We are delighted to welcome Dr. Reggie L. Williams, Associate Professor of Black Theology at St Louis University who will lead us for our Cathedral Forum this week.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German pastor and theologian who courageously opposed the Nazis amidst widespread national fervor for the Thousand-Year Reich they promised. He was among the earliest voices in Germany—one of a small minority of non-Jewish Germans and even fewer Christians—to recognize Nazism as a grave threat to the nation and a moral evil that Christians must resist. Ultimately, Bonhoeffer became involved in a resistance group that sought to assassinate Hitler in an effort to overthrow the regime and bring an end to World War II. For his defiance against the Nazis, he was executed at Flossenbürg concentration camp in April 1945, at the age of 39.
In the years following his death, scholars have pondered what allowed Bonhoeffer to perceive the dangers of the Nazi regime so clearly and so early, while most of his contemporaries did not. The book, Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance, by Reggie Williams, addresses this very question. In Sunday’s discussion, we will explore the theme of Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus; the time when Bonhoeffer developed the insight to recognize racism as a profound Christian issue, thus solidifying his legacy as one of the most prominent political theologians of his time."
Our Cathedral Forum series provides occasions to discuss topics ranging from politics to spirituality, economics, and literature, with fascinating guest speakers. The Forum seeks to help parishioners deepen their understanding of Christian faith and life, drawing on scripture, reason and tradition to understand its relevance to our lives and to our world, attentive to God's hand in the co-evolution of our world and of our church.
This is a hybrid forum; please join us in the Parish Hall or on Zoom.
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Meeting ID: 890 7231 7909
Passcode: 371392
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