Candler School of Theology will host the 2021 Justo and Catherine González Lectures October 22-23 as a hybrid in-person/online event in partnership with the Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH). The theme is “Latinx Contributions to Theological Education.” The two-day event has limited in-person and unlimited online attendance available, with fees associated with both options. Registration for in-person attendance closes on Friday, October 8, and registration for online attendance closes on Wednesday, October 20.
Register here for either in-person or online options.
Para información en español, diríjase a este sitio.
The Lectures are named for Justo and Catherine González, whose scholarship and leadership have done much to enrich theological education, and whose impact extends to a variety of institutions globally, including those shaped by Hispanic/Latino/a/x contexts, white and Anglophone contexts, and the contexts of other communities and traditions. Classrooms across the country use Justo González’s 2-volume work The Story of Christianity in church history, and the pair’s contributions to the founding work of seminal organizations such as AETH have deeply influenced the whole ecology of theological education.
The event comes to Candler through the efforts of the Theological Education Between the Times (TEBT) project. TEBT launched in 2014 and is funded by grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. It aims to gather diverse groups of people to think in critical, theological ways about the meanings and purposes of theological education.
In the three project phases since, TEBT has hosted five regional consultations, published dozens of articles, supplied speakers for events hosted by organizations including AETH and the Association of Theological Schools, and produced an ongoing book series published by Eerdmans. Almar H. Shatford Professor of Preaching and Ethics Ted A. Smith 04G initiated and leads the project, along with Managing Director and Instructor in Theology, Ethics and Culture Lucila Crena 06C. AETH Executive Director Fernando Cascante served on the project’s initial board of advisors, and AETH and TEBT have worked closely together throughout the phases.
“Hispanic and Latina/o/x communities have pioneered an extraordinarily rich set of practices of teaching and learning. In this time of deep change, I think they have a lot to teach all of us who care about theological education,” Smith says. “I’m also thrilled that Justo González will be with us for the Lectures in person to offer words of welcome during our opening session, and that Catherine Gunsalus González will offer words of blessing at the end.”
The event will feature two keynote speakers, both senior fellows with the Theological Education Between the Times project: Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, network coordinator of theological entities for AETH, and Hosffman Ospino, chair and associate professor of theology and religious education in the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College and president of The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States.
Other speakers include Timothy Matovina, chair of theology and professor of history of Christianity at the University of Notre Dame; Roger Nam, professor of Hebrew Bible at Candler and director of Emory University’s Graduate Division of Religion; Angela Sims, president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School; Antonio Alonso, assistant professor of theology and culture and director of Catholic Studies at Candler; Robert Chao Romero, associate professor in the department of Chicana/o Studies, Central American Studies, and Asian American Studies at UCLA; Wilfredo Estrada Adorno, president of Universidad de Liderazgo y Ministerio (UNILIMI); Ruth Padilla DeBorst, dean of Vida y Misión, CETI Continental; and Joanne Solis-Walker, associate professor of practical theology at Northwest Nazarene University and consultant, coach, and international speaker at CaminoRoad.
“Candler is honored to be hosting AETH’s Justo and Catherine González Lectures as a wonderful educational opportunity for Candler, our stakeholders, and others across theological education at a time of remarkable change,” says Candler Dean Jan Love. “I’m especially excited about this year’s topic, which stresses Latinx contributions to theological education. Candler is committed to broadening and strengthening our commitment to Latino/a/x studies, including a current faculty search in the field, and we look forward to welcoming this collaboration with AETH as we pursue these goals.”
Register here for in-person or online options.
Para información en español, diríjase a este sitio.
Full schedule of events (all times are EDT):
Registration fees:
AETH members: $15 for online attendance, $25 for in-person
Non-AETH members: $30 for online attendance, $50 for in-person
Friday, October 22, 2021
4:00–5:30 p.m.: Atando Cabos: A conversatorio
Presenters: Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, Timothy Matovina, Roger Nam, Angela Sims
5:30–7:00 p.m.: Reception and Dinner (for in-person participants)
7:00–7:30 p.m.: Welcome and opening worship
Welcome from Jonathan Strom (senior associate dean of faculty and academic affairs at Candler), Lucila Crena, Fernando Cascante (executive director of AETH), and Justo González
Worship led by Antonio Alonso
7:30–8:30 p.m.: Keynote Address
Presenter: Hosffman Ospino
Saturday, October 23, 2021
9:30–10:30 a.m.: Keynote Address
Presenter: Elizabeth Conde-Frazier
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Panel: “Latinx Contributions to Theological Education”
Panelists: Robert Chao Romero, Wilfredo Estrada Adorno, Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Joanne Solis-Walker
12:00–12:30 p.m.: Closing Worship Service led by Antonio Alonso
Final blessing from Catherine Gunsalus González
About the González Lectures
In 2011, AETH inaugurated the Justo and Catherine González Resource Center in honor of Dr. Justo L. González and Dr. Catherine Gunsalus González, in recognition of their multiple contributions to AETH, to the theological formation of Hispanic/Latino(a) leaders, to Hispanic/Latino theology, and to contemporary theology in general. The González Lectures were launched as a living extension of the work of the Resource Center.
The Justo and Catherine González Lecture Series gathers denominational leaders, seminary professors, directors of Bible institutes, and pastors for reflection on topics relevant to the Hispanic church and community. Since its creation, the González Center has sponsored five lecture series: in 2012 at Asbury Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida; in 2014 at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California; in 2016 at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey; in 2018 at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC; and in 2019 in Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico Recinto Metro in San Juan, Puerto Rico.