Those who surrender their freedom also surrender their status as Christians. Christians  stand in freedom, without any backing, before both God and the world; they alone bear the entire responsibility for how they will deal with this gift of freedom.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ”Basic Questions of a Christian Ethic”

International Scientific Conference
”The Spaces of Freedomˮ – May 7, 2018

Conference Program

9.00 – 9.45 Introduction to the conference and opening of the exhibition on Albert Schweitzer

• Dr. hab. Wojciech Szczerba, Rector of the Evangelical School of Theology,
• Dr. hab. Adam Jezierski, Rector of the University of Wrocław,
• Prof. Dr. hab. Włodzimierz Wołyniec, Rector of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław,
• Janusz Witt, President of the Polish Section of International Bonhoeffer Society

9.45 – 10.00 Break

10.00 – 11.15 1st Session: Freedom – Theological context

Leading the 1st session – Prof. Dr. hab. Wojciech Szczerba, Rector of the Evangelical School of Theology

• Christian freedom and the beginnings of the Reformation (1520), Prof. Dr. hab. Janusz T. Maciuszko, Christian Academy of Theology in Warsaw, Head of the Department of Historical Theology and Department of Studies of Religion and Ecumenism; Evangelical School of Theology,
• „Theological Existence” according to Karl Barth, Rev. Prof. Dr. hab. Janusz Królikowski, Pontifical University of John Paul II, Dean of the Faculty of Theology in Tarnów,
• Freedom in the ecumenical and pneuma hagical perspective, Rev. Prof. Dr. hab. Bogdan Ferdek, Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław, Head of the Institute of Systematic Theology, Head of the 2nd Department of Dogmatical Theology,

11.15 – 11.30 Break

11.30 – 12.45 2nd Session (in English): Freedom – Social-anthropological context

Leading the 2nd session – Dr. Łukasz Nysler, Evangelical School of Theology

• Making responsible freedom happen: Church and Society in Dialogue, Rev. Dr. John A. Berry, University of Malta, Faculty of Theology, Head of the Department of Fundamental and Dogmatic Theology,
• Translation from the other side: In Defense of Lost Causes, Rev. Prof. Dr. Philip H. Towner, Dean of the Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship, American Bible Society, NYC, USA,
• Freedom and determinism – from “Luther versus Erasmus debate” to Derk Pereboom,
  Dr. Petr Dvořák, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Philosophy, Head of the Department for the Study of Ancient and Medieval Thought,

12.45 – 13.45 Break

13.45 – 15.00 3rd Session: Freedom – Ancient context

Leading the 3rd session – Dr. hab. Jacek Zieliński, Associate Dean for Education at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wrocław

• Understanding freedom in ancient philosophy. Evolution of the notion: from the political aspect to the existential one, Prof. Dr. hab. Janina Gajda-Krynicka, Emeritus Full Professor, University of Wrocław,
• The origin of evil and the free will of a human being in the thought of Metody of Olimp,
  Dr. hab. Mirosław Mejzner SAC, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Faculty of Theology, Institute of Systematic Theology, Department of Patristic Theology,
• Freedom in Pauline Perspective – A Brief Exegetical Survey of Gal 5,1.6, Prof. Dr. Károly Bácskai, Lutheran Theological University in Budapest, Head of the Department of the New Testament Theology.

15.00 – 15.15 Break

15.15 – 16.30 4th Session: Freedom – Existential Context

Leading the 4th session – Rev. Dr. hab. Jarosław Lipniak, Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław, Head of the Department of Ecumenism and Intercultural Dialogue

• Freedom in the anthropology of Fiodor Dostojewski, Dr. hab. Adam Płachciak, Wrocław University of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Management and Tourism in Jelenia Góra, Department of Quality and Environmental Management,
• The paradoxes of freedom according to Existentialists, Dr. hab. Jacek A. Prokopski, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Philosophical Anthropology and Ethics Unit,
• The Indissolubility of marriage as the space and condition for freedom, Dr. hab. Michał Głowala, University of Wrocław, Institute of Philosophy, Department of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy,

16.30 – 16.45 Summing up the Conference

Dr. hab. Piotr Lorek, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Evangelical School of Theology

18.00 – 20.00 Debate: The Spaces of Freedom

Moderating the debate – Prof. Dr. hab. Adam Jezierski, Rector of the University of Wrocław, Prof. Dr. hab. Wojciech Szczerba, Rector of the Evangelical School of Theology

Introductory lecture – Difficult Freedom, Rev. Prof. Tomáš Halík, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Studies

The participants of the debate – Dr. Rafał Dutkiewicz, President of Wrocław, HE Waldemar Pytel, Bishop of Lutheran Diocese in Wrocław and a Special Guest.

Location:

The conference (9.00 – 16.45) – Lecture Hall at the Evangelical School of Theology,
św. Jadwigi 12, Wroclaw

The Debate: The Spaces of Freedom (18.00 – 20.00) – Oratorium Marianum Hall,
the main building of the University of Wrocław, Plac Uniwersytecki 1, Wroclaw