Labels: Candler Social Concerns Network, Karl Kroger, Micah 6:8, Social Justice

posted by Candler Admissions at 1:48 PM
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(Photo courtesy of Myron McGhee)

Reflections from Maria Presley, MDiv 2011 (below, left):

It’s not every day that topics like violence in the Sudan, the peace process in the Balkans, and the conflict transformative tools inherent in the world’s religions are topics of casual conversation. However, Dr. Tom Flores’ class, Sacred Ambivalence: Violence, Peacebuilding, and Interfaith Dialogue makes these issues come to life and examines the religious dimensions of personal and international conflict. Class readings include works by peace theorists like John Paul Lederach, Mohammed Abu-Nimer, and the many on-the-ground peacekeepers involved in religion and conflict resolution.

On Wednesday the 12th, our class was host to a surprise guest lecturer who has combined theory, policy, and on-the-ground peacekeeping for over 30 years as both the President of the United States and the founder of an NGO dedicated to election reform and conflict transformation. President Jimmy Carter spoke to our class about his life and experience, including about his personal faith convictions and his break from the Southern Baptist Church; the geographical and physical divide that separates Christians on issues of homosexuality, abortion, and gender; and the separation of church and state as discussed in his book, Our Endangered Values. At the end of his lecture, he took questions from the class and discussed topics ranging from The Camp David Accords to the role of religion in the global community. Throughout the discussion, students engaged President Carter on issues relating to class material, and sat in a state of amazement as one of the top peacemakers of our time intimately discussed the role of faith in his life’s work. In the span of an hour and a half, President Carter summarized many of the religious and political issues the class has grappled with and left us incredibly grateful that he took the time to lead discussion and give us a memory that won’t soon be forgotten.

Reflections from Jojo Ledgister, MDiv 2009 (above, right):

When was the last time you were greeted by secret service officers while going to class? Never? Well until Wednesday, November 12, my answer would have been the same. I was headed to Sacred Ambivalence: Violence, Peacebuilding, and Interfaith Dialogue, a class in which we have been studying violence and peacebuilding, and how religion both fuels and promotes violence and peace. Dr. Tom Flores gave us a vague warning that we would have a guest lecturer in our class, and told us to wear something nicer if we wanted to take pictures with our guest. Considering the amazing faculty at Candler and the wonderful connections we knew Dr. Flores has in the field of interfaith peacebuilding, he could have invited anyone! But no one expected to see President Jimmy Carter, one of the most prominent figures in peacebuilding, standing in our classroom just to give us, a group of seminary students, his perspective on religion and violence. We were thrilled!! President Carter gave us a brief summary of his background, and how his Christian faith has informed and shaped his desire to see peace in the world, and particularly in the Middle East. He kept his talk short to allow us time for questions, and hands eagerly went up. I was amazed at the breadth of questions, and the desire of our class to get clarity on concepts that we had argued over during several lectures.

Although President Carter answered most of our questions to our satisfaction, time flew by and we were left with the feeling that we should have asked so many more questions! However, it was still a valuable experience, and having President Carter in class was truly a demonstration of Dr. Flores’ commitment to grounding the principles we study in class to the realities that are lived out in the world. This lecture is yet another reason why I am so excited and fortunate to be a Candler student!

Labels: Peacebuilding, President Jimmy Carter, Tom Flores, Violence

posted by Candler Admissions at 11:35 AM
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In a world where religion plays so central a role in social, political, and economic events, as well as in the lives of communities and individuals, there is a critical need for ongoing reflection upon and understanding of religious traditions, issues, questions, and values.

Labels: American Academy of Religion, Ann Lister, Chicago, Office of Student Programming

posted by Candler Admissions at 10:44 AM
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On Wednesday, November 5, 2008, Candler was proud to host a talk and discussion with Dr. David Gushee and Abbas Barzegar (Dr. Gushee left below; Abbas Barzegar right) about torture and American Christianity and how this issue shapes the impression of the United States in the Muslim world. Dr. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. Abbas Barzegar is a PhD candidate in Emory's Graduate Division of Religion and is teaching Introduction to Islam at Candler this semester. The lunch-time gathering drew about 55 Candler faculty, staff, students and visitors.

Dr. Gushee is an Evangelical Christian, a recognized scholar in the field, a highly visible public figure in the torture debate, as well as President of Evangelicals for Human Rights. Gushee began by stating that the revelation of the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was a symbolic, triggering event that brought out Church leaders to speak out against the U.S. government's use of torture. Gushee went on to say that he, as an Evangelical leader, worked with other Christian leaders on drafting a pan-Christian resolution straightforwardly repudiating the use of torture by the United States. Yet some major Evangelical Christian leaders, such as James Dobson and Charles Colson, refused to join in the call.

Gushee was critical of the moves by the Bush Administration to, among other things, redefine what is and is not torture, to institute “new interrogation protocols” (code for expanding the number of cruel techniques that the U.S. government can use on detainees), and finally to block the release of information regarding the practices that the United States uses to interrogate detainees.

Among Gushee’s recommendations to the leadership of this country regarding torture, I found the two to be most simple and yet most powerful. First, to remind our government that Torture is a Moral Issue. Simple as that. Second, The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) suggests that the United States adopt an position called The “Golden Rule” principle, which states simply: “We will not authorize or use any methods of interrogation that we would not find acceptable if used against Americans, be they civilians or soldiers.” As Christians, even in difficult times and in dire straits, we need to stick to our Christian Principles and “do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” (Matthew 7:12 ; Luke 6:31) even regarding interrogation techniques!

Abbas Barzegar gave some wonderful reflections on how the United States’ use of torture has affected the Muslim world and the Middle East. Barzegar stated that the pictures that emerged from Abu Ghraib unfortunately confirmed the fears that many Muslims and Middle Easterners already had about the United States. Namely, that, while speaking about moral leadership in the world and seeming to champion democracy and human rights, the US was acting in deeply and horrifically hypocritical ways. On a hopeful note, though, Barzegar relayed that the Muslim world is willing to believe in the ideals of America and that America can once again be a leader in human rights. The hope is that the torture, deceptions, and cover-ups that have taken place under the Bush Administration will be part of an isolated, though dark, chapter in American history never to be repeated.

Labels: Abbas Barzegar, Christian/Muslim Relations, Christianity, Dr. David Guschee, Emory University, Graduate Division of Religion, Torture

posted by Candler Admissions at 10:22 AM
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