March 15, 2022
Dear BTI Students, Faculty, and Community,

Today we want to take a moment to recognize and hold space for those fighting and suffering in Ukraine and for those who are in positions of power who hold a great sense of responsibility and helplessness as we watch war unfold on the other side of the world. We remember the international students and other members of our communities who may feel the fear and weight of this conflict more deeply and personally. Our world is full of injustice and it needs the compassionate voices of people of all faiths now more than ever.

While there is no sufficient transition from a moment of space in tragedy, I would like to draw attention to the many events happening around the consortium in the near future that seek to grapple with the necessity of liberation and justice. If you are feeling the need to find a tangible way to learn more or develop your skills in speaking to and promoting liberative theologies, consider participating in one of the many conferences or events coming up in the next few weeks.

There are a few events I would like to specifically highlight. Firstly, THIS FRIDAY is the last day to register for the "Accessing the Divine" conference on Disability Theology if you plan to attend in person. Zoom registrations will be accepted until March 24th. Next, this week is the annual Costas Consultation hosted by the BTI and the faculty committee on International Missions and Ecumenism. This year the event is split up into several lectures at Gordon-Conwell, Boston College, and Boston University. We hope you will attend one or all of the events as you are able! Finally, we hope you will save the date for our second professional development conversation with the Rev. Dr. Meredith Hoxie Schol from Drew University is coming up on the 23rd. She will join us to chat about vocational discernment and future planning! It will be a wonderful conversation! Don't miss it!

Information about how to register for the events and other further details are outlined below. It is an exciting time to be a student of theology in Boston! We hope you will join us for some of these events!

One final note, we will be hosting our Spring "How-To Cross Register" event on March 31st from 12-1PM. If you are considering cross-registering for a Fall course, we highly recommend attending this helpful webinar! You can sign up for the zoom HERE.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us!

Peace,

Chloe McLaughlin
BTI Consortium Internal Projects Manager

To submit events, resources, or job opportunities to be publicized in our newsletter or on our website, email information (including links and graphics) to Chloe at btinews@bostontheological.org. Newsletters are published Every Other Tuesday, so please submit events by Friday afternoon to be included in the upcoming newsletter.
BTI Sponsored Upcoming Events
Professional Development Conversation. Wednesday, March 23rd, 12:00PM-1:00PM. Sponsored by the BTI Consortium.
For many, seminary begins with a clear calling and vision for their life's work... and then makes some twists and turns along the way. This will be a conversation about vocational discernment for students curious about their next steps beyond seminary. How do you discern and position yourself for further academic work? How do you position the work you've already done in ways that are legible to the non-profit world if the church no-longer seems the right fit?

About Rev. Hoxie Schol: Rev. Dr. Meredith Hoxie Schol is the Director of Doctoral Studies at Drew University Theological School. She earned her MDiv from Boston University and her PhD from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Her primary teaching and research interests focus on the practices of education and leadership, specifically in religious communities. When she is not learning from her students in the classroom at Drew, she finds ample opportunities to learn and grow in conversations with her clergy spouse, Mark, and her two curious children, Elise and Nora, in their home in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Informational Webinar. Thursday, March 31st, 12:00PM-1:00PM. Sponsored by the BTI Consortium.

Join us to learn more about cross-registration! We will show you the whole process and there will be time for Q & A. If you plan to cross-register for a Fall course and have not done so before, we HIGHLY recommend attending this helpful Zoom session!
Student Conference. Friday, March 25, 9:30AM-4:00PM. Sponsored by the BTI Consortium. Hosted at BU School of Theology.
This student-led conference will center on Disability Theology, Embodiment, and Issues of Justice.
Dr. Sharon Betcher will deliver a Keynote address at 11:30am.

