Embedded Files
2025 in-person MEETING
2025 in-person MEETING
FEBRUARY 20-22
FEBRUARY 20-22
NOTE: ALL PROGRAM TIMES are listed for the CENTRAL TIME ZONE
NOTE: ALL PROGRAM TIMES are listed for the CENTRAL TIME ZONE
Click on the session time banners to see section panels and presenters. Session room numbers will be provided on-site.
Google Map showing hotel, conference, and food and entertainment locations available here.
MSU Shuttle route and schedule available here.
Paper Prizes
Paper Prizes
The Midwest AAR is delighted to recognize outstanding scholarship in three categories:
Undergraduate Research
Graduate Research
Marion McFarland Award for Best Research in the Area of Religion, Ecology, and Sustainability
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20th
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20th
HOTEL CHECK-IN at TRU by HILTON IS AT 3 PM.
Please check your hotel's policy if you have different accommodations.
session 1: 3:30 PM - 5 PM CST
session 1: 3:30 PM - 5 PM CST
STUDY OF CHRISTIANITY AND SACRED TEXTS AND LITERATURE, co-sponsors
STUDY OF CHRISTIANITY AND SACRED TEXTS AND LITERATURE, co-sponsors
C.S. Lewis and the Inerrancy of the Bible
Chair: Travis Proctor (Wittenberg University)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Leslie Baynes (Missouri State University), “C. S. Lewis and the Inerrancy of the Bible,”
Responses by Missouri State University Faculty:
Victor Matthews
John Schmalzbauer
John Strong
Mark Given
RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE
RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE
Culture, Law, and the Definition of Religion
Chair: TBA
Location: Strong Hall 201
Jeffrey Wheatley (Iowa State University), “Religious Insanity in Charles Guiteau’s Criminal Trial."
Kylee May (Missouri State University), “1906 (Dis)Union of the PCUSA and CPC Denominations.”
Carista Davis (Missouri State University), “Comparison of the Theology of Seventh Day Adventist and The Branch Davidians.”
Session 2: 5:15 PM - 6:45 Pm CST
Session 2: 5:15 PM - 6:45 Pm CST
THEOLOGY, ETHICS, AND PHILOSOPHY
THEOLOGY, ETHICS, AND PHILOSOPHY
Theorizing Earthly Bodies
Chair: Robert Saler (Christian Theological Seminary)
Location: Strong Hall 201
Grant Showalter-Swanson (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary), “Pneumatology as Theological Spirit Language for Intersectional Queer, Indigenous, and Decolonial Solidarity Work.”
Jonam Wang (St. Louis University), “Toward an Integrated Eco-Spirituality: Comparative Insights from Maximus the Confessor and Confucianism.”
Vinod Wesley (Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago), “An Ecowomanist reading of Dalit “Eco-wisdom” for a Subaltern grassroots Theoethical perspective on Climate Change.”
Paulo Roberto Freitas Araújo (Missouri State University), “The Golem Legend and the Paradoxical Salvation of Transhumanism.”
Stephanie Teasley (Missouri State University), “Church of the Opened Body: Public Dissection in Medieval and Early Modern Europe.”
WILDCARD SESSION
WILDCARD SESSION
Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion
Chair: Kayla Brockgreitens (Missouri State University)
Location: Strong Hall 205
Yasmine Singh (Missouri State University), “Festive Ornamentation and Material Intimacies in an Indian Pilgrimage Town.”
Chris Morrissey (Bluffton University), “Sociology as a Means to Reduce Polarization in American Christianity.”
Noel S. Adams (Marquette University), “Narrative as the Fundamental Framework of Human Understanding: Jordan Peterson on Why Biblical Stories have Enduring Influence.”
WILDCARD SESSION
WILDCARD SESSION
Bodies, Made and Unmade
Chair: Jeffrey Wheatley (Iowa State University)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Stephanie Teasley (Missouri State University), “Church of the Opened Body: Public Dissection in Medieval and Early Modern Europe.”
Maxine Katz (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), “Envisioning the Chicago Devas: House of Blues’ Cultural Fusion.”
Paulo Roberto Freitas Araújo (Missouri State University), “The Golem Legend and the Paradoxical Salvation of Transhumanism.”
