Tag Archives: Theology

Mourning & Loss: when intellectual giants become part of memory past

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OttoDespite the news that broke yesterday concerning Dr. Otto Maduro’s passing, I begin this morning as I normally do:  get up, take the dogs out, brush my teeth, shower, dress, and walk to the bus.  What is different about this morning that impacts me tremendously is how my mind continued to think about both Ada María Isasi-Díaz and Otto Maduro.  These two folks were intellectual giants for our community and others, and I suspect that my friends and colleagues on FaceBook will highlight their memories of Otto.  That’s what I’d like to do today in this blog post, but I’d like to frame my ‘memories’ with a question:  What happens when intellectual giants become part of memory past–when stories that begin with “I remember when…” or “I’ll never forget when…?”  I can share that I’ll never forget when…this past year at AAR as I sat on the panel for Ada María Isasi-Díaz, Otto came up to me and said he loved my hair, then gave me the sweetest kiss on the cheek.  I’ll never forget that exchange, and his gentleness toward and for my queer mestizaje body.  That moment will stay with me; it is memory.  That moment is how our commitment to doing theology with one another should be:  gentle, celebratory, and lovely.

Our commitment to do theology en conjunto means that these stories shape and form our theologies and ethics.  We don’t invent a new theology; we borrow and shape what has existed before.  We live into these memories helping the memories of our intellectual giants take new shape for justice for all living things.  We don’t lay aside the very important work that Otto and Ada created, regardless of how we feel about it (we all have our critics).  We do theology together, with memories, with joy, with one another.  We mourn the loss of intellectual giants, but we do not stop there.  We celebrate their work, and we find ways to continue their intellectual patterns.

Let us remember Otto for his pioneering work in sociology.  Let us not forget his commitment to multiple communities, and his gentleness that surpassed our own.

Thoughts on Identity

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I am neck deep in writing the dissertation, and the issue of identity has emerged:  who am I?  I was talking with a colleague friend the other day and I exclaimed:  ”I think I’m a Philosophical Theologian who does and thinks about Ethics.”  She agreed.  This propelled me to continue my thinking around identity, and specifically who really am I as a scholar.  My degrees have all come from Schools of Theology and I have been taught to think theologically and philosophically about all things.  Now, as I move to finish my Ph.D. I wonder what this all means, and how my identity continues to become.

As I ponder this, I think about the tradition of European Continental Philosophy and my own exposure to the tradition of Social Ethics.  I’ve been inclined to identify with European Continental Philosophy and various Latin American Thinkers–both seem to want to challenge existing ideologies and offer ‘new’ ways of thinking.  So, who does this make me?  A child who was born in the State of Texas in the United States who grew into an adult in West Texas at a Baptist University, then flourished in a seminary in Chicago, now completing a dissertation in the West, Colorado.  My physical and intellectual nomadism–that particular type of movement between places–has birthed an identity.  I call it:  Philosopher-Theologian-Ethicist.  I write philosophy, some say.  I do Ethics, others claim.  I think theologically on most days, and find a particular rhythm that is almost liturgical in my thinking.

Identity is challenging.  There is no clear-cut stable identity that emerges.  It is always a negotiated identity, an unstable identity–an identity that irrupts in the borderlands and becomes in between points of contact.  It is a nomadic identity  whose subjectivity carefully unfolds while moving in between certain points along the way.

I do not seek to categorize this identity as a ‘something,’ but rather allow it to unfold and become whatever it may.

Dark Prophet Status: reclaiming doubt

Theology 1 Comment

I recently began looking for theological works on doubt.  To my surprise, I found very few.  In fact, I only found one (1) book, written by Alister McGrath.  It seems as though this book is written from a systematic perspective.  Sure, there are other books written by Evangelical pastors that pursue the argument in favor of certainty, but I actually think this is the wrong approach.  Certainty has its limits.  Once you begin at point A, you are then searching for point B, and doing so out of an impulse for certainty.  What if belief and the question of faith moved us beyond certainty?  Away from the idolatry of a certain, normative God toward a more robust system of believing, where questions compelled us to live more radically into the followings of Jesus, for example.  What if?!

I want to argue for moments where we reclaim doubt.  I call this the Dark Prophet.  We don’t so much look to doubt for learning how to negotiate our impulse to believe or even our moral impulses.  What if doubt helped us find a new way into Christianity, or maybe we arrive at something that is beyond Christianity?  Certainly, we will arrive at a place beyond the Christendom of the 21st century.  Might we revolutionize what is almost the 3rd millenuim of Christianity with doubt?  After all, it is Pete Rollins whose tagline on his website reads:  to believe is human; to doubt, divine.  This is precisely where I want to head–into the point of light that doubt is and becomes for those of us who are either disenfranchised with the Church that leaves no room for questions, or for those of us who simply have more questions than answers.