The FINAL day to register to attend In-Person is THIS FRIDAY, March 18.
Conference. March 20-21. Keynote Lecture. Sunday, March 20, 6:00PM. Sponsored by Boston College Theology Department, the BTI Consortium, and the U.S. Jesuit Assistancy for Mission and Interreligious Dialogue.
In responding to the recent global uprisings for justice, contending with social and economic inequity, and navigating the complexities of interdependency, Engaging Particularities XIX will engage topics within liberation theologies in conversation and conjunction with comparative theology. Topics may include considering comparative theology as liberatory, liberation theologies in comparative perspective, and comparing liberation theologies.
Tracy Tiemeier will offer the key note address entitled "Gendered Necropower and Transformational Liberation in the Age of COVID-19."
Register for the Conference HERE.
Annual Costas Consultation. Four Opportunities to participate (see flyer). Hosted by the BTI Consortium and the Faculty Committee on International Mission and Ecumenism.


Mustafa Akyol is a Turkish writer and journalist. He is also a senior fellow at CATO Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, and a devout Muslim who advocates for reconciliation between Muslims and the West, liberty, and tolerance. Join us as we hear Mr. Akyol speak on "Reopening Muslim Minds: Implications for Christian Muslim Relations."
Conference. Saturday, March 26, 9:30AM-4:00PM. Sponsored by Lumen et Vita, the Graduate Theological Journal at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
Faith, Religion, and Science are lenses for viewing reality. Although religious belief and science have long been constructed as being in tension and conflict in Western society, they also work together cooperatively, with mutually-informing perspectives despite different commitments, frameworks, burdens, strengths, limitations, methods, or goals. These tensions and differences in method, however, speak to one another creatively and lead to a greater understanding of reality. Christian theologians have described Faith, Religion, and Reason as aspects of the human experience that assist in the pursuit of truth, and ultimately the search for God. Theologians such as Teilhard have poetically and analytically tried to incorporate the perspectives of science into their theologies. On the other hand, scientists such as Francis Collins (former director of the Human Genome Project and 2020 Templeton Prize Winner) have tried to reconcile personal religious faith with their research. Following such prominent examples of dialogue between these two human areas of inquiry, we seek further conversation and collaboration between these two methods and modalities for encountering reality. Faith, Religion, and Science are embodiments of different human capacities that have much to learn from one another with their own particular perspectives. Sometimes there have been misguided or mistaken attempts to combine them. Lumen et Vita seeks to engage and promote learning (in theoretical realms of theology and science and in practical realms such as the social sciences and pastoral practice), dialogue, and collaboration in exploring how these lenses might be used in conjunction to further true knowledge of humanity, creation, and, ultimately, the Divine.   

Upcoming Events
Lecture. Tuesday, March 15, 6:00-8:00PM. Hosted by Boston University School of Theology.
The Boston University School of Theology is proud to present the bi-annual Lowell Lecture, which features a renowned speaker in a field related to theological studies. This year, topics are centered around anti-racism and advocacy for marginalized communities. The Spring 2022 lecture will be held on March 15, 2022. Lee H. Butler, Jr., PhD, is Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, and the William Tabbernee Professor of the History of Religions and Africana Pastoral Theology at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK. Prior to joining Phillips, he was the Distinguished Service Professor of Theology and Psychology at the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) for 24 years. He is the founder of the Center for the Study of Black Faith and Life at CTS. He is a past President of the Society for the Study of Black Religion, a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society for Pastoral Theology, and the Association of Black Psychologists.
Spring Lecture Series. NEXT Lecture: Thursday, March 17, 4:30PM. Hosted by The Lonergan Institute at Boston College.
The Boston College Lonergan Institute is pleased to announce our 2022 lecture series, “50 Years of Method in Theology: Doing Theology in the Twenty-First Century.” Comprised of three main speakers each fall and spring of 2022, each lecture will also include two respondents from varying theology and philosophy backgrounds. Details on each spring lecture are below.

Frederick G. Lawrence (Boston College), “Theology as Hermeneutical: The Road to the Hermeneutics of Love.”
Thursday, March 17th at 4:30pm 

Neil J. Ormerod (Sydney College of Divinity), “Method, Meaning and Doctrinal Development.”
Friday, April 8th at 3:00pm 
Religious and Legal Perspectives on Migration
Symposium and Book Talk. Saturday, March 19, 9:00AM-1:00PM. Hosted by Boston College Department of Theology.

A Symposium on Christianity and the Laws of Migration. Also presented by Boston College's theology journal, Mysterion.
Simboli Hall, Room 100 at the School of Theology and Ministry. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided free of charge.
Book Talk. Tuesday, March 22, 12:00PM. Hosted by Harvard Divinity School Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative.
Vivien Sansour, will be sharing excerpts of her upcoming autobiographical book weaving a poetic narration of people, plants, and other food stories from Palestine to South America, taking us on her journey of establishing the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library and the projects that resulted from it. Professor Bahhur will explore with Vivien how stories inform our political and social realities on a global level and how they can be catalysts for a new conversation about indigenous knowledge and spirituality. Register Here.
Group Meeting. Wednesday, March 23, 7:00PM. Hosted by The Interreligious Engagement Group at Boston College's School of Theology & Ministry.
This event will look at scripture from three monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. We will be joined by Profs. Ruth Langer of the BC Theology Department, Ismael Ben Fofana of the BC Biology Department, and STM Prof. Emeritus Richard Clifford, S.J. as we explore these texts.

Learn more about SR here: scripturalreasoning.org
The theme of our session is: Community of Believers
Book Launch and Conversation. Wednesday, March 23, 7:00-8:30PM. Hosted by Hebrew College's Miller Center for Interreligious Leadership & Learning.
Join Hebrew College March 23, 7:00-8:30 p.m. (EST) for a conversation with Roslyn G. Weiner PhD STM, a spiritual director at Hebrew College and in the Greater Boston community and author of Seeking in the Company of Others: The Wisdom of Group Spiritual Direction, published by Spiritual Directors International Press, November 2021.
Virtual Retreat. Thursday, March 24, 9:00AM-4:00PM. Hosted by The BTS Center.
It can be easy to bear witness to the circumstances of our common shared life these days — prolonged pandemic, droughts, wildfires, floods, continued political divide — and experience fear, dread, or despair. There aren't many hopeful stories about what kind of a future we are headed towards. However, the particular challenges of living in a climate-changed world require resilient, grounded, and connected individuals who are able to imagine and articulate a different future, hopeful stories about what might be possible. In other words, the particular challenges of our time require all of us, and all our inherent creativity!
Join us for a spacious, day-long retreat in exercising imagination, grounding us in what could be, and connecting with companions along the way. We’ll engage practices of contemplation and reflection on specific places in our lives, fueling our imaginations and our spirits for telling new stories about what could be, about the future we are headed towards. As this is a day of embodiment, we invite you to come to our day of retreat holding a specific place in your heart and in your mind — perhaps a spot in nature, or your home; maybe a congregational space, or someplace public. Consider coming to our retreat day with a companion, or even a group, all holding the same space in intention and care.
Zoom Lecture. Thursday, March 24, 7:00PM. Co-hosted by The Women's Studies in Religion Program at HDS and the Center for Jewish Studies and Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.
The Male Body in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Theology invites us into a rich cultural world, usually envisioned as the temple of the intellect, and reveals how it actually places the gendered body at center stage. With the sympathy of a former practitioner and the insight of a theologian, Yakir Englander grapples with the challenges of sexuality to a life of piety.
Speakers:
  • Yakir Englander, author, former HDS Women's Studies in Religion Program Research Associate (2014-15), current National Senior Director of Leadership at the Israeli-American Council
  • Daniel Boyarin, Hermann P. and Sophia Taubman Professor of Talmudic Culture, UC Berkeley, currently Caroline Zelaznik Gruss and Joseph S. Gruss Visiting Professor in Talmudic Civil Law, Harvard Law School
  • Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College
Film Screening and Discussion. Thursday, March 24, 7:00PM-9:00PM. Hosted by The BTS Center.
Truth Tellers is a new documentary film about Maine artist and activist Robert Shetterly and his project Americans Who Tell the Truth. In the film, Shetterly uses art to celebrate the voices of courageous past and present activists fighting for racial equity, environmental justice, and indigenous rights. Over the years, Shetterly has painted over 250 portraits of truth-tellers such as Penobscot Nation leaders Sherri Mitchell and Maulian Dana; environmental activists Kelsey Juliana, Bill McKibben and Rev. Lennox Yearwood; and Civil Rights leaders Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, and Martin Luther King, among many others. The film chronicles the work of Shetterly along with nine subjects of these portraits to educate and inspire students around models of moral courage throughout U.S. history. The film premiered in September 2021 at the Camden Film Festival in Maine, and The BTS Center is pleased to offer this public screening.
Conference. Sunday, March 27 and Sunday, April 3. 1:00-4:30PM. Hosted by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College.
Hosted by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College, this conference will first describe and analyze this reassessment of Jewish tradition across various Christian communities, and then focus on its implications for Christians’ self-understanding. The conference will also explore how theological resources developed and cherished in various traditions within Christianity might become more broadly instrumental in developing Christian thinking about Jews and Judaism. Examples include: the emphasis in the East on the dialectics of God’s ousia and energeia; the Catholic understanding of Tradition as a hermeneutical parallel to the rabbinic concept of the Oral Torah; the treasured notion of divine grace in the Reformed tradition in general; and the love of Scripture—especially among Evangelicals.  

