2007 Convocation & Pastors’ School

Seminars

Two-Day Seminars, Monday & Tuesday

1. Call for the Abolition of War

Stanley Hauerwas, professor of theological ethics and Enda McDonagh, professor of moral theology emeritus at St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland.

Hauerwas’ call is one quite consistent with Wendell Berry’s recent critiques of the American war in Iraq. This seminar, however, goes well beyond simply challenging the war in Iraq by raising questions about the assumption that war is an inevitable reality in our lives.

2. Making Room at the Table: Eucharistic Hospitality

Susan Pendleton Jones, director of special programs, and Nancy Rich, program coordinator for Teaching Congregations

In this seminar we will explore the questions: How does the Eucharist form and transform us? What would it look like for the Body of Christ to be “taken, blessed, broken, and given” today? What are the economics of food and a just society as evidenced in God's provision of manna and mercy as well as in the practice of Jubilee? How is your church engaging in sacramental living now and what would it look like to fully embrace it? We will also discuss ways in which your church community may become more welcoming of strangers, more willing to take risks for the sake of the gospel, and more generous in sharing its life with others.

3. Preaching from I Corinthians

James “Mickey” Efird, professor emeritus of the Divinity School

In the years after he founded the church in Corinth, Paul sent its members at least four letters supporting them in their struggle to relate their new faith to the world to which they were accustomed. Given this, Paul’s letters address a number of issues ranging from the everyday moral and ethical dilemmas of the Christian life to questions of spiritual discernment. In this workshop, Dr. Efird will examine what Paul writes in his first letter to the church and how we might preach not just on the letter but with the same vision and clarity that Paul had.

4. Christian Practice and the Re-enchantment of the World

David Toole, associate dean for academic administration

Why is Harry Potter so popular? Why were The Lord of the Rings films such a success? What does the popularity of these narratives tell us about the disenchantment of our world? How might practices such as Baptism and Eucharist serve to form Christians into people for whom the world is every bit as enchanted as Middle Earth and Hogwarts? This seminar will entertain such questions in order to explore how a Christian rekindling of wonder and awe can serve as an answer to the groans of a creation in travail.

5. Stewards of the Mysteries: The Church Practices Eucharist as Environmental Redemption

Fred Edie, assistant professor of the practice of Christian education

In light of various ecological crises, this course draws upon liturgical theology, environmental ethics, and educational theory to (re-)establish the organic relationship between Eucharistic worship and the renewal of our planetary garden. It also includes suggestions for environmental stewardship informed and enabled by Eucharistic practice.

6. Remembering the Land:  Reading the Bible Through Agrarian Eyes

Ellen Davis, professor of Bible and practical theology

The Bible, and especially the Old Testament, yield surprising insight into matters of land care and the human place in what Aldo Leopold calls the “land community.”  We will explore several key texts, considering their meaning within the larger context of Scripture and their bearing on our present critical situation.

7. The Gospel of Abundance in a World of Scarcity

Sam Wells, dean of Duke Chapel

The seminar will set about naming ways in which the imagination of Christians becomes narrowed around the assumptions of scarcity, and identifying ways in which Christ's good news of abundance may not only be imagined but practiced and embodied.

8. Growing in Grace in Rural Communities

Steve Troxler, North Carolina agriculture commissioner, and Jeremy Troxler, director of the Thriving Rural Communities Initiative

During Monday's session, Steve Troxler will share his thoughts and answer participants' questions on the past, present, and future of agriculture in North Carolina. On Tuesday, Jeremy Troxler (Commissioner Troxler's son) will lead a seminar that will explore the unique spiritual gifts and challenges of modern rural and farm life. Participants are invited to reflect upon how both our food and our faith can truly be "grown in grace" in rural communities.

9. Theology and Health in Community: Formation in Practices of Caring

Keith Meador, professor of the practice of pastoral theology and medicine; director of Duke’s Theology and Medicine Program

The relationship of faith and health in a Christian community is most thoughtfully discerned through the lens of gratitude and hospitality and most fully embodied in practices of caring. We will examine the interdependency of "membership" within Wendell Berry's work and notions of health and human flourishing within communities of Christian faith and practice.

10. The Moral and Spiritual Topography of Creation

Norman Wirzba, professor and chair of the philosophy department at Georgetown College, 2007 James A. Gray Lecturer

In this two-part seminar we rethink the idea of creation in terms of its moral and spiritual significance. From a biblical point of view the main interest in creation is not in how it all began, but how we are to order our lives before each other, on the earth, all before God. We will examine two Old Testament stories/themes in the first seminar: Sabbath and the lessons of Job. On the second day we will examine two New Testament themes: New Creation in Christ and the New Heaven and New Earth.

11. The Day After Convocation: Taking the Ideas Back Home

Scott Marlow, director of farm sustainability at RAFI-USA

This workshop will provide a chance to discuss specific ideas and approaches for bringing what we learn during the convocation back to our day-to-day work in the church. We will discuss some examples of action taken by individual churches and communities, as well as approaches for introducing new ideas and bringing lasting change in a community.

Monday-Only Seminars

12. Food for the Soul: Poetry that Enlivens the Spirit

Janice A. Virtue, associate dean for continuing education

Much of American culture is obsessed with food: cookbooks, restaurants, diets, television shows. Even as our waistlines grow, our souls wither away for lack of nourishment. Poets invite us to slow down, to savor a word or image, and to rest in a new way of seeing ourselves and the world. Join this seminar for an afternoon of poetry from Wendell Berry and others as together we learn ways to allow poetry to feed our souls and enliven our spirit.

13. Table Matters:  Sustaining Faithful Community

Tiffney Marley, director of the Office of Black Church Studies

During this session, participants will explore issues of global diversity and inclusion within the body of Christ. Additionally, participants will work together to derive sacred practices for providing space at “the table” for marginalized voices.

14. Conversation with Wes Jackson

Wes Jackson, founder and president of The Land Institute, 2007 Franklin S. Hickman Lecturer

Enjoy an opportunity to engage in conversation and a question-and-answer session with Wes Jackson on the topic of his lectures.

Tuesday-Only Seminars

15. The Field at Anathoth—A Community Garden in Babylon

Fred Bahnson, manager of Anathoth Community Garden, and Grace Hackney, pastor of Cedar Grove UMC

Through word and image, this workshop tells the story of Anathoth Community Garden, whose mission is to grow food for residents in Cedar Grove, N.C., teach sustainable agriculture, and embody community reconciliation. Following Jeremiah’s call to “plant gardens and eat what they produce…[and to] seek the peace of the city,” we will suggest ways that other churches can initiate similar ventures into local agriculture.

16. A Table in the Wilderness

Carol Bechtel, professor of Old Testament at Western Theological Seminary

The psalms are rich with references to food. This seminar will explore what some of these references have to say about food as both gift and responsibility. As we reflect on theological and ethical implications of selected psalms, we will also share ideas for incorporating them into liturgy and life.

17. Using BibleWorks - Bible research software

Andrew Keck, associate director, Divinity School Library

Whether you’re preparing a sermon, writing a paper, or engaging in Bible study, good Bible software such as BibleWorks can help. Learn how to search various translations of the Bible, complete a word analysis, and integrate the Word into your work.