participants will make the commute to the Society of Christian Ethics Annual Meeting in Chicago.

The planning group includes Kevin Powell, M.D., ethicist and pediatrician at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Aana Vigen, Assistant Professor of Theology at Loyola University of Chicago, and Ron Duty, Assistant Director for Studies in the ELCA’s program unit for Church in Society. If you have questions, please contact Ronald Duty at 773-380-2616 or via email. We hope to see you in Chicago.