Toward a Protestant Theology of the Body

In recent decades, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in our culture’s understanding of the human body. Reproduction, death, marriage, gender, sexuality, disability, health, race—these and other aspects of embodiment are being rapidly and constantly redefined. Technology’s advancement compounds this confusion, as its new capabilities and our increased dependence on it render physical presence and activity less necessary. All of this leaves us unsure how or why our bodies matter and if they are even connected to our true selves at all.

In the wake of this shift, it is no surprise that public debate surrounding these topics remains interminable—both inside and outside the church. And yet, far from providing greater clarity or consensus, much of public discourse perpetuates the contemporary confusion.

The Protestant Theology of the Body Conference will offer a first-of-its-kind forum for clergy, lay people, and theologians to come together in pursuit of a positive, distinctly Protestant theology of embodiment. Drawing pastors and scholars from various disciplines and traditions, the conference will explore what distinct insights and contributions Protestantism—through its theological hallmarks, history, and traditions—can offer to augment existing work on theology of the body, which is typically considered a hallmark of Roman Catholic theology.

This conference will explore questions like: What, if any, is a distinctly Protestant perspective on the body? How does the whole counsel of God revealed in the Scriptures help us understand the God-given significance of our bodies? In what way do hallmarks of Protestant doctrine such as soteriology and covenant theology deepen our understanding of the body as created, fallen, and to-be-redeemed? How might historic Protestantism resource and develop patristic and medieval insights on anthropology?

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