Believing is easy.  We’re socialized into the capital of belief.  We’re taught to believe our parents and other family members, we’re taught to believe people in authority.  We have the natural impulse to believe because of our socialization.  But! What about the divine gift of doubt?  What about the questions that perpetually waken us or stir us deep inside?  The things that we are simply not sure about?  What do we do with these questions?  The Church tells us to simply believe the pastor or the Social Teachings of the Church, and to silence the energy that emerges within us culminating in doubt.  This Dark Prophet is a gift, and we must find a way to engage this Dark Prophet and negotiate the matrix of belief and doubt.  Is there another way into Christianity outside of certainty?  I think there is!

I want to explore this in a series of blog posts.  This is my first post among many to come.  I want to challenge the framework of certainty to try and get to a different place in the Christian faith.  I also hope this will elucidate a theological identity for those who want to embrace doubt as a starting point for their Christian faith/identity.  This may be a long road, but it is in the journey that we all become more faithful to ourself and the journey itself.  Stay tuned!

Job Postings

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You might find these postings interesting, if you are pursuing the Academy in the field of Religion and/or Theology.  See below.

The University Of Chicago

Theology

The University of Chicago Divinity School seeks to make an appointment in Theology.  Rank and salary are open.  Area of specialization is likewise open, but candidates should be able to contribute theologically to the disciplined conversations that constitute the academic study of religion.  This means that candidates should be engaged in constructive, creative work that shapes the conversation in academic theology, that they should be critically conversant with the history of theology, and that their work should be situated within the wider intellectual conversation of the University.

The Divinity School is the graduate professional school for the study of religion at the University of Chicago, a private research University.  Faculty in the School teach Ph.D. students in 10 different areas of study, and masters level students in M.A. and M.Div. programs, offering courses at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels.  Many faculty hold associate appointments in other departments and schools of the University; such associations are encouraged.  A normal teaching load is 4 courses per year on a quarter system; in most cases that leaves one quarter open for research in residence (in addition to summers free for scholarship).

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  Search has been extended into a second year; new review of candidates will commence on September 15, 2012.  Application should be made online, at http://tinyurl.com/3ddbcol. Contact: Dean Margaret M. Mitchell, The University of Chicago Divinity School, 1025 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL  60637 (mmm17@uchicago.edu).  The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer.

Assistant Professor in Environmental Ethics

The University of Chicago Divinity School seeks to make an appointment for a new, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Environmental Ethics.

A candidate for this position should be qualified to teach and direct research in Environmental Ethics (e.g., the value of and duties towards biotic, non-living realities, and ecosystems, environmental criticism, animal rights, food ethics, the ethics of consumption, etc.).  The candidate must exhibit a broad knowledge of the field of religious ethics (comprising theological, political, philosophical, and comparative inquiry), a command of issues in moral theory central to environmental ethics, the ability to engage materials in the physical and/or biological sciences, and a coherent and creative agenda for research and publication.  Religious tradition(s) and primary focus of scholarly expertise are open. The candidate should also have the ability and desire to work with the University’s Program on the Global Environment.

The Divinity School is the graduate professional school for the academic study of religion at the University of Chicago, a private research university.  Faculty in the School teach Ph.D. students in 11 different areas of study, and master’s level students in M.A. and M.Div. programs, offering courses at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels.  Many faculty hold associate appointments in other departments and schools of the University; such associations are encouraged.  A normal teaching load is 4 courses per year on a quarter system; in most cases that leaves one quarter open for research in residence (in addition to summers free for scholarship).

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  Review of candidates will commence on October 1, 2012. Application should be made online, at http://tinyurl.com/d5txyrm.  For questions contact Dean Margaret M. Mitchell, The University of Chicago Divinity School, 1025 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL  60637 (mmm17@uchicago.edu).  The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Loyola Marymount University

Theological Ethics

Loyola Marymount University, Department of Theological Studies, announces a tenure-track faculty position in Theological Ethics at the level of Assistant Professor, to begin in the Fall Semester, 2013.  Applicants should have expertise in Catholic Social Ethics, especially the “common good tradition” as articulated in Catholic social teaching and in dialogue with the wider debate about justice theories, church and politics, and theology and the public realm.  Additionally, engagement with one or more of the following areas is highly desirable: gender and sexuality; globalization, immigration, ethnicity, and culture; ethics of peace and just war theory; economics and environmental sustainability.