This conference will also seek to apply its outcomes. The fourth panel will directly address implementing and communicating this research, concentrating on pedagogical challenges and possibilities. Educators on Jewish-Christian relations will reflect on matters like seminary curricula, education courses for priests and ministers, the implementation of dialogue documents, and handbooks on Scripture that do not presuppose supersessionism.
Getting to Know the Colombian Truth Commission
Virtual Panel. Monday, March 28, 3:00-4:00PM. Presented by the Tom Porter Program on Religion and Conflict Transformation at Boston University.

The Tom Porter Program on Religion and Conflict Transformation will interview Esteban Morales, a staff member of the Colombian Commission for Clarifying the Truth, Coexistence, and Non-Repetition, created by the Peace Agreement signed in 2016 by the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla. Esteban will explain the structure of the Commission and its work since November 2018 which will conclude with its final report, to be published in June 2022. Esteban will also share about the leadership of Father Francisco de Roux, S.J., the Commission's chair.
This event will be held over Zoom, in Spanish, with interpretation into English.
Zoom information:
Meeting ID: 999 1846 4197
Passcode: 467672
Panel Event. Monday, April 4, 4:00PM. Hosted by The Labrecque Medical Ethics Lecture Series at Boston College.

This is a Panel event on the unique risks and resources available in the healthcare field during a time of crisis.
Webinar Discussion. Tuesday, April 5, 2:00-3:00PM. Hosted by The Boisi Center at Boston College.

Two of the leading sociologists of religion over the past thirty years, Nancy T. Ammerman and José Casanova, join Boisi Center director Mark Massa, S.J. for a conversation about how to think about secularization as it impacts public religion and everyday ‘lived’ religion in the United States today.
Calls for Papers & Job Opportunities
The Religious Research Association is now accepting proposals for their Fall 2022 Annual Meeting. Submissions are due by April 15.
Presentations and panel sessions are welcome at this meeting on all topics related to the social dimensions of religion and particularly on topics related to applied and organizational aspects of religion that reflect the traditional applied research focus of the RRA. In addition to sharing research findings, this call also encourages presenters to share experiences, strategies, and best practices in disseminating research to applied audiences. Please submit individual paper proposals, author-meets-critics session, and full session proposals through the online portal at www.sssreligion.org, choosing the RRA option on the submission form.

The Interfaith Center at The University of Vermont is currently searching for a Coordinator for Leadership Development & Programs.
As a brief summary, this full-time position will work collaboratively with students and campus partners, create and implement innovative programming, events, and multimedia resources to foster a more just and sustainable campus community where individuals can bring their full selves to their life, work, and study at UVM – including their religious and philosophical identities and perspectives. The Coordinator for Leadership Development & Programs will do this by:
  • providing student leadership development, event planning, community building, and related logistics;
  • leading efforts to equip students across the institution to increase their knowledge, skills, and attitudes for interfaith dialogue and exploration, ethical reflection, religious literacy, resilience, and positive community engagement; and
  • recruiting, training, and supervising student staff and volunteers and participate in any relevant campus and community efforts to represent the Interfaith Center and UVM.
Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium | www.bostontheological.org

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