Why TheoCon?
https://theologycon.com/
Our moment is one of crisis upon crisis. We are at a turning point historically and while we cannot simply return to ‘normal’, a growing number of people do not want to. For too long, some of the best resources and voices for wrestling with our biggest questions have remained distant from too many. TheoCon intends to address that through an exploratory project in public theology, connecting leading figures within academia with the public. Our goal is not to think for you, but with you, providing intellectual resources from multiple disciplines and then inviting you to engage, contribute, question, and help lead us out of this time.
Think of this as a hybrid style conference. Each of our keynote speakers will be sharing their talk in video and audio for you to engage. Then we will be scheduling live panel discussions in which the speakers and panelists will not only talk to each other, but will respond to your questions and to the responses to their talks. All of the talks and invitations to live sessions will be delivered via email. All you need to do is sign up here, and we will take care of the rest.
Speakers
We are bringing together a host of leading scholars across different disciplines. Here are some of the confirmed speakers, with more on the way.
All the keynote lectures will be sent as video and audio via email. As the live webinars are scheduled they will be added here.
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| Theologian Brian McLaren |
2020 TheoCon
The Contours of An Anti-Authoritarian Theology
by Brian McLaren
POWERPOINT SLIDES
What is Anti-Authoritarian Christianity?
Postmodern
Postcolonial
Post-Partriarchal
Post-dualist
Post-supremacist
Emerging
Anti-Racist
Ecological
(-) Right-wing Authoritarianism - Mobilizes around imagined or feared common threats
(+) Left-wing Anti-Authoritarianism - Mobilizes around achieving common benefits
Genesis Story speaks to the goodness of Creation and Reconciliation between all things
The Exodus narrative speaks to the resisting of tyrants and to anti-authoritarianism
Isaiah speaks to a promised land and time of a peaceable kingdom
where justice and mercy inhabits all
Evil is defined as anti-creation, anti-liberation, anti-reconciliation
Our theology needs to move from a two dimensional authoritarian model
to a three dimensional capacious model with Jesus in the center.
The authoritarian model at its most benign speaks to a controlling, highly masculine Dictator who grants heaven or hell; who tortures for eternity those condemned; whose old church hymns were written during this era of viewing divine sovereignty as rightful authoritarianism using the Calvinistic model; whose eucharist patterns this model; whose ideas of human society parallels this model; even how it interprets the biblical text throughout its OT reach.
The next two decades will see increased societal instability, ecological instability, mass migrations, political and religious instability. These will be times to choose between authoritarianism and anti-authoritarianism. To choose dictatorship or to choose human solidarity with one another. To live in a world of haves and have nots or to live in a world which is all in with one another.
To overcome future worlds of political, economic, societal, and religious oppression we must choose to become activists for a new world of peace, justice, and equality. If we do not, the kingdom of Jesus will not become part of this old world system we allow to perpetuate itself unfairly upon others. We must resist. We must protest. We must offer new and different ways of reconciliation between one another. If we do not, Jesus cannot become into humanity. He will be left outside of all our human structures as they strive towards evil and not towards goodness and peace. It is imperative we speak out and act upon what this new ecological civilization might be like; might become; might attain when speaking peace, love and respect to our sisters and brothers. It begins now. Not later. Now.
Theological Fronts of Activism
planet - ecology
poverty - inequality
peace - hostility
politics - religion
We face a future of suffering, war, terrorism, proliferation of oppression, and so on. Through these times of panic and crisis let them motivate us towards a positive and not a negative reconstruction of society where we emphasize our solidarity with humanity, with the earth, with one another. Let it be the motivation to build a new society, an ecological society focused on creation, liberation, justice, and peace. This is the Jesus kingdom to come. Not a kingdom of submittance, suppression, injustice, and inequality. - Brian McLaren
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Brian McLaren
Brian D. McLaren (born 1956) is an American pastor, author, speaker, and leading figure in the emerging church movement. McLaren is also associated with postmodern Christianity.[1]
McLaren founded Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland in 1982 while he was teaching English on the college level. In 1986, he became a full-time pastor. The church eventually grew to include 500 members.[2] In 2015, McLaren was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America.[3] McLaren left his position at Cedar Ridge in 2006 to pursue writing and speaking full-time.[2]
In 2011, McLaren defended Rob Bell's controversial book Love Wins against critiques from figures such as Albert Mohler, who argued that Bell advocated universalism.[4]
In 2013, McLaren stated that he did not believe homosexual conduct to be sinful.[5]
McLaren is married and has four children. He has traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America, and Africa, and his personal interests include ecology, fishing, hiking, kayaking, camping, songwriting, music, art, and literature.[6] In September 2012, McLaren led a commitment ceremony for his son Trevor and partner Owen Ryan at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase, Maryland.[7]
Bibliography
- The Church on the Other Side (Zondervan, 1998)
- Finding Faith (Zondervan, 1999)
- A New Kind of Christian (Jossey-Bass, 2001)
- More Ready Than You Realize: Evangelism as Dance in the Postmodern Matrix (Zondervan, 2002)
- A Is for Abductive (Zondervan, 2002)
- Adventures in Missing the Point (Emergent/YS, 2003, co-written with Tony Campolo)
- Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives (Zondervan Emergent/YS, 2003) Leonard Sweet (General Editor), with contributors Andy Crouch, Brian D. McLaren, Erwin McManus, Michael Horton, Frederica Mathewes-Green
- The Story We Find Ourselves In (Jossey-Bass, 2003)
- A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN (Zondervan, 2004)
- The Last Word and the Word After That (Jossey-Bass, 2005)
- The New Kind of Christian Trilogy - Limited Edition Boxed Set (A New Kind of Christian; The Story We Find Ourselves In; The Last Word and the Word After That) (Jossey-Bass, 2005)
- The Secret Message of Jesus : Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything (W Publishing Group, April 2006)
- The Voice of Luke: Not Even Sandals (The Voice) (Thomas Nelson, July 2007) ISBN 0-529-12351-7
- Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope (Thomas Nelson, October 2007) ISBN 0-8499-0183-9
- Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices (Thomas Nelson, May 2008) ISBN 0-8499-0114-6
- The Justice Project (Baker, September 2009), edited with Elisa Padilla, and Ashley Bunting Seeber ISBN 0-8010-1328-3
- A New Kind of Christianity (HarperOne, February 2010) ISBN 0-06-185398-4
- Naked Spirituality: A Life With God in 12 Simple Words (HarperOne, March 2011) ISBN 0-06-185401-8
- Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World (Jericho Books, September 2012) ISBN 978-1-4555-1396-3
- We Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation (Jericho Books, June 2014) ISBN 9781455514007
- The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World's Largest Religion Is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian (Convergent Books, September 2017)