Opening reception: 7 - 9 pm CST
Opening reception: 7 - 9 pm CST
Strong Hall Atrium
ALL REGISTERED ATTENDEES ARE INVITED
ALL REGISTERED ATTENDEES ARE INVITED
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21st
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21st
Session 3: 9 - 10:30 AM CST
Session 3: 9 - 10:30 AM CST
SACRED TEXTS AND LITERATURE AND UNDERGRADUATE SHOWCASE, co-sponsors
SACRED TEXTS AND LITERATURE AND UNDERGRADUATE SHOWCASE, co-sponsors
Interreligious Textual Encounters
Chair: Matthew Hotham (Ball State University)
Location: Strong Hall 201
Sarah Brown (Davidson College), “Like the Wildebeest: A Comparison of Sufi and Christian Mystical Ascent through the Mystical Experience and the Mystical Consciousness.”
Francesco P. Rahe (The University of Chicago), “Kingship in the Buddha Biographies.”
Susan Hardy (Missouri State University), “Faith and Fairies, Spirits and Salvation: Cultural Preservation and the Blending of Celtic Beliefs and Christianity in Medieval Gaelic Literature, 5th Century-11th Century CE”
RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE
RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE
Social Justice
Chair: Matthew Hotham (Ball State University)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Michael McLaughlin (University of Missouri), “Liberation Power Love: The Groovy Gospel of Glide Memorial Methodist Church.”
Kristen Balzer (Duke Divinity School), “Consecrating "Color-Blindness": The Symbiotic Rise of the Prosperity Gospel and Colorblind Conservatism in the U.S. from Brown to Bakke.”
Anna Lucken (Western Illinois University), “Nunvolution: The 1960s Revolution in Catholic Sisterhood.”
Kylee May (Missouri State University), “1906 (Dis)Union of the PCUSA and CPC Denominations.”
RELIGIONS OF ASIA
RELIGIONS OF ASIA
Genre, Narrative, and Meaning
Chair: Kevin Poe (The University of Chicago Divinity School)
Location: Strong Hall 205
Hpone Myint Tu (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), “From Hindu Villian to Buddhist Hero: Dathagiri in the Thiri Rama.”
Yasmine Singh (Missouri State University), “Festive Ornamentation and Material Intimacies in an Indian Pilgrimage Town.”
Jingqi Zhou (University of Chicago Divinity School), “Beyond Sudden and Gradual: Doctrinal Evolution in Northern Chan Buddhism.”
Wang Xing Hao (University of Chicago), “The Theoretical Imperative: the Arthaśāstra and the Genre of Śāstra."
Session 4: 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM CST
Session 4: 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM CST
STUDY OF CHRISTIANITY
STUDY OF CHRISTIANITY
Christianity, Gender, and Women in Context
Chair: Travis Proctor (Wittenberg University)
Location: Strong Hall 201
Levi Moberg (New Covenant Academy), “A Whiny Woman or a Victim: Reading Judges 14-15 Through a Feminist Lens for a More Just Reading.”
Grace Morris (Indiana University Bloomington), “This is my Thigh, Given for You: Queerness and Christianity in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 'Cannibal Romance.'”
Jared Pannell (Missouri State University), “Mary Magdalene, More or Less.”
WILDCARD SESSION
WILDCARD SESSION
Education in Space and Time
Chair: Michael McLaughlin (University of Missouri)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Adriana Rivera (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary), “From Lockdown to Looking Up: Trauma-Informed Hope See(k)ing in Online Theological Education.”
Mark Minster (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology), “Roleplaying COP29 in a Religion and Ecology course.”
Jasmine Jimenez (Saint Louis University), “Father De Avenalleda and Structuring Schools in 1590s New Spain.”
RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE
RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE
American Men at the End of Their World: Religious Violence on the Existential Battlefield
Chair: Matthew Hotham (Ball State University)
Location: Strong Hall 205
Rachel Wagner (Ithaca College), “The Cowboy Apocalypse.”
Carmen C. Patricia Celestini (Ontario Tech University), “God’s Army of Securitization: The Southern Border Of the United States and Convoys.”
Rebecca Barrett-Fox (Kansas State University Salina), “Midwestern ‘Crusaders’: How Domestic Terrorists Inserted Themselves in Religious History in Garden City, Kansas.”
Eliza Barstow (Oregon State University), Respondent
BUSINESS MEETING & lunch: 12:30-1:15 PM CST
BUSINESS MEETING & lunch: 12:30-1:15 PM CST
Glass Hall 486
Glass Hall 486
OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE MIDWEST AAR
OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE MIDWEST AAR
Please join for important updates and announcements from leadership and members, including annual paper prizes. Regional elections are also held during business meetings when there are vacancies to fill.
Please join for important updates and announcements from leadership and members, including annual paper prizes. Regional elections are also held during business meetings when there are vacancies to fill.
Lunch is provided for all registered conference attendees.
Lunch is provided for all registered conference attendees.
PLENARY ADDRESS: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CST
PLENARY ADDRESS: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Glass Hall 486
Glass Hall 486
“Talking Back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Choosing Politics Over Narrative”
Dr. David Dault
Loyola University of Chicago
Session 5: 3:30 pM - 5 PM CST
Session 5: 3:30 pM - 5 PM CST
ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY
Love and Other Drugs
Chair: Yasmine Singh (Missouri State University)
Location: Strong Hall 201
Patrick Dunn (The Ohio State University), “Gone Beyond?: Soteriological Questions in Psychedelic Practice.”
Elena Kravchenko (Washington University in St. Louis), “More Than a Personal Expression: Tattoos in African American Practices of Orthodoxy.”
Tarryl Janik (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), “Healing Altered States of Combat: Veterans Are Models for The Efficacy of Ayahuasca Healing at Soul Quest Church of Mother Earth.”
WILDCARD SESSION
WILDCARD SESSION
The Body Politic
Chair: Eliza Barstow (Oregon State University)
Location: Strong Hall 205
Niklas Rodewald (Loyola University Chicago), “Is the Convent a Sex Shop?: Vowed Religious Life as a Queer Catholic Counterpublic.”
Terry Reeder (The College of Wooster), “Weaponizing Christian Ethics: Natural Law, Abortion, and Marriage Equality.”
Sharonda Stith (Saint Louis University), “The Black Man Who Didn’t Want a White Soul.”
Kylee May (Missouri State University), “1906 (Dis)Union of the PCUSA and CPC Denominations.”
THEOLOGY, ETHICS, AND PHILOSOPHY
THEOLOGY, ETHICS, AND PHILOSOPHY
Theological Philosophy
Chair: Robert Saler (Christian Theological Seminary)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Emily Knoppe (Missouri State University), “The Revolutionizing of the Immaculate Conception: Mary, John Duns Scotus, and Scholasticism.”
Kwang-Myung Lee and Yong Park (Duke University Divinity School and Graduate Theological Union, Berkley), “Who is our Neighbor? —Comparative studies of Luther and Kierkegaard on Love.”
Joshua Luna (Missouri State University), “Behaviorist Attributes of the Religious Organism: A New Framework for Studying the Heretical Type.”
Patrick Dunn (The Ohio State University), “Gone Beyond?: Soteriological Questions in Psychedelic Practice.”
Mark Minster (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology), “Psalm 119: How Discipline Attunes Perception.”
Session 6: 5:15 PM - 6:45 pm CST
Session 6: 5:15 PM - 6:45 pm CST
STUDY OF ISLAM
STUDY OF ISLAM
Islamic Politics and Thought
Chair: Michael McLaughlin (University of Missouri)
Location: Strong Hall 201
Sweta Dutta (Indiana University at Bloomington), “Merciful Tongues and Bountiful Blessings: Language, Authority and Charisma in Fakirrāmi.”
Mohamed Sayed (Indiana University at Bloomington), “Tahqiq Al-Manat: The Upholding of Justice in The Muslim Political Thought.”
Christian Jones (University of Missouri), “Vietnam War from the Nation of Islam's perspective.”
Hibatuallah Bensaid (Ibn Haldun University), “Dialectics of Faith and Global Governance: The Vision of The Organization of Islamic Cooperation.”
GENDER
GENDER
21st Century Approaches
Chair: Amy Artman (Missouri State University)
Location: Strong Hall 205
Kate Kaura (The Ohio State University), “From Goddess to Gateway: How the Divine Feminine in New Age Spirituality Fuels Toxic Femininity, Right-Wing Ideologies, and Political Extremism.”
Emoni Harmon (The Ohio State University), “It’s More Than a Hashtag, More Than an Aesthetic: Examining the Rhetorics of #TradWife Instagram.”
Jacob Clark (Missouri State University), “Mechanizing the Phantasm: Judith Butler, Josh Hawley, and the Religious Politics of Gender.”
SACRED TEXTS AND LITERATURE
SACRED TEXTS AND LITERATURE
Moving Words and Words that Move
Chair: Matthew Hotham (Ball State University)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Seth Weidman (Missouri State University), “Words into Action: Effectiveness of Religious Language in Inciting Action.”