 

Candidates should have a strong commitment to the University mission.  In addition to undergraduate major and minor programs, the Department offers Master of Arts degrees in Theology and Pastoral Theology.  The Department seeks candidates who are supportive of interdisciplinarity and can articulate an understanding of how social ethical issues can be framed in a highly diverse cultural and religious context.  Candidates must show promise and/or ademonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching. Experience with engaged scholarship and learning among diverse communities is desired. The Ph.D. or equivalent is required.

 

Interested applicants are invited to send curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching and research interest, a writing sample, three letters of recommendation, and transcripts by October 15, 2012 to Dr. Roberto Dell’Oro, Chair for Ethics Search Committee, Department of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90045. Preliminary interviews will be conducted at the American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Chicago. Applicants who will not be at the meeting may be requested to have online video interviews.

 

Loyola Marymount University, a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, seeks professionally outstanding applicants who value its mission and share its commitment to academic excellence, the education of the whole person, the service of faith and the promotion of justice. LMU is an equal opportunity institution actively working to promote a diverse University community. Candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. (Visit www.lmu.edu for more information.)

 

Catholic Theology in a Global Context Position

 

Loyola Marymount University, Department of Theological Studies, announces a tenure-track faculty position in Catholic Theology in a Global Context at the level of Assistant Professor, to begin in the Fall Semester, 2013.

 

The Department seeks candidates with substantive training in Catholic systematic theology and whose work engages the concerns of the global Catholic Church. Catholic theology in a global context is attentive to the complex dynamics among local, national, regional, and global communities. Possible areas of focus include: mission and evangelization, inculturation, global unity and local church, politics and Catholicism, ecumenical and interreligious encounter, spirituality, gender and sexuality, and justice and liberation. Expertise in the Catholic churches of the “global South” (e.g., Asia, Africa, Latin America, or the Caribbean) is particularly desirable.

 

The position involves teaching in the University Core, the Theological Studies Major and Minor programs, and the Master of Arts programs in Theology and Pastoral Theology. Applicants must show promise of excellence in both teaching and research. Experience with engaged scholarship and learning among diverse communities is desired. The Ph.D. or equivalent is required.

 

Interested applicants are invited to send curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching and research interest, a writing sample, three letters of recommendation, and transcripts by October 15, 2012 to Dr. Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier, Chair of Catholic Theology in a Global Context Search Committee, Department of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, One LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90045. Preliminary interviews will be conducted at the American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Chicago. Applicants who will not be at the meeting may be requested to have online video interviews.

 

Loyola Marymount University, a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, seeks professionally outstanding applicants who value its mission and share its commitment to academic excellence, the education of the whole person, the service of faith and the promotion of justice. LMU is an equal opportunity institution actively working to promote a diverse University community. Candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. (Visit www.lmu.edu for more information.)

 

 

Remembering Ada María Isasi-Diaz

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Today is a sad day for so many.  I was just notified that Ada passed away this morning.  While I knew she was struggling, a common theme in her Mujerista theology, to battle the cancer and infections that were destroying her body.  She ended her life en la lucha–in the struggle–yet not so in deep struggle, since she passed away in her deep sleep, and I am grateful for her pioneering a way for me, a Queermestiz@ to participate in the fullness of life.  While my life is not free from struggle, I have been able to look to Ada and her work (including her kinship among Womanist scholars) as a way to imagine queer\Ethics.  Thank you Ada for giving us a way to think and explore and imagine Hispanic/Latina Liberation Theology & Ethics.

I am not alone as a mujerista, a queermestiz@.  I am surrounded by the Hispanic Theological Community who proudly recognizes your contribution to Liberation Theology.  Your memory and theological imagination and commitment to la lucha remains with me and others this day, and will as we continue to take steps for liberation.

While I enflesh loads of doubt, I cannot help but call you a theological gift helping to pluralize women’s experience in theology and ethics.  You will be missed, eternally.

The Future of Liberation Theology

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I recently attended a conference at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.  It was a one day conference titled “The Future of Liberation Theology.”  I have an ever-growing suspicion about liberation theology and ways that scholars can continue to utilize this discourse in meaningful ways.  I was surprised to hear papers’ point of departure rooted in a very U.S. orientation.  Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was.  I know that Union is the home of Black Theology, James Cone, but it is also the home of folks like Delores Williams’ Thought and Womanism.

