CHRISTIANS AND GLOBAL CONFLICT TOPIC OF LECTURE SERIES

Scholar Dr. Robert J. Schreiter to discuss
Christianity and the morality of war

Christian scholar and Catholic priest Dr. Robert J. Schreiter will highlight Dana College’s annual Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Series, April 10 and 11, on Dana’s campus in Blair, Neb.

Schreiter, currently Vatican Council II Professor of Theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and Professor of Theology and Culture at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, will lecture under the theme, “Christianity: The Nature, Place and Mission of the Church in an Age of Globalization.” His speech will cover how the aftermath of Sept. 11, the ongoing war against terrorism and the current conflict between the United States and Iraq influence the global mission of Christianity. Other topics include what the role of Christian churches in global conflicts should be and how American Christians should think of themselves in relation to the events around the globe.

“Needless to say, theses recent events have had an impact on politics, the economy and national security,” said Dr. Andrea Ng’weshemi, Dana College campus pastor and assistant professor of religion. “But these events have also raised religio-theological, moral and ethical questions.”

Schreiter’s major lecture and address will be open to the public at 7 p.m. on April 10 in Dana’s Trinity Chapel. He will also preach at 10:30 a.m. April 10 in a Service of the Word, also in Dana’s Trinity Chapel. Other lectures by Schreiter are planned for April 11. They include “Religion and Violence Today” at 10 a.m. and “Cross-cultural Realities in the Bible” at 11 a.m. All presentations are free and open to the public.

An architect of the “theology of reconciliation” and internationally recognized expert in the areas of world Christianity and globalization, Schreiter is interested in how the gospel is communicated in different cultures and contexts, and the way in which theology of reconciliation might shape Christian missionary activity today. He is a past president of the American Society of Missiology and Catholic Theological Society of America, and is the author of The Schillebeeckx Reader, Constructing Local Theologies, Mission in the Third Millennium, The New Catholicity: Theology Between the Global and the Local, The Ministry of Reconciliation, Communication and Interpretation Across Cultures, The Changing Context of Intercultural Theology: A Global View, Theology in the Third Millennium, and many essays and articles.

After studying psychology and philosophy in the United States, Schreiter went to Europe for his theological training. He completed his work at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands (1967–73) and received his doctorate there with honors in 1974. In 1973–74 he did additional study at Oxford University.

The Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Series is a project of the Thomas F. Staley Foundation of New York. This Lectureship was established in the fall of 1969 by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Staley of Rye, New York, in memory of their parents, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Staley and Judge and Mrs. H.H. Haynes. The Thomas F. Staley Foundation is firmly persuaded that the message of the Christian gospel, when proclaimed in its historical fullness, is always contemporary, relevant and meaningful to any generation. To this end, the Foundation seeks to bring to the college and university campuses of America distinguished scholars/artists who truly believe and can clearly communicate the Christian gospel to students.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution that currently enrolls approximately 600 students. The campus is located on 150 acres overlooking the Missouri River Valley in Blair, Neb. Dana grants bachelor’s degrees in more than 20 liberal arts, business, education and pre-professional programs, with an emphasis on personalized teaching from experience and dedicated faculty. Dana is affiliated with the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and its athletic teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

More information on Dana College can be found at www.dana.edu.

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For more information contact:

Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu