March 2, 2021
Dear BTI Students, Faculty, and Community,

Over the last few weeks I have felt a strange heaviness. There is a sense of exhaustion and fatigue that I just can't seem to shake. Perhaps some of you can relate. As we approach the one year anniversary of last spring's Covid lock downs, our bodies are reminding us of the toll of the last year. Between the growing pandemic fatigue, upcoming midterms, and the general stresses of living, if you are feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone.

So, during this time of stress, we thought it might be a prime moment to highlight some resources for self-care and stress relief. Check out these links and remember to take care and be gentle with yourself.





Peace,

Chloe McLaughlin
Internal Projects Manager and BTI Graduate Assistant

To submit events, resources, or job opportunities to be publicized in our newsletter or on our website, email information (including links and graphics) to Chloe at btinews@bostontheological.org.
Upcoming ONLINE Events
Panel Discussion. Wednesday, March 3, 2:00-3:00 PM EST. Hosted by the Harvard Divinity School Office of Development and External Relations.  
Reflection and panel discussion on how and where spirituality, social justice, and climate change come together and intersect within faith traditions.
Speakers:
• Dan McKanan, AB ’89, Ralph Waldo Emerson UUA Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School
• Sofía Betancourt, Associate Professor of Unitarian Universalist Theologies and Ethics at Starr King School for the Ministry
• Elizabeth Eaton, MDiv ’80, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Rosalyn LaPier, WSRP '17, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies at University of Montana
Panel with the Author. Monday, March 8, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Hosted by the Boston University School of Theology Alumni Center.
 
Come celebrate the new biography of Howard Thurman, "Against the Hounds of Hell," written by Peter Eisenstadt. The author will be in conversation with Thurman scholars Dr. Walter Fluker, Dr. Shively T.J. Smith, and Rabbi Or Rose. This event is co-sponsored by the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, Hebrew College, and Boston University School of Theology.
Of Faith and Fatherlands
Webinar. Thursday, March 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Hosted by the Religion and Conflict Transformation program at Boston University School of Theology   
A panel discussion on the role of Christianity in the Argentinian, Brazilian, Peruvian, and Spanish dictatorships, as told by the survivors and their descendants. Featuring Dr. Nina Balmaceda (Peru), Dr. Alejandro Botta (Argentina), and Ms. Elisa Díaz Kondor (Spain), Dr. Tom Porter (Respondent), Dr. Felipe Maia (Brazil; Moderator). Join the Zoom.
Dialogue. Thursday, March 4, 7:00-8:15 p.m. Hosted by the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. The ISBCE Dialogues "is a monthly series of informative, captivating and educational dialogues with national & international thought leaders on relevant topics impacting the global Church and the Black Christian Experience.” These events are streamed LIVE on the ISBCE FaceBook Page and the ISBCE YouTube Page every first Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM (EST).
Conference. March 8-11, Presentations and Panels throughout the week. Hosted by Lumen et Vita at Boston College. Please join Lumen et Vita for our spring 2021 conference: A Feast for All Peoples. Our keynote speaker, Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the El Paso diocese, invited the faithful last summer to "Look at the witness of those who are bravely taking up their parts in the drama of salvation unfolding in front of us." These words are perhaps more relevant now than when they were first proclaimed, in the wake of the continuing global pandemic, racial violence, and the recent attacks at the U.S. Capitol. Through this conference, we hope to lift the prophetic witness of the marginalized in the constant pursuit of a more just world.
This year our conference looks a little different, but we hope to continue to be a space where graduate students can join together in dialogue and scholarship. Over the course of the week of March 8, twelve student papers and presentations will be released along with a discussion guide. Presentations will feature students from Boston College, Regis College, Villanova University, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, Fordham University, Marquette University, Wesley Theological Seminary, and the University of Notre Dame.
The conference will feature a prerecorded keynote address and live Zoom webinar for Q&A with Bishop Seitz during the conference week. Additionally, we will host a "Happy Hour with the Authors" event the Monday following the conference for continued discussion amongst our authors and other graduate students.
Webinar. Wednesday, March 10, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Hosted by Harvard Divinity Center for Religion and Public Life. On February 1, Myanmar’s military seized power in early morning coup. Almost immediately, citizens from across the country rose up in protest. Originating with health care workers, the protest movement quickly spread to encompass diverse communities and constituencies. Despite increased military intimidation in the form of nighttime arrests, use of force, and internet shortages, the largely youth-led civil disobedience movement has proven defiant. The protests have shown both extraordinary creativity and pragmatic coordination to provide mutual aid support for striking government employees and to forge trans-national alliances. In this deeply religious country, religious clergy, symbols, practices, charity networks, and places of worship have all featured as part of the protest landscape. In this online discussion, Burmese and Thai activists of diverse backgrounds will analyze the religious dimensions of both the coup and the response to it, demonstrating how an understanding of the religious dimension of current events can contribute to a fuller understanding of what is taking place.
Lecture. Tuesday, March 16, 5:00-6:30 pm EST. Hosted by the Harvard Divinity School Buddhist Community.
We are excited to invite you to join the third event in the Harvard Buddhist Community's 2021 Buddhism and Race Speaker Series. This event will feature Duncan Ryūken Williams, Professor in and the Chair of the USC School of Religion and Director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture in Los Angeles. He is the author of the LA Times bestseller American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War (Harvard University Press, 2019) about Buddhism and the WWII Japanese American internment. This event is free.