Lane Miller (University of Chicago Divinity School), “Reading the Prodigal Son through the “Everything Bubble” and the Crypto Craze.”
Sacelia Strong-Sangster (Western Michigan University), “Breathing Life into Tradition: The Fluid Nature of Indigenous Storytelling Beyond the Written Word.”
Patrick Scott Smith (World History Encyclopedia), “Caesarea Maritima, Paul's Journeys, and Eastern Mediterranean Trade.”
SECTION CHAIR DINNER: 7:30 PM CST
SECTION CHAIR DINNER: 7:30 PM CST
Location TBD. All current section chairs please plan to attend. Dinner provided by the Midwest AAR.
Saturday, FEBRUARY 22ND
Saturday, FEBRUARY 22ND
HOTEL CHECK-OUT at TRU by HILTON IS AT 11AM.
Please check your hotel's policy if you have different accommodations.
session 7: 9 AM - 10:30 AM CST
session 7: 9 AM - 10:30 AM CST
UNDERGRADUATE SHOWCASE
UNDERGRADUATE SHOWCASE
Identity and Place
Chair: TBA
Location: Strong Hall 201
Alexandra Bevins (Defiance College), “Civil Religious Identity: Soviet Housing and the Robert Taylor Homes.”
Christian Jones (University of Missouri), “Vietnam War from the Nation of Islam's perspective.”
Ellie Greenberg (Kenyon College), “Radiating [White] Manhood: Dennis Prager and the Judeo-Christian Imaginary.”
Ellie Lashier (Iowa State University), “Cosmic Cacophony and Harmony in Ordo Virtutum and Heaven’s Gates & Hell’s Flames”
RELIGIONS OF ASIA
RELIGIONS OF ASIA
Modernity and Community
Chair: Kevin Poe (The University of Chicago Divinity School)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Ruby Sonnek (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire), “Bharatanatyam and Alchemy: Indian Dance and the Process of Individuation.”
Nga Nguyen (Missouri State University), “The 12-Step Program from a Buddhist Perspective: Cultivating Autonomy in Rehabilitation and Healing.”
Karin Ikeda (The Ohio State University), “Use of Sacred Texts in Neo-Japanese Reiki.”
GENDER
GENDER
Piercing the Veil
Chair: Amy Artman (Missouri State University)
Location: Strong Hall 205
Alex Padfield (Independent Researcher), “Cloth-Based Resistance: Material and Revolutionary Grammars of the Veil.”
Anna Lucken (Western Illinois University), “The Ashes of Colonialism: How Colonization Increased Ritual Suicide in India.”
Kali Becker (Western Illinois University), “Christian Veiling.”
session 8: 10:45 AM - 12:15 pM CST
session 8: 10:45 AM - 12:15 pM CST
UNDERGRADUATE SHOWCASE
UNDERGRADUATE SHOWCASE
New Ideas about Old Things
Chair: TBA
Location: Strong Hall 201
Ellison Kochensparger (Wittenberg University), “Is it Possible Jesus Could Have Liked Men?: Breaking Down John Oliver's Thesis for the Catholic Church.”
R. Eliot Gudreau (Missouri State University), “The Liminal God: Hermes Chthonios in the Orphic Vision of the Afterlife.”
Susan Hardy (Missouri State University), “Faith and Fairies, Spirits and Salvation: Cultural Preservation and the Blending of Celtic Beliefs and Christianity in Medieval Gaelic Literature, 5th Century-11th Century CE.”
WILDCARD SESSION
WILDCARD SESSION
Colonialism and Indigenous Knowledge
Chair: Daniel Jones (Missouri State University)
Location: Strong Hall 203
Josefrayn Sanchez-Perry (Loyola University Chicago), “Nahua Copalli, Offering and Healing: Native Naturalist and Franciscan Nominalists.”
Margaret Cotner (Saint Louis University), “‘Aloha ‘Aina’ in the Fight Against Colonialism: Calling Christian Ecotheology into ‘Hoa’ with Indigenous Hawaiian Theology.”
Moriah Reichert (Indiana University at Bloomington), “Only Here to Help:” Colonialism and Religion in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “The Emissary Part I and II.”
Recent CONFERENCES
Recent CONFERENCES
Please note that this page contains archived information about the 2023 Regional Meeting.
2022 Meeting ARCHIVE
2022 Meeting ARCHIVE
Check back soon for archived materials from the 2022 virtual Regional Meeting.
Please note that this page contains archived information about the 2021 virtual Regional Meeting.
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