conference, Structure

Seoul conference 2026

14 Jun

Conference Theme: In Honor of Jürgen Moltmann — Public Theology, Civil Society, and Sociobiology

Foum Center Conference Committee

Organizing Institution:
International Public Theology Forum-Center (IPTFC)
A member of GNPT, as well as a research and teaching institution under national accreditation in South Korea.

Forum-Center Committee:

• Chair: Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm (Moderator of the WCC, Founding Member of GNPT, Senior Advisor of IPTFC, the Founder of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Research Center for Public Theology, Review Committee for the Templeton Proposal East Asia)


• Ted Peters (Professor Emeritus, GTU and Center for Theology and Natural Science, Senior Advisor of IPTFC; Evaluator for the Science and Religion Dialogue session on Day 2; Review Committee for the Templeton Proposal East Asia)


• Craig Nessan (Professor and Former Dean, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Senior Advisor of IPTFC; Conference Evaluator and Moderator on Day 2 for the Templeton Proposal Project Committee)


• Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary; Docent, University of Helsinki, Senior Advisor of IPTFC, Initiative Templeton Committee; Conference Evaluator and Moderator on Day 4, focusing on Public Theology, Minjung Theology, and Religious Pluralism)


• Manfred Pirner (Professor, Nürnberg-Erlangen University, Senior Advisor of the Comparative Religion Journal, IPTFC; Zoom participant with a presentation on Public Theology and Interreligious Discourse in the German Protestant Context)


• Rudolf von Sinner (Professor in Theology as well as in Human Rights and Public Policies, The Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná at Curitiba, Brazil; Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Public Theology; International Distinguished Faculty, IPTFC; Zoom participant with a presentation on Public Theology and Liberation Theology)


• Traugott Jähnichen (Professor, Bochum University, International Distinguished Faculty, IPTFC)


• Paul Chung (Facilitator and Acting President for the East Asia Project on Public Theology, Comparative Religion, and Science-Religion Dialogue, IPTFC)

Conference Timetable (In Progress)

Day 1 (Mon. Sept. 28) – Hosted by PROK in collaboration with KNCC

  • Rev. Lee, Gunhee: Sermon on PROK and the legacy of Jürgen Moltmann
  • Heinrich Bedford-Strohm: Keynote speaker on Ecumenical Public Theology
  • Craig Nessan: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Public Theology in a U.S. Context
  • Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen: Rejoinder: ecumenical public theology, Jürgen Moltmann and the Ecumenical Theology of the Holy Spirit (tentative)
  • Paul Chung: Review: Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and Ecumenical Public Theology
  • Lee, Hunsam (General Secretary of PROK): Human Rights Movement and Minjung Theology in the History of the Korean Protestant Church

Day 2 (Tues. Sept. 29) – Hosted by the Forum on Science and Religion Dialogue

  • Greetings and Prayer: Rev. Yuk Sun-Jong
  • Heinrich Bedford-Strohm: Public Theology and Bioethics
  • Moderator: Craig Nessan – Presentation on Neuroscience and Sociobiology with attention to Templeton proposal guidelines and relevant themes
  • Evaluator and Respondent: Ted Peters (Zoom participation)
  • Prof. Choe, S.H. (Emeritus Professor at Seoul National University): Physics and Christian Faith
  • Dr. Lim, Chang Sei (Korean Moderator): Public Theology of Science between Consilience and NOMA
  • Paul Chung: Critical Realism and Cultural Narrative
  • Kim Seyoung (Member of the Central Committee, WCC): Feminism and Minjung-Ecology
  • Prof. Chun Chul (Director of Science and Religion Center at Hanshin University): Science and Religion Dialogue in the Korean Context

Day 3 (Wed. Sept. 30)

