Dominicans Host March 18th Workshop with Leading Girardian Theologian
Springfield, Ill.—One of the most sought-after pastoral theologians in the U.S. currently integrating the work of the eminent Catholic philosopher René Girard into his preaching and pastoral ministry will offer a seminar at Sacred Heart Convent on March 18 2017. Here is a secure online registration form.
Paul Neuchterlein, a Lutheran pastor and Girard scholar, will help engaged Christians grow in their ability to pray with the Bible and apply its lessons as they seek spiritual growth and a more just world.
Nuechterlein, retired after thirty years of parish ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, now devotes himself full-time to Gospel justice. He has a special interest in dismantling systemic racism. He is the owner and publisher of GirardianLectionary.net, a rich resource for preachers and all followers of Jesus.
Noted Christian author and teacher Brian D. McLaren has said, “Paul Nuechterlein has helped me more than anyone else to read the Scriptures in light of Girard’s groundbreaking work. I’d encourage anyone and everyone to seize an opportunity to learn with Paul.”
This one-day seminar hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield is an introduction to the impact of Girard’s mimetic theory—one of the 20th Century’s most important innovations—from one of its most important thinkers.
At the time of Girard’s death in 2015 Bishop Robert Barron of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles wrote, “There are some thinkers that offer intriguing ideas and proposals, and there is a tiny handful of thinkers that manage to shake your world. Girard was in this second camp.”
Mimetic theory—the recognition that human beings and human cultures develop through the imitation of others’ desires—is increasingly making its impact in multiple disciplines including sociology, economics, and anthropology as well as theology. Catholic theologians like the late Jesuit Raymund Schwager and former Dominican James Alison are among the most prominent Catholic Girardian theologians. Reformed tradition scholars of note include Gil Bailie, Michael Kirwan, and James Warren.
The registration fee for Strategies for Reading the Bible is $40.00 before March 1; after $50. The option to request a box lunch for $10 is also available. Visit the event page to register. For more information contact Sister Beth Murphy, OP, sbmurphy@spdom.org or 217-787-0481.
