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GHOST RANCH SEMINAR
July 26-August 1, 2010
WE’RE
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
CONFRONTING THE STRUCTURES OF
INJUSTICE |
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SOCIAL GOSPEL THEOLOGY
July 26-August 1, 2010
(A Ghost Ranch
Seminar)
by Jane Hanna (who put this event together, saith the
WebWeaver)
[8-27-10]
Again this summer
Presbyterian Voices for Justice and Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
joined in co-sponsoring a seminar at Ghost Ranch, “We’re All in this
Together: Confronting the Structures of Injustice.” The inspiration
for the seminar was a guidebook for social action, To
Do Justice: A Guide for Progressive Christians, edited
by Rebecca Todd Peters and Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty. Ethicists from
across mainline denominations contributed essays connecting their
faith to the most urgent public issues of our time. Three of them,
notable educators, became our leaders for 2010.
Dr. Grace Kao is an Associate Professor of Ethics
at Claremont School of Theology; Dr. Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty an
Associate Professor of Theology at Bellarmine University in
Louisville, and Dr. Gary Dorrien is the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor
of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of
Religion at Columbia University. They provided a wealth of
information and tools for addressing justice and peace concerns.
The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy of
the PCUSA (ACSWP) has been instrumental in developing an ecumenical
Social Creed for the
Twenty-first Century in honor of the one-hundredth
anniversary of the 1908
Social Creed. This is a document that should be known to
every congregation, one these leaders had a part in developing.
Dr. Hinson-Hasty had also co-edited Prayers for
The New Social Awakening, Inspired by the New Social Creed, with
Christian Iosso, Coordinator of ACSWP. We began our sessions each
morning with one of the prayers from this collection written by
Christians of many traditions who feel called to speak out and act
in hope of realizing God’s vision for a just world.
Viewing the excellent DVD, “Toward a New Social
Awakening: The Social Creed,” produced by ACSWP, introduced us to
the history of the 1908 Social Creed and background for the 2008
“New Social Creed for the Twenty-First Century.” (This can be viewed
on-line at
http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/acswp/social-creed)
The social gospel
movement grew from the belief that churches have a responsibility to
address social issues, and that Christians are obligated to reform
society. Elizabeth and Gary challenged us with the history of the
Social Gospel and looking at it in light of our own time. The
similarities between present economic circumstances and those of the
early 20th century are striking. The social gospel had a
big impact on theological education and social ethics studies. Jesus
was the example for social justice but churches did not always
accept the ideas of the early reformers. Many congregations still
largely avoid race, gender and economic critiques.
Grace presented an
excellent PowerPoint “Primer on Thinking Ethically about War”
followed by Gary’s discussion about War/Militarism/Foreign Policy.
Background about the “Just War Theory,” and when war is unjust,
presented a multitude of questions and the obstacles toward defining
any war as “Just.”
Many provocative
issues were raised by statistics concerning the experience of women
worldwide. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for
Women Worldwide, by Kristof and WuDunn, had been on our reading
list for the seminar. Quoting Kristof’s belief that the well being
of women is the moral issue of the 21st Century,
Elizabeth asked “Should Women’s Rights be the Church’s Cause for our
Time?” In addition to encountering the many worldwide abuses against
women, we were given suggestions for supporting victims of gender
abuse. A series of brief films “What Harm is it to be a Woman?” was
available for participants to view as was the DVD “Soldiers of
Conscience.”
Gary provided an
in-depth look at current economic practices fed by a belief in an
unrestricted ability to acquire wealth. We are a long way from
economic democracy. Today’s capitalism commodifies everything,
exploits resources, disrupts societies, and damages the environment,
all creating a huge surge in inequality. An unleashed greed
describes our current economy and is the source of much of the
injustice experienced by growing numbers of our population.
Advocating a more democratic economy would directly address many of
the social problems we face.
Grace, who was
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Tech when 32
students were shot and killed, raised provocative questions in
discussing a Search for Religious Meaning in those Shootings. Was
the early labeling of Cho an Islamic suicide-killer a matter of
hasty, sensationalized reporting or part of a deeper problem making
him an “other”? Actually, Cho had used Christian symbols to
describe, even sanctify his actions. Dr. Kao asked if there are
steps we as Christians could take to prevent our traditions from
being used for such destructive ends. What role should we play when
our nation is engaged in ongoing wars abroad? She raised many
disquieting questions about the shootings themselves and the
responses to it, asking what can be learned from this tragedy.
There was much to
take back to our congregations, both the questions and some
resources to address the need for justice in our communities, the
nation, and the world.
Jane
Hanna |
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Plans are
already in place for our 2010 Ghost Ranch Seminar!
GHOST RANCH SEMINAR
July 26-August 1, 2010
WE’RE
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
CONFRONTING THE STRUCTURES OF
INJUSTICE
[9-16-09]
In partnership with The Witherspoon Society/Voices of
Sophia and The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
Jane
Hanna, Coordinator
Questions?
Email Jane Hanna >>
If it seems there are many critical issues confronting us, it is
because there are. How do we respond to the biblical call for
justice in a world facing deepening global inequality, environmental
challenges, and the escalation of violence in human relationships?
We are fortunate to have three eminently qualified people prepared
to address these questions. We will use A Social Creed for
the 21st Century to discern a moral, ethical and
spiritual response to the many challenges humankind must meet. In
presentations and discussions we will search for the prophetic
spirit to guide our efforts toward a more just and humane world.
Gary Dorrien,
Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological
Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. An
Episcopal priest, he was previously the Parfet Distinguished
Professor at Kalamazoo College, where he taught for 18 years and
also served as Dean of Stetson Chapel. He is the author of 14 books
and approximately 225 articles that range across the fields of
ethics, social theory, theology, philosophy, politics and history.
Prof. Dorrien has a long record of involvement in social justice and
anti-war organizations. His most recent books are The Making of
American Liberal Theology and Social Ethics in the Making.
His next book, due in 2010 is Economy, Difference, and
Empire. For more on
Dr. Dorrien >>
Grace Yia-Hei Kao
is an Associate Professor of Ethics at the Claremont School of
Theology, where she teaches and researches issues related to human
rights, religion in the public sphere, feminism, environmental
ethics, and Asian American Christianity. She was previously
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Women’s Studies at
Virginia Tech. Dr. Kao has published chapters and articles on a
variety of topics, including ecofeminism, the relationship between
religion and violence, and the prospects and challenges for
interreligious cooperation and peace. Georgetown University Press
will soon publish her first book, Grounding Human Rights in a
Pluralist World, in their Advancing Human Rights series.
For
more information on Dr. Kao >>
Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty is Associate Professor of Theology at
Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY where she teaches a broad
range of courses including Theology from the Margins for
which she was recently awarded a Kentuckiana Metroversity
Instructional Development Award. She is also a Minister of Word and
Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Much of her work has
bridged the gap between church and academy. Dr. Hinson-Hasty
currently serves as an elected member of the Advocacy Committee for
Women’s Concerns (ACWC) and was part of the PC(USA) committee that
drafted the Social Creed for the 21st Century. She is the author of
Beyond the Social Maze: Exploring Vida Dutton Scudder’s
Theological Ethics and co-editor of Prayers for the New
Social Awakening, with Christian Iosso and To Do Justice: A
Guide for Progressive Christians with Rebecca Todd Peters.
For more
information on Dr. Hinson-Hasty >>
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch
Seminar!
GHOST RANCH SEMINAR
July 26-August 1, 2010
WE’RE ALL IN
THIS TOGETHER
CONFRONTING THE STRUCTURES OF INJUSTICE |
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