Thurber Lecture Archives

Thurber Conversation - 13 October 2022 - Politics of Jesus and the Christian State

Featuring Dr. Reggie Williams
Politics of Jesus and the Christian State:
What happens when Christianity becomes the national religion
Thursday 13 October 19h30 via Zoom and also in-person in the Thurber Room

The faith of Jesus and the demands of a nation state are often made into the same thing in a nation that calls itself Christian. Empires have been built on the marriage between cross and crown, yet, given the relationship between the mission of the church, and the coming Kingdom of God, we must ask; can the gospel speak God’s good news and also support the demands of any nation state? Can Christianity be the official religion of an empire or a country and faithful to God at the same time?

There will be a meal served at the live gathering. We are asking for  a donation of €5 to help cover the costs of the food. 

Dr. Reggie L. Williams is associate professor of Christian Ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. His book Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance (Baylor University Press, 2014) was selected as a Choice Outstanding Title in 2015, in the field of religion. The book is an analysis of exposure to Harlem Renaissance intellectuals, and worship at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist on the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, during his year of post-doctoral study at Union Seminary in New York, 1930-31.

Dr. Williams’ research interests include Christological ethics, theological anthropology, Christian social ethics, the Harlem Renaissance, race, politics and black church life. His current book project includes a religious critique of whiteness in the Harlem Renaissance. In addition, he is working on a book analyzing the reception of Bonhoeffer by liberation activists in apartheid South Africa.

Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. in Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2011. He earned a Master’s degree in Theology from Fuller in 2006 and a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Westmont College in 1995. He is a member of the board of directors for the Society for Christian Ethics, as well as the International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society. He is also a member of the American Academy of Religion and Society for the Study of Black Religion.

Thurber Conversations are an adult community gathering and growth time that is open to all.

Video recordings of selected past Thurber Lectures and Conversations here

Journey and Learn with Pastoral Scholar in Residence, Dr. Reggie Williams

Journey and Learn with Pastoral Scholar in Residence, Dr. Reggie WilliamsThe Rev. Dr. Reggie L. Williams is planning a couple of exciting opportunities to take our studies to the city streets. One focuses on the history of Black Paris, the other on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident.

Thurber Conversation - 5 April 2022 - How do we embody a never-changing gospel in an ever-changing culture?

Featuring Dr. Scott Cormode
Tuesday 5 April 19h30-21h via Zoom.

The church as we know it is calibrated for a world that no longer exists.  The basic assumptions about what it means to be church have changed and will continue to change.  We the Church need to find a way to be agile enough to step into a future that we cannot predict.  This book, The Innovative Church, was road-tested over the course of four years with over 100 congregations seeking to take the next faithful step.  At its core, it asks one simple question: How do we embody a never-changing gospel in an ever-changing culture?

Dr. Scott Cormode (PhD, Yale University) is the De Pree Professor of Leadership Development at Fuller Seminary.  He founded the Academy of Religious Leadership and the Journal of Religious Leadership. He is a former academic dean and is presently a senior fellow at the Fuller Youth Institute.

Thurber Conversations are an adult community gathering and growth time that is open to all.

Video recordings of selected past Thurber Lectures and Conversations here

 

Thurber Conversation - 15 March 2022 - Reconciliation and the Great (Whole) Commission

Featuring Al Tizon
Tuesday 15 March via Zoom and also in-person in the Thurber Room -- Lecture and Zoom at 19h45; Meal at 19h.

A "Pass Vaccinal" is required for the in-person event in the Thurber Room.
There will be a meal served at the live gathering. We are asking for a donation of 5€ to help cover the costs of the food. 

Al Tizon is Affiliate Associate Professor of Missional and Global Leadership at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. Previous leadership positions he has held include Executive Minister of Serve Globally, the international ministries of the Evangelical Covenant Church and co-president of Christians for Social Action, founding director of LIGHT Ministries in the Olongapo City, Philippines and associate professor of holistic ministry at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University near Philadelphia, PA. Al has engaged in community development, church leadership, advocacy, and urban ministry in the United States and in the Philippines.

You can read more about Al's latest book Whole and Reconciled: Gospel, Church, Mission in a Fractured World on his website: https://www.draltizon.com/ We are excited to welcome Al to ACP and benefit from his expertise in mission and ministry.

Thurber Conversations are an adult community gathering and growth time that is open to all.

Video recordings of selected past Thurber Lectures and Conversations here

 

Thurber Conversation - 1 February 2022 - Subversive Witness: Scripture's Call to Leverage Privilege

Featuring Dominique DuBois Gilliard, Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Tuesday 1 February 19h30 via Zoom and also in-person in the Thurber Room

Ever wonder what it means to have privilege? Feel confused about how to use one's privilege for the betterment rather than the detriment of the body of Christ? Dominique Gilliard has done some groundbreaking work helping churches and other organizations recognize where privilege exists and rather than deny it, work toward using it in a way that honors God. You won't want to miss this compelling and challenging evening as we continue to wrestle with what it means to be a church that cares deeply about being a reconciling community. 

This is event is part of the Many Colors, Creeds, Cultures...and Conversations! series.