The following seminars will be offered twice on Saturday, August 11, 2007. Participants will have the opportunity to attend as many as 3 seminars. For a biography of each seminar presenter, click here.
Cooking Intelligence for War
By Ray McGovern
McGovern, a former CIA analyst, will review how US intelligence was corrupted to “justify” launching a war of aggression—defined at Nuremberg as the “supreme international crime.” One aspect we shall examine is the influence of Israel on US policymaking. Does this close, bilateral relationship amount to the kind of “passionate attachment” or “entangling alliance” about which our first president warned? How do we suppose the biblical God of justice and peace looks at US and Israeli behavior in the Middle East? And for those of us who say we are followers of Jesus—do we take our cue from the Reichsbischoefe, or from Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
Living Christian Communion:
Towards an Inclusive Church and Society
By Sr. Jamie T. Phelps, O.P., Ph.D.
In this seminar, Dr. Phelps, a theologian with the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans, will reflect on how Jesus’ healing and exorcising ministries were actions rooted in his vision of the coming of the Kingdom which he taught and embodied. This seminar will explore how contemporary Catholics who are called to be followers of Christ participate in the continuation of the healing and exorcising ministries of Jesus in the context of today’s church and society.
Road from ar Ramadi: Soldier, Conscientious Objector, Prisoner of Conscience, Activist
By Camilo Mejía
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejía became the new face of the antiwar movement in early 2004 when he applied for a discharge from the Army as a conscientious objector. After serving in the Army for nearly nine years, he was the first known Iraq veteran to refuse to fight, citing moral concerns about the war and occupation. His principled stand helped to rally the growing opposition and embolden his fellow soldiers. Camilo will share the story of his upbringing in Central America, his experience as a working-class immigrant in the United States, his service in Iraq—where he witnessed prisoner abuse and was deployed in the Sunni triangle—and his time in prison.
Cultural Memory:
Resistance, Faith and Identity
By Jeanette Rodriguez, Ph.D.
and Ted Fortier Ph.D.
The common “blood” of a people—that imperceptible flow that binds neighbor to neighbor and generation to generation—derives much of its strength from cultural memory. Cultural memories are those transformative historical experiences that define a culture, and, for oppressed peoples, cultural memory engenders the spirit of resistance. Throughout history, human cultures have survived through their ability to interpret, adapt to, and resist hegemonic cultures that are more “powerful.” Using examples from marginalized and indigenous peoples in the Americas, we will explore the power that memory has to liberate from oppression and unite people through time for a common cause.
Communities of Faith and God’s Creation:
Faith, Global Climate Change and Sustainability
By Rev. Charles Morris
In this seminar, Rev. Morris, director of Michigan Interfaith Power and Light, will explore the phenomenon of global warming, what we can do about it as people of faith, and the call to create communities of faith which promote sustainability. We’ll discuss energy efficiency, renewable energy and share concrete examples of what churches are doing today to save the environment.
When Race Becomes a Matter of Life or Death:
Lessons from Katrina
By the Pax Christi Anti-Racism Team (PCART)
A PCART delegation visited New Orleans in February to experience first-hand the collateral damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the failures of FEMA, insurance agencies, and local and state governments. In this seminar, we will analyze the devastation with an in-depth look at the role of race in the displacement of thousands. We’ll discuss efforts to rebuild New Orleans and how these efforts fail to address the needs of the city’s poor who have returned as well as those with little hope of returning. We’ll share action suggestions and organizing ideas on how to undo the violence of the twin human/moral disasters of ineptitude and racism that Katrina exposed.
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