2023 PRO ECCLESIA CONFERENCE (JUNE 5 - 7): LIFE TOGETHER: THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS IN A TIME OF DIVISION AND DISEASE

 Pro Ecclesia: Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology

Pro Ecclesia Conference 2023

Life Together: The Communion of the Saints in a Time of Division and Disease

Monday, June 5 (evening) – Wednesday, June 7 (noon)
Loyola University, Baltimore, Maryland

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Both locally and nationally, Christian fellowship has been severely tested by the impact of the pandemic and the heightened tensions of our political and cultural life. ‘Social distancing’ and virtual worship have eaten into the fellowship within congregations and parishes. Our polarized politics and the ‘culture wars’ that have accompanied it have severely tested our ability to pursue a common life, not only within our wider society, but within and among our churches. This conference discusses theologically and pastorally how we address these challenges. We have assembled a range of speakers from different backgrounds: medicine, ethics, New Testament studies, parish ministry, and theological studies.

Speakers

William Cavanaugh, PhD, Professor of Catholic Studies, DePaul University, Chicago, IL

The ‘Little Way:’ Practices of Faith and Solidarity in a Polarized World

What virtues and practices can Christians and churches bring to bear in the face of increased polarization, distancing, and despair? This presentation explores the "little way" of Therese of Lisieux and Dorothy Day's appropriation of it. The little way is a type of attentiveness to other people as Christ-bearers, which includes doing ordinary things with extraordinary love. The presentation examines in particular the spirituality and practices of solidarity, in which we share in both guilt and forgiveness, and ultimately in the love of God.

Rev. Chris Currie, PhD, Senior Pastor, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, LA

A Post-Pandemic Ecclesiology: Everything is Different, Everything is the Same

The presentation explores what it means to be the church in the context of what the pandemic and hyper-polarization have done to our life together. How might the particular marks of Christian community be re-articulated in a way that will serve the church well in such a time as this and provide theological substance and rationale for the necessity of Christian community in crisis and in post-pandemic America?

Lydia Dugdale, MD, MAR, Associate Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY

The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom

With more than a million dead in the United States from COVID-19 and more than 6.5 million dead globally, the pandemic brought death to the fore in a way that Americans hadn’t experienced since World War II. Although Christians should be among the most equipped to face dying and death, we tend to choose more aggressive end-of-life treatments than do our non-religious counterparts. How might the Church lead the way in preparing the faithful for death? A fifteenth-century handbook on the “art of dying” offers invaluable instruction to all of us and poses a challenge for how we live our lives well today.

Rev. Wesley Hill, PhD, Associate Professor of New Testament, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI

The Last Severity, the Last Hope: Ecclesial Crises in Christological Perspective

The presentation features an exposition of 1 Corinthians, paying special attention to the way in which Paul addresses the crises of the church in Corinth by flanking them with discussion of Jesus' crucifixion (see especially 1:10-31) and resurrection (15:1-58). Paul's Christological approach is offered as a model for our imitation, as we today navigate similar issues of division and dissension in the church and in the wider culture.

Myles Werntz, PhD, Associate Professor of Theology, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX

Reconnecting in a Dismembered Age: Church Community, Digital Culture, and The Mending of the World

In an era of multiple fractures within society and the church, the temptation is to focus on strategies of fixing particular problems. But this approach frequently exacerbates the problem of fragmentation unintentionally. One prominent example is the use of digital technologies to connect scattered congregants, whether through increased use of livestreaming and other technologies to provide people with the experience of church attendance. Digital culture, however, operates from a presumption of the individual, networked together through common interests. Accordingly, increased use of digital technologies to bring people together leaves untouched the basic problem of church division: the fragmentation of persons along fault lines of interest groups.

To address the manifold fractures of congregational life, we must stop focusing on the particular fractures, and recapture a more basic vision of our church gathering, allowing that in turn to determine the mode of our gathering and the way in which we address the material sources of division. Focus must be placed upon relearning the practice of gathering as the body of Christ—a body which is gathered not through networks of common interest, but by differentiated persons gathered up by Christ’s sacrifice; only this will give us the focal practice necessary to engage the material forms of division without unwittingly validating the logic of fragmentation in them.

Sondra Wheeler, PhD, Professor Emerita of Christian Ethics, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC

In Absentia: the Risks and Lessons of ‘Virtual Community’

Some temptations and deformities always present in church life were exacerbated and also obscured from sight by the physical distancing of church life during the pandemic. The very convenience of online worship, fellowship, and (in some cases) even sacraments, blunts the formative power of community. In addition, many of the moral dangers of ministry were increased by the added isolation, while the opportunities to develop its requisite virtues were sharply curtailed. What have we learned from this forced experiment, and how do we apply those lessons?

There will be a Tuesday banquet, included in the above costs. The banquet speaker will be our own Dr. Joseph Small.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The registration deadline is May 20, 2023 (we cannot guarantee lodging or banquet space after that date). All registrations including lodging will be subject to capacity limitations at Loyola on a first come-first served basis.

• Lodging on campus (breakfast included)

• Single room $80 per night

• Double room $75 per person per night

• Campus lodging available Monday and Tuesday nights. 

There are numerous hotels in the north Baltimore and Towson area for those not wishing to stay on campus. It is usually possible to find free parking around the campus on the streets or a couple of the lots. The paid parking there is very expensive.

Conference begins Monday evening and concludes before lunch on Wednesday. A complete schedule will be published later. The only meal included for all registrants is the Tuesday evening banquet, and breakfasts are included for those staying on campus.

Refund policy: Refund requests received before May 22 will be processed after a 5% service fee to cover credit card and other administrative costs. Requests after that date will be processed only to the extent we can recover our costs.