GHTC hosts “The Anatomy of Reconciliation: from violence to healing”
See below for schedule and registration
information.
Grace and Holy Trinity is serving as a regional partner for the Trinity Institute’s 36th National Theological Conference January 31-February 1, 2006. The conference is being webcast from New York, and GHTC will be one of the regional sites for viewing the conference and participating in small group discussions with the help of trained EFM facilitators.
This conference addresses topics that require reflection and discussion, and this first-ever opportunity to participate in the larger conference, on a regional level should prove beneficial for all involved.
These
small groups will allow participants to speak personally with others
who share a common interest in the subject matter of reconciliation
in a world that is ruptured by divisions. Additionally, individuals
will be able to reflect on how to bring reconciliation to the
particular setting each of us inhabits.
We’ve seen many social conflicts reach a violent pitch in recent years—churches divided on issues of sexuality; a nation split on matters of personal and cultural values; a growing chasm between the wealthy and the dispossessed; and internationally, the forces that impel Western cultures and economies clashing with Islamic tradition.
We will look with fresh eyes on the source of our theology of reconciliation in order that we may live it out with new energy and focus. We will examine the costliness of reconciliation, the perseverance and patience demanded by the process. Finally, our goal is to offer our own spiritual change as the base for compelling, integrated communication as preachers and teachers in the Church.
The keynote
speakers will challenge us to revise, even transform, our
understanding of the theological springs of reconciliation:
• Author-theologian James Alison
advocates a vision of nonviolence based on an understanding of a
theology of resurrection and the transformation of human desire.
• Yale Divinity School’s Miroslav Volf,
a native of Croatia, works in a theological context shaped largely
from his experience of Serbian-Croatian violence and the struggle
toward peace. • Sister Helen Prejean,
CSJ, the author of Dead Man Walking, is a passionate advocate for
restorative, rather than retributive, justice.
• A veteran of the civil rights
movement, Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons is now an American Muslim and
professor of religion who specializes in gender issues.
• Bishop Michael B. Curry, a powerful
preacher whose leadership has combined the best of the prophetic and
pastoral, will set the tone at the opening liturgy of
reconciliation.
For more information about the conference content and keynote speakers, go to http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/institute/?2006 and http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/resources/article.php?id=647.
Set aside Tuesday, January 31 and Wednesday, February 1, 2006, to be at Grace and Holy Trinity for this regional conference. For more information, contact Valerie Johnson, regional partner site coordinator, at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 816-474-8260, extension 103.
Go to an online registration form
Webcast schedule (Central Time Zone, revised 1-24-2006):
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
7:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:15 a.m. Opening Session and James Alison “Blindsided by
God”
9:30 a.m. Break
9:45 a.m. Small Group Reflection
11:00 a.m. Lunch
12:15 p.m. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons “Communal Reconciliation
and Healing through Fundamental Social and Individual Personal
Change”
1:30 p.m. Break
1:45 p.m. Panel Discussion
3:00 p.m. Small Group Reflections
4:15 p.m. Adjourn
Wednesday, February 1,
2006
7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:15 a.m. Miroslav Volf “God’s Forgiveness and Ours”
Continental Breakfast available
9:30 a.m. Break
9:45 a.m. Small Group Reflections
11:00 a.m. Lunch
12:15 p.m. Sr. Helen Prejean “Both Arms of the Cross –The
Journey from Perpetrator to Victim’s Family”
1:30 p.m. Break
1:45 p.m. Panel Discussion
3:00 p.m. Small Group Reflections and Evaluations
4:30 p.m. Adjourn