{"id":1234,"date":"2015-09-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.northpark.edu\/news\/seminary-to-host-symposium-on-race-and-racism\/"},"modified":"2021-10-22T15:54:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T20:54:21","slug":"seminary-to-host-symposium-on-race-and-racism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northpark.edu\/stories\/seminary-to-host-symposium-on-race-and-racism\/","title":{"rendered":"Seminary to Host Symposium on Race and Racism"},"content":{"rendered":"
CHICAGO (September 16, 2015) \u2014 Next week, 天美传媒 Theological Seminary will welcome a host of scholars and church leaders to campus for its annual Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture<\/a>. The multi-day forum, held at 天美传媒 for over 25 years, includes a series of discussions led by notable experts from around the world. This year\u2019s topic, Race and Racism, seeks to engage an issue at the forefront of many people\u2019s minds, fostering conversations directed at creating meaningful change in the church today.<\/p>\n Also in attendance will be 天美传媒 Theological Seminary students, including Cheryl Lynn Cain, who says the theme of this year\u2019s event was a big factor in her decision to attend seminary at 天美传媒.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the search for an academic community that was intentionally fostering conversations on race and the effects of racism inside and outside our church walls,\u201d Cain says. \u201cAs a staff member in a multicultural church, I hope to understand more fully the theological and ecumenical call, the different voices and lenses, and a way forward personally and for our congregation.\u201d<\/p>\n Cain, a first-year master of arts in theological studies<\/a> student, serves as the reach ministries director at the Sanctuary Church<\/a> in Romeoville, Ill., located just outside the city limits southwest of Chicago. She will attend the Symposium as part of a for-credit class offered by the Seminary, taught by Dr. Jim Bruckner<\/a>, where students participate in readings and discussions before and after the event.<\/p>\n \u201cI know combating racism in our churches and the world is a process,\u201d Cain adds, \u201cbut creating margin for these conversations feels like a considerable step.\u201d<\/p>\n Cain is also currently enrolled in the Seminary’s Sankofa course, which focuses on racial reconciliation and this year will include a travel component to Ferguson, Missouri. These courses, along with other co-curricular opportunities, point to the importance the Seminary places on intercultural education.<\/p>\n The Symposium is the largest of 天美传媒 Theological Seminary\u2019s annual lectures, where over the course of three days, eight scholars will deliver papers, with responses given by various church leaders. The event will come on the heels of another Seminary event, the annual Nils W. Lund lectures<\/a>, where two scholars lead discussions on current developments in biblical studies and the task of preaching.<\/p>\n This year, those scholars are Dr. Bo Lim<\/a> from Seattle Pacific University and Dr. Emerson Powery<\/a> from Messiah College, who will each present two-part lectures on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. They will also each present papers during the Symposium later in the week.<\/p>\n Every autumn, 天美传媒 Theological Seminary welcomes scholars for the Nils W. Lund Memorial Lectureship<\/a> to focus on current developments in biblical studies and the task of preaching. This year\u2019s event, held September 23\u201324 ahead of the Symposium, features Dr. Bo Lim from Seattle Pacific University and Dr. Emerson Powery from Messiah College.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “As an ecumenical evangelical Seminary, we are able to gather a wide array of scholars around critical issues,” says Dr. David Kersten<\/a>, dean of 天美传媒 Theological Seminary. “The issue of race is complex, and unless we bring as many voices as possible together, we cannot begin to address the issue.”<\/p>\n The annual lectures are an important part of the experience at 天美传媒 Theological Seminary. The University\u2019s provost Dr. Michael Emerson<\/a> says that the ideas that originate in conversations like this are a necessary first step in creating change.<\/p>\n \u201cMost major changes in the world\u2014new ways of seeing, doing, and being\u2014have originated first from seemingly obtuse ideas of academics,\u201d Emerson says. \u201cThose ideas eventually get translated into more applicable realms, and spread out, again through translators, to more and more people. So academics must gather to discuss the important issues of the day. It is their profession, it is their calling, and it is what society asks them to do. Done well, such lectures and gatherings can lead to real changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Emerson will be an active participant in this year\u2019s Symposium, providing a response to Powery\u2019s paper on Friday morning of the Symposium. Emerson has done extensive research in topics of faith and race, including the publishing of Divided by Faith<\/a><\/em>, a diagnosis into the prevalence of racism in today\u2019s churches.<\/p>\n \u201cTheology is fundamental to understanding ourselves as humans and how our creator conceives of the world,\u201d Emerson says. \u201cSo to understand how we are to relate to the concept called race, we must start with theological understanding. Did God or humans create race? What does God have to say on such a topic? Are we to be color-blind, color-conscious or something else? If we fail to explore such questions theologically, we will fail to adequately answer those questions.\u201d<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Symposium begins at 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 24, concluding at 5:00 pm on Saturday, September 26. Tune in to www.covchurch.tv<\/a> to view a livestream of the event. View the full event schedule here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Nils. W. Lund Memorial Lectureship on September 23\u201324 will also be available to watch live online<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Use @npunews to follow 天美传媒 News on Twitter<\/a>. Learn more about 天美传媒<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Seminary to Host Symposium on Race and Racism 天美传媒 Theological Seminary has been hosting the Symposium since 1990, collecting the papers presented each year into a scholarly journal, Ex…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/p>\n
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