Graduate Student Conference. Sunday-Monday March 21-22, All Day. Hosted by Engaging Particularities of the Boston College Theology Department.  
All are welcome to attend the Boston College Theology Department's 18th annual graduate student conference in the areas of comparative theology, interreligious dialogue, theology of religions, and missiology. This year's special theme is Living Rituals through memory, language, and identity. Engaging Particularities will be held virtually on Zoom on March 21-22, 2021. A keynote lecture, "The Self Through the Other in Byzantine and Jewish Liturgies: A Comparative Exercise," will be offered by Rabbi Ruth Langer, Ph.D. of Boston College and Rev. Fr. Demetrios Tonias, Ph.D. of Hellenic College Holy Cross. Registration is free and open to the public.

Webinar/Panel Discussion. Thursday, March 4, 3:00-4:00 pm EST. Hosted by the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. Bishop Robert McElroy, E.J. Dionne, Massimo Faggioli, and Amy Uelmen will each offer three pieces of advice for President Joseph Biden on how to deal with the U.S. bishops, the abortion issue, Hispanic Catholics in the U.S., and a range of other social and political issues
Panel Discussion. Tuesday, March 9, 4:00-5:00PM EST. Hosted by the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. The presence of Islam in the United States can be traced to the arrival of slaves from Africa in the 17th century. Today, there are over 3.5 million Muslims in America representing a diversity of backgrounds. Approximately one-third of the community is African-American, one third is of South Asian descent, one quarter is of Arab descent, and the rest are from all over the world. The Boisi Center is interested in the fairly recent development of the US-based training of Muslim community leaders and imams, those Muslims who may lead Islamic worship, serve as community leaders, and provide religious guidance and pastoral care.  This webinar will explore the academic development of future US-based Muslim leaders and how the traditional role of foreign-born leaders is being expanded beyond scriptural mastery to encompass supporting Muslims as they navigate the diverse American cultural landscape.
Calls for Papers and Other Announcements
EXCITING NEWS from HARTFORD! 3 NEW degrees coming to Hartford Seminary this Fall!
Reinvention is a hallmark of Hartford Seminary, so it’s no surprise that this institution founded in the early 19th century has once again embarked on a quest to redefine its future.
Beginning this Fall, Hartford will offer a Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies, a Master of Arts in Chaplaincy, and a Master of Arts in International Peacebuilding.
The Women's Caucus of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) is accepting proposals for papers for the six sessions it holds at the AAR/SBL annual meeting, scheduled for November 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. The conference theme is “Religion, Poverty and Inequality: Contemplating Our Collective Futures." The Women's Caucus seeks papers that address this theme as it relates to women in the academy, both historically and today, and to the experience of women in religion. One may submit proposals on the same biographical subject to both the Women's Caucus and to Atla Open Press. Submissions will be accepted until March 8, 2021 (DEADLINE EXTENDED).
Call for chapters in the third volume of Women in Religion, published by Alta Open Press. This series is an outgrowth of “1000 Women in Religion”—a project of the Women’s Caucus of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature, which aims to increase recognition of women's contributions both to religious and spiritual traditions and to their academic study. The focus of the third volume is on Uncovering women’s stories from the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Please note that session 4 of the Women's Caucus at AAR/SBL 2021 on "Biographies about Women in Religion – Interreligious Harmony and Knowledge Equity: Issues for Women in the Parliament of the World’s Religions" corresponds to the same theme as the Atla monograph.
Submissions will be accepted until March 12, 2021.
Call for Papers for presentation at the fall workshop sponsored by Boston College Center for Christian-Jewish Learning and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
In light of the 2020 opening of the Vatican archives relating to the Pontificate of Pius XII, we welcome the submission of papers that present and discuss new archival research—previously unpublished or ongoing—on the Catholic Church and the Holocaust, as well as theoretical and conceptual papers on the possibilities and limitations of archival research for scholarship, truth-telling, and memory.Scholars and researchers from all disciplines, including religious studies, history, literature, sociology, political science, gender studies, and philosophy are welcome to submit proposals. Applicants should be working with (or preparing to work with) materials from oneor more Catholic archival collections relating to the Holocaust, including but not limited to the Vatican archives, nunciatures, diocesan archives, religious orders, Catholic universities and institutions, and relevant personal collections. This workshop will address the roles of the institutional and local Church and of individual Catholic actors, as they relate to the actions and motivations of the Church and its adherents, and the role of archival research in scholarship and the potential contribution of these findings to Jewish-Christian Relations.
Workshop applicants must be actively engaged in relevant archival research with appropriate academic credentials. Independent scholars and doctoral candidates will be considered. Applicants must fill out the short application and also submit:(1) a curriculum vitae; and (2) a 300-500 word paper proposal that indicates the archival sources (to be) consulted. Accepted submissions will be grouped into thematic sessions; applicantsare also welcometo submit a panel with 3-4 colleagues total.
Applications must be received in electronic form no later than May 15, 2021.
SCJR invites the submission of articles that engage with the roles of guilt, sin, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation in Christian-Jewish relations applying—but not limited to—theological, historical, psychological, sociological, and contemporary perspectives. Articles that seek to strengthen Jewish-Christian relations by examining or proposing Jewish and Christian responses are especially welcome.
Articles may be submitted through September 1, 2021.
Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium | www.bostontheological.org

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