  • Chapel Sermon: Heinrich Bedford-Strohm
  • City Tour and Cultural Experience

Day 4 (Thurs. Oct. 1) – Public Theology and Minjung Theology in Dialogue

  • Moderator: Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen and Kim Hiheon
  • Traugott: Public Theology, Economic Ethics, and the Reality of Minjung (tentative)
  • Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen: Public Spirit, Religion, and the Public Sphere (tentative)
  • Dr. Chai Soo-il (Former President, Hanshin University): Public Theology and the Christian Far-Right Movement in South Korea
  • Rudolf Von Sinner: Public Theology and Liberation Theology in Brazil (Zoom participation)
  • Kim Hiheon (Dean at Hanshin Graduate School): Minjung Theology in the Anthropocene
  • Manfred Pirner: Public Theology and Interreligious Discourse in the German Protestant Context (Zoom participation)
  • Enrico Beltramini: Political Theology and Public Theology from Roman Catholic Perspective (Zoom Participation)
  • Several Presenters to be Arranged

Wrap-Up: Paul Chung

  • Conference/Symposium Concluded
  • Friday: Check-out

Special Publication Agenda

An exclusive issue on the 2026 Seoul Conference will be featured in
Currents in Theology and Mission
(edited by Craig Nessan)

Conference papers to be edited in Wipf & Stock book series Missional Church, Public Theology and World Christianity

by Craig Nessan and Paul Chung

Please feel free to reach out with questions or suggestions. Thank you for your commitment to deepening and advancing global public theology.

Warm regards,
Paul Chung
Director, International Public Theology in Forum-Center, Berkeley

Opening Communiqué (Date: September 20, 2024)

In Honor of Jürgen Moltmann — Public Theology, Civil Society, and Sociobiology

From: Paul Chung, Director, International Public Theology in Forum-Center, Berkeley

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Welcome aboard. I am pleased to begin with this communiqué as a shared platform for preparation and consultation as we move toward the 2026 Seoul Conference. I trust this system will help us navigate the process efficiently and collaboratively.

Preliminary Details

Conference Schedule: 4 days
Conference Theme: In Honor of Jürgen Moltmann — Public Theology, Civil Society, and Sociobiology

Presentation Guidelines

“Everything is public—then nothing is public.”

Please avoid generalizing the term public theology. It should be clearly distinguished from liberation theology, contextual theologies, political theology, postcolonial theology, etc.

Presenters should articulate a public theology standpoint in relation to:

  • Civil society
  • Justice for the common good
  • Deliberative democracy
  • The politics of recognition
  • The integrity of the lifeworld

These themes align with the Forum-Center’s approach, as exemplified in:

Public theology emphasizes a regime of interrogation—a practice of exposing material interests and power relations in political society, cultural systems, comparative religions, scientific fields, and beyond. We invite you to develop your own regime of interrogation related to sociocultural stratification, discourse clarification, and the politics of recognition and world-construction.

Paper Submissions

Start Date for Abstracts: January 2025
Each presenter should submit:

  1. A paper abstract
  2. A brief introduction for editorial feedback and improvement

Final papers should be submitted to Dr. Paul Chung first (for formatting and compatibility).

Book Translations for Demonstration

  • Heinrich Bedford-Strohm’s Liberation Theology: Collected Essays is currently being translated by a Korean team to reflect his vision of public theology as a liberative force for democratic society. His work is positioned as a creative continuation of Bonhoeffer, Barth, and Moltmann in the post-minjung context of South Korea.
  • Prof. Deborah Gordon (Stanford University) has provided an introduction to the Korean edition of Ant Encounters, which offers a critical alternative to sociobiological and genetic determinist readings of ant colonies and human society. She also serves as a systems biology advisor to the Forum-Center.

Conference Logistics & Honorarium

Dates: Monday, September 28 – Monday, October 5, 2026
Location: Hanshin University and PROK General Assembly venues

Special Note:

  • A hospitality grant from Korean organizers will cover guest expenses for 7 nights, including a Seoul excursion.
  • Overseas participants are responsible for their own airfare.

Newer Paul S. Chung: Public Theology