Dr. Maia Kotrosits, Denison University

September 27, 2017, 7-9pm
Biosciences 1120
Free and open to the public

Depicting God’s judgment and the destruction of a corrupt world, followed by the redemption of the faithful, John’s Revelation is often understood as the unique beliefs of first century Christians, if not also a prediction of what is still to come. By contrast, this lecture proposes an understanding of Revelation neither as prediction nor as theological statement, but rather as a felt and fantasized response to Roman power as imagined by everyday people in the Roman provinces – those who had little actual contact with Roman rulers and administration. What then might Revelation’s fantasies of power and destruction express for its first century readers? What changes when we read early Christian literature as an “archive of feelings” rather than straightforward theological or doctrinal statements? And what do feelings and fantasies have to do with the writing of history?

Dr. Maia Kotrosits is Assistant Professor of Religion at Denison University, teaching in the Classics and Women and Gender Studies departments, as well. Her work finds points of contact between the literature of the ancient Mediterranean, particularly ancient Christian and Jewish literature, and contemporary cultural studies and theory. Her most recent book, Rethinking Early Christian Identity: Affect, Violence and Belonging (Fortress Press, 2015) reads a handful of early Christian texts as responses to diasporic trauma and loss under the Roman Empire. She has also co-written books on the Gospel of Mark, and on the ancient Coptic poem from Nag Hammadi, The Thunder: Perfect Mind.

October 4, 2017, 5:30-7pm

Biosciences 1120

​Free and open to the public

In an era of climate crisis, species extinction, and threat of nuclear war, our culture and economy still seem to have unbounded faith in the liberatory promises of technology, capitalism and consumerism. Universities chiefly serve the goals of industry in training people with the skills to work harder and smarter, without seriously pausing to ask why? The present crisis in mental health is hardly surprising. Can universities ever become genuinely critical enterprises? Can questions of meaning, happiness and purpose ever become central to their mission?

In a series of four public conversations on Axiology, Planetarity, Pedagogy and Spirituality, the Spirituality, Nature & Culture Laboratory (www.snclab.ca) opens up for discussion the values at the heart of the modern university.

Join Jason Kelly and James Miller for an honest, thought-provoking conversation in this event!

Engaging with Robust Theologies that Honour the Dignity of Children

A free, public lecture

Friday, October 20, 7:30pm
Theological Hall
Queen's University

The Rt. Revd. Mark MacDonald, Anglican Indigenous Bishop
Dr. Marcia Bunge, Professor of Religion and Bernhardson Distinguished Chair, Gustavus Adolphus College

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 Calls to Action, providing a roadmap for reconciliation. Number 6 calls upon the Government of Canada to remove the law that allows corporal punishment of children. In the church (today and past), corporal punishment has been based on narrow interpretations of the Bible. Yet the Bible and Jesus' own teachings value children as gifts to the whole community and as bearers of God's image. This lecture explores how a deeper understanding of the Bible and a richer theology of childhood strengthens the church's commitment in the areas of reconciliation and child protection, and help us all to honour the full humanity and contributions of children.

James Miller in conversation with

Dr. Whitney Bauman

Florida International University, Miami                                                                                  

Wednesday Novemeber 1, 5:30pm

Biosciences 1120

What happens to religious identities, value systems, and ethical commitments in a world marked so more than ever by the twin phenomena of global climate change and globalization? As our world becomes more connected, humans become more and more hybrid in our cultural, historical, and biological identities. At the same time as our cultural, national, and religious boundaries are eroding, we are confronted with some serious problems, such as climate change, which require a “planetary” understanding of human beings. This means we are first and foremost planetary creatures among other creatures on an evolving planet.

As such, we ought to be able to articulate a third, planetary option for the future that breaks us out of the dangerous false choice between neo-liberal globalization as usual, on the one hand, or the return to nationalism and protectionism that we are seeing all over the world, on the other.

Learn more in an open and honest conversation with James Miller and visiting speaker Dr. Whitney Bauman.

Please join us at W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections on Thursday, November 9 at 2:30 pm for the opening of our new exhibit, Biblia Sacra: The Bible as Book. 

On display will be rare and  interesting items from our extensive Bible Collection, comprised of some 1500 volumes.  The focus of the exhibit is on the Bible as book, to show the effect of historical conventions and varying printing and  creative practices on the production and use of a single body of texts over time.  Bibles printed and bound as early as 1491 and as late as 1935 can be seen in our cases, thematically organized to highlight early printing, family Bibles and provenance, different formats and bindings, and textual history.  At the reception there will be brief presentations by the exhibit curators, Alvan Bregman and Kim Bell, who will be available to discuss the Bibles on display.

Students in RELS310/810 Modern Christian Thought have organized an exhibition of creative work, based on the question “What is Christianity (or its legacy) in the contemporary context?” In groups, students have been encouraged to create a visually-oriented project which interrogates, positively or negatively, a theme theyhave touched on in the course, such as:

• Christianity and Ecology
• Christianity and Gender
• Christianity and Violence
• Christianity and Science
• Christianity and Politics

The exhibition takes place in the Elias Andrews room, 2nd floor of Theological Hall, on Tuesday, November 28 from 11:00-4:00.

All are welcome to view the works.

The School of Religion is pleased to invite you to Tea with Profs on Wednesday, November 29 at 4pm in the Elias Andrews room, the second floor of Theological Hall.  A short presentation about our Graduate Program will take place at 4:30pm followed by an opportunity to speak with current RELS graduate students and faculty.

• Network with fellow students

• Learn more about options for religious studies plans

• Talk with faculty and TAs in an informal setting

• Free snacks and drinks

Wednesday January 31 at 5:30pm
BIOS 1120

The Spirituality, Nature & Culture Laboratory invites you to join Jason Kelly and James Miller for a public conversation
“Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning for a Flourishing Planet.”

By 2050 the world’s population will reach 9-10 billion, and much of its economy will be driven by hyper-dense, increasingly multi-ethnic, environmentally challenged megacities of up to 100 million people. But today’s educational models have their origins in nineteenth century disciplinary structures, which are insufficient to address the challenges of sustainability in a multipolar world. Worse still, education has become commodified, stripped of its ethical and existential dimensions. As the ideology of the free market has globalized, universities and colleges have been gradually rebranded as corporations providing services to clients rather than public institutions cultivating wisdom in students. This shift towards a consumer-model of education prioritizes technical efficiency and instrumental knowledge over practical reason and virtue. It is inadequate in terms of preparation for a meaningful life or in terms of addressing planetary challenges.

Join Jason Kelly and James Miller for a spirited debate about how to make higher education relevant to the  personal and planetary challenges that today’s students will face in their lifetimes.