The Christian Imagination

DATE: Thursday, January 24
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race

In January, Rev. Harriett Cross will present on Willie James Jennings' The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. 

Jennings traces modern Christian thinking back a millennium to show the roots of segregated societies in Western Christian socialization.  He identifies the choice between a mission of establishing Christian nations and a mission of fostering communion among diverse groups and persons.  The persistence of social division challenges the successfulness of Christians to fulfill the commandment of neighborly love. 

 

Jennings addresses such issues as slavery, geography, Native American history, anti-Semitism, and tells of loss, cultural amnesia, and missed opportunities in Christian communities. He exposes how the loss of land and the supersessionist ideas behind the Christian missionary movement are both deeply implicated in the invention of race.  Jennings suggests new ways of seeing ourselves and the communities in which we live.

 

The Dialogue Comes of Age

DATE: Thursday, November 15
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: The Dialogue Comes of Age: Christian Encounters With Other Traditions

In November, Rev. Ron Graham will present on The Diaologue Comes of Age by John B. Cobb and Ward McAffee.

Synopsis:
Increasingly world religious traditions present a source of religious practices, and even live religious options. How are Christians to relate to these traditions and the neighbors and friends who live by them? This lively and engaging book is a great resource for faithful wrestling with the new realities. Led by theologian John B. Cobb Jr. and historian Ward M. McAfee, the Progressive Christians Uniting has distilled the historical and existential import of both Abrahamic and other traditions and stressed the differences among traditions and the richness they can afford Christian self-understanding.

The Righteous Mind

DATE: Thursday, September 27
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: The Righteous Mind

A link to John Gillham's Paper

Are you conservative or progressive?  Ever wonder why people on the other side have such a hard time listening to reason?  As we approach the next U.S. Presidential election, the Rev. John Gillham will present on The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. 

Haidt is a social psychologist who attempts to bridge the divide between competing views by opening our minds to the moral intuitions of other people.  He believes our society would be better off if reason and intuition interact in healthier ways.

In light of his research, Haidt suggests some guidelines. First, help citizens to develop more sympathetic relationships so that we try to understand one another instead of using reason as a weapon to disarm another point of view.  Second, create space for contemplation.  Studies show that a couple of minutes spent reflecting on a good argument can actually change a person’s mind.  Third, break down the ideological segregation in our society.  Increasingly, Americans are living among people who think just like them.

How might Haidt's research and proposals be helpful to congregations and communities in an era of extreme partisanship? 

 

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