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Participation by full-time faculty is expected
The 2012 Pre-College Conference has as its theme "Reconciliation: Hope in a Divided World," sharing the topic with this year's Critical Issues Symposium.
The programmatic segment of the PCC will return to its traditional time slot: Thursday afternoon – 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. – on August 23.
This year's keynote speaker will be Fr. Emmanuel Katongole, co-author with Chris Rice of Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing which has been selected as a common text for CIS. Emmanuel Katongole is Associate Professor of Theology and World Christianity at Duke Divinity School where he serves as co-director of the Center of Reconciliation. An ordained Roman Catholic priest, he is the author of Beyond Universal Reason: The Relations Between Religion and Ethics in the Work of Stanley Hauerwas (Notre Dame Press), African Theology Today (Scranton Press), and A Future for Africa (University of Scranton Press).
In the words of Associate Provost and CIS Co-Chair Alfredo Gonzales, reconciliation is "a critical issue in today’s broken and divided world, and Christians bear a special responsibility in working to promote it in all aspects of life." While the word "reconciliation" carries a wide range of connotations, and even of denotations, it is appropriate that, as Hope College focuses on reconciliation not simply as a critical issue to be informed about but as an important activity for the community to perform, we engage with an approach that draws on the rich resources of the Christian tradition to present reconciliation as first and foremost the activity of God.
Given the scale of global needs and conflict, the topic of reconciliation calls for serious discussion and deep understanding. In short, the brokenness and suffering of the world presents us with a real challenge: how does our faith evoke genuine and lasting hope in the midst of suffering and injustice? The approach and witness of Oscar Romero are quite germane to our pre-college conference: “Let no one be offended because we use the divine words read at our mass to shed light on the social, political and economic situation of our people." Each of us brings rich resources to this topic: learning, experience, faith, and even brokenness. Clearly, reconciliation is a compelling, significant and timely subject. We trust that this pre-college conference will both encourage and challenge you to reflect upon and engage reconciliation in new and inviting ways.
As part of the process of preparing for the new academic year, complimentary copies of Reconciling All Things are available for all interested faculty. Pick up in Lubbers 124 between 8am-5pm, or email Rajean Wolters (woltersr@hope.edu) to request a copy by campus mail.
An iBook or PDF of the study guide "Reconciliation: A Guide to Reconciling All Things" will soon be available at http://faculty.hope.edu/husbands/reconciliation/ . This guide may facilitate individual reflection and/or be distributed to students in classes where the book is used. Details will be forthcoming.
--the PCC Planning Group
- Virginia Beard
- Aaron Best
- Alfredo Gonzales
- Mark Husbands
- Julia Randel
- Bill Reynolds
Schedule
Registration - registration deadline: August 15
Additional Resources
New Faculty/Staff List
Boards
& Committees 2012-13 (preliminary
list) -requires
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