I enjoyed hearing the papers.  I’m glad that Union put on this conference, but I wished the conference would have addressed a more globalized sense of liberation.  I wished there was a sense of addressing the Global North and Global South and the problems existing there.  I wished that it didn’t feel like reifying the black/white binary and identity politics, or moving toward what the plenary seemed to embody, which was the rainbow coalition.  Certainly, we need more of these times for us to have the conversation of what really is the future of liberation theology.  Like Petrella, we need economists doing liberation theology, anthropologists doing liberation theology, doctors doing liberation theology, and so forth.  We desperately need to rally together and have a critical conversation about the future of liberation theology and ways we can partner with one another to make little moves of destructiveness to achieve an epoch and future of holistic justice.

I’m so glad I went to this conference. I’m so glad I connected with folks there, and I look forward to the ongoing conversation this conference produced.

Feminist Liberation Theologians’ Meeting

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Feminist Liberation Theologians’ Meeting
The Feminist Liberation Theologians’ Network will meet on Friday, November 18, 2011, from 4-6 PM in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in San Francisco. The meeting, under the auspices of WATER, the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual, will be held at the InterContinental Hotel in the Sutter Room. Further information can be found in the AAR Program Book where this session is listed on p. 33 as M18-302.
The Network will focus on successes and challenges in implementing and maintaining feminist liberation theological programs in academic institutions and other settings. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Mary E. Hunt will chair the meeting.
Discussion will follow opening remarks by:
Shannon Clarkson, San Francisco Theological Seminary
Margaret Miles, Graduate Theological Union
HiRho Park, United Methodist Church
Sharon Welch, Meadville Lombard Theological School

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO

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UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO

Position Title: Assistant Professor

Working Title: Endowed Chair and Assistant Professor of Roman Catholic Studies

Department: Religious Studies Program

Salary: Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Work Location: UNM Main Campus (Abq)

Position Summary: The Religious Studies Program of the College of Arts and Science seeks applications for a probationary appointment leading to a tenure decision as Assistant Professor of Roman Catholic Studies. This is an endowed chair position located within the Religious Studies Program, a large interdisciplinary program, with a joint appointment in the department best suited to the successful candidate’s disciplinary background (such as history, philosophy, sociology, art history, etc.). The University of New Mexico is a major public research university with a highly diverse student body located in Albuquerque, NM. Located between the Rio Grande River and the Sandia Mountains, the city is very representative of the great beauty of the American Southwest.

Appointment will begin in August 2011, pending budgetary approval. Responsibilities will include research and teaching in the specialized area of Catholic Studies. Consistent with the mission of New Mexico’s flagship research university, the standard teaching load is 2-2. The salary for this position is competitive salary, commensurate with qualifications of successful applicant. The University of New Mexico (UNM) provides a diversified package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. For a more complete explanation of the benefits, please go to

http://hr.unm.edu/and click on the Benefits link.

Minimum Qualifications: 1) Ph.D. or similar terminal degree (such as D. Min., Th.D, S.T.D) with scholarly expertise focused on the Roman Catholic tradition in its historical, philosophical, sociological, theological, historical, scriptural, liturgical, artistic, or organizational dimension; OR 2) an MFA in Art or Music with a Catholic Studies focus; AND 3) evidence of potential for excellence in scholarship and teaching in areas relevant to Catholic Studies.

Preferred Qualifications: a) demonstrated capacity to work cooperatively with faculty colleagues; b) demonstrated capacity to teach religion in a public university to students from diverse educational, socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds; c) interest in engaging in public intellectual work within and beyond the confines of the University.

Closing Date: March 10, 2011

Application type required for this position: Faculty Profile

Additional requirements for this position:

[PLEASE NOTE: ALL REQUESTED MATERIALS EXCEPT THE LETTERS OF

REFERENCE MUST BE SUBMITTED BY POSTING TO THE UNMJOBS.UNM.EDU WEBSITE. ONLY THE LETTERS OF REFERENCE MAY BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL OR ON PAPER. IT IS THE APPLICANT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ASSURE THAT ALL MATERIALS ARE SUBMITTED PROPERLY]

Required Applicant Documents:

Cover Letter

Curriculum Vitae

Writing Sample

Other

Special Instructions to Applicants:

a) In the cover letter please describe your qualifications for the position and interest in Catholic Studies within a public university.

b) Under “Writing Sample” we request two articles or book chapters that illustrate your research interests. (Please note that you must combine both samples into one file document and upload this one file under the required documents field.)

c) Under “other”, we request two course syllabi. (Again, you must combine both syllabi into one file document and upload the file under the “other” field.)

d) Remember to post your name at the top of each page submitted.

e) Three letters of reference must be sent separately to any of the following:

via US Postal Service:

Dr. Sharon Erickson Nepstad
Director of Religious Studies
MSC 02 1610, 1
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

via overnight mail (FedEx, UPS, etc.):

Dr. Sharon Erickson Nepstad
Director of Religious Studies
Hokona-Zuni Hall Room# 364
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

via email:

religion@unm.edu

with subject line “Letter of Reference”

Please do NOT submit any materials except the letters of reference via email or paper.

Important: Please note that you must complete the application IN FULL with ATTACHMENTS before you SUBMIT. If you hit the SUBMIT button prior to attaching documents, you will not be allowed to go back into the system to make adjustments as your application will be submitted as is. You also cannot delete your first application to submit a corrected second one.

Posting Department Website: http://www.unm.edu/~religion

For complete details of this position or to apply, please visit the website:

https://unmjobs.unm.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1299786826137 and reference Posting Number 0809530

The University of New Mexico is committed to promoting and supporting the diversity of our campuses. UNM is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Advent, Anticipation, Agnostic. Or, What if you just don’t know?!

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This post was just published on the State of Formation site, and I offer it to you, if you’re an iRobyn reader!  You can read it here on the SOF site, if you wish!

Recently, Adam Hollowell published a post here entitled: A Response to Ricky Gervais’ “Why I’m an Atheist”.  (you can read it here, and I encourage you to do so!)  It’s a brilliant post, thoughtful and well done.  What I am primarily interested in is knowledge (and the production of knowledge), not so much belief.  And so, in the spirit of the Christian Liturgical season of Advent (where there is a focus on hope, anticipation, and remembering that God was born of Mary), I say on this early Advent morning:  I just don’t know.

I don’t know that God was born.  I am not in anticipation, nor do I hope.  Whether or not it is true or my belief (otherwise situated as a practice) of not knowing can be justified by ontological claims, I find myself on this Thursday morning sitting with a hot cup of coffee and I just don’t know!  I don’t know that (or what) I should hope.  I have not a clue for what I should anticipate, especially during this season of Advent.

But, what of being born?  For this liturgical season of Advent, there is an acute attention to birth.  And, there is knowledge produced as a result of the birth, or at least there is tradition that is established from the birth narrative.  But, it is an unnatural birth, an unbelievable birth, or is it?

In the spirit of birthing and anticipating birthing (or knowing, as I prefer it), I offer you the following:  I feel it calling, its pulses.  My body is contorted and it is opening in ways unimaginable.  ”I would like to open myself, and I am already opened , to the opening and exposed body that in birth is calling me beyond myself, against myself and, perhaps, for myself. It is the contradiction of flesh that occurs in birth that interrogates me due, I assume, to the fact that one can not always avoid facing his or her own condition, one can not say infinitely Noli me tangere (Do not touch me) . Now birth is almost on me, with me, within me. It is touching me, but remains invisible; in this moment I feel I am born, but suddenly the only thing that I can hear is the calling of the open and exposed body that I am starting to smell; and it smells like many nights in a distant/past place. Those nights I was not expecting, like now, a thread (filo) that could help me find the unexpected. I want to feel my birth but I should first attend to the call of the ambiguous body that, since before I was born, has been calling me. I want to follow this invitation but it is attached to my flesh and I do not know how to be rigorous with myself. My truth is outside me and not in the totality of my synthetic capacities; I presume it is this call itself but it is not enough just to follow it. One should ask why, in this specific moment, is it possible to hear it? Why now and not before or later? What happens to us when we hear this call? The calling maintains its intensity and I can realize that its persistence, its strength, does not depend on me. I could ignore it and continue; but the call seduces me irremediably. I think this call is the inauguration of a time on time – kairos – that comes and passes through us and we can just receive its posterity, but that is sufficient to remove us and bring us into a search without foundation. This time was not yesterday, it is not today and will not be tomorrow but it is always hidden or inscribed on that body that does not cease to call, or on those tortured lives that are not considered life anymore. We should, I suggest, look forward to caress that call, let our bodies and let our birth be, let us be taken for its elusiveness and its bloody multiple presence.” (from Jonathan Pimentel Chacón)

As the eve of Christmas is almost upon us, and we move into the position of birth, I proclaim not Angels We Have Heard on High, but I long to deliver, to interrogate this knowing and anticipation, I long to give birth to myself, with myself, with you, and I long to know this deep in my body.  I hope, with anticipation, and with the limits of knowledge.

Advent, Anticipation, Agnostic.  Or, What if you just don’t know?!