Sydney College of Divinity
Seminar series - Theologising in the Shadow of a Pandemic
The Theologising in the Shadow of a Pandemic seminar series is an initiative of the Sydney College of Divinity Theology Research Network. This is the second seminar in the series conducted which will culminate in a conference in late 2021.
The seminars offers an opportunity to reflect theologically on our
global situation. As theologians we have a responsibility to our
churches and to the broader community to reflect theologically on our
current plight. The present Covid-19 pandemic has been the cause of
massive social, economic and religious dislocation. It will impact on
personal relations, long term financial and employment issues, how we
view our international connections and of course our relationship with
God and our church communities. We have an opportunity to bring the
resources of our faith traditions to bear, not to provide definitive
answers but to explore these resources and share them both within our
churches and with the larger society.
The seminar is online. Register your interest with Professor Neil Ormerod, neilo@scd.edu.au. Closer to the date of the seminar you will receive a link to connect online.
Program
Latin American Theology and the Pandemic
Abstract
Theologians are tasked with analysing and
interpreting the ‘signs of the times’. We will attempt to address the
Pandemic as a sign of our times, using the lens of Latin American
theology. This incorporates a theology of signs of the times, the poor
and vulnerable as the point of departure, and the methodology of
see-judge-act.
In an eschatological view of history the
vulnerable are highlighted by the cross of Jesus and from them we
respond to the question ‘Where is God in our fragile world?’
Presenter – Dr Rocio Figueroa
Dr Rocio Figueroa is a Peruvian
Theologian, Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Catholic Theological
College in Auckland, New Zealand and an External Researcher at the
Centre for Theology and Public Issues at Otago University. She holds a
doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
She has previously lectured and worked in Peru, Italy, and Mexico. She
worked in the Holy See as head of the Women’s section in the Pontifical
Council for the Laity. Figueroa’s research has focused on theological
and pastoral responses for survivors of Church sexual abuse.
Respondent – Carlos Guzman
Carlos Guzman is a PhD student with the
Sydney College of Divinity from Chile, working on the Ethics of
Liberation of Enrique Dussel.
Costs
There are no costs for the online seminar.
Third Seminar – Save the date
The third online seminar in this series will be held on Friday 20 November 2020 from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.
First Seminar – Watch Online
The first seminar, presented by Dr Doru Costache Senior Lecturer in Theology (Patristic Studies), St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College is available for viewing on the SCD website. The seminar Affirming Creation’s Goodness in a Time of Pandemic: Patristic Insights was presented online on 28 May 2020.