Crossan and Rieger Take On Empire at Dykes Foundation Seminars

Posted on Oct 03, 2009 - 10:55 PM

Crossan and Rieger Take On Empire at Dykes Foundation Seminars

October 23-24, 2009, Richardson, Texas:  Internationally known scholars and authors John Dominic Crossan and Joerg Rieger discussed the problem of empire—both historical and contemporary—in a two-day seminar at First United Methodist Church in Richardson, Texas.  Entitled “God and Imperial Power: Jesus and Economic Justice,” the seminar featured short talks by each speaker, followed by questions from the audience.  The Richardson sessions drew around 350 attendees. Crossan and Rieger also gave a seminar entitled “Empire and Grass-Roots Resistance” on Sunday, October 25, in Temple, Texas.

The talks brought out the two scholars’ different views of “empire.”  Crossan defined empire as one nation or people using other nations or peoples to further its own interests.  Rieger described empire as that which seeks to shape all of life, that which presents itself as the only alternative, and that which concentrates wealth and power in the hands of a few.

In the Richardson sessions, Crossan focused on the contemporary relevance of events from the time of Jesus and Paul.  He discussed the following topics: Rome’s Kingdom versus the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus; economic exploitation on the Sea of Galilee and its impact on the early disciples of Jesus; the death of Jesus as non-violent resistance to a violent empire; and the resurrection of Jesus as communal vindication of non-violent resistance to empire.

In his talks, Rieger traced an ongoing ambivalence toward empire in the subsequent Christian tradition, finding both legitimation of empire and resistance to it.  His topics included: the ambivalence of the Nicene Creed; empire and resistance in the theology of Anselm of Canterbury; and the effect of European colonialism on the theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher.  In his final talk, Rieger reflected on empire in postcolonial times and suggested a way forward: locating truth from the bottom, not top-down.

The Richardson sessions drew a diverse group of attendees, including grass-roots activists, religious leaders, seminarians, and laypersons from various religious traditions and denominations.  Audience members participated actively in the Q&A sessions.  Several audience members reported that the issues raised in the talks were too often absent from discussions in their congregational settings; other attendees discussed the importance of these issues in their struggles to live lives as faithful persons.

John Dominic Crossan (http://www.johndominiccrossan.com) is one of the world’s leading historical-Jesus scholars. His provocative work has captured the imagination of traditional churchgoers and secular audiences alike through groundbreaking books and articles; hundreds of radio and TV appearances; insightful teaching in video series such as the FAITHANDREASON Video series and the Living the Questions courses; and lectures to both lay and scholarly audiences throughout the U.S. and in numerous other countries. A lifelong Roman Catholic, originally from Ireland, and a former priest, he is professor emeritus in Religious Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, where he taught for over 25 years. For many years, he co-chaired a group of eminent American scholars who research the oldest known Christian scriptures and discuss what careful historical reading implies for modern faith and practice. Five of his 23 books have been national religious best-sellers: The Historical Jesus. The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant (1991); Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography (1994); Who Killed Jesus? Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus (1995); The Birth of Christianity (1998); and In Search of Paul: How Jesus’ Apostle Opposed Rome’s Empire with God’s Kingdom (2004). One of his latest books is God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now (2007).

Joerg Rieger (http://www.smu.edu/Perkins/FacultyAcademics/DirectoryList/Rieger.aspx) was recently named the Wendland-Cook Professor of Constructive Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. His work addresses the relation of theology to public life, using tools from cultural studies, critical theory, and religious studies, and reflecting on the misuse of power in politics and economics. A United Methodist clergyman and a native of Germany, he has lectured in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. He is active in Jobs with Justice in North Texas and is co-founder of the Workers’ Rights Board in the Dallas area. His books include Christ and Empire: From Paul to Postcolonial Times (2007); Opting for the Margins: Postmodernity and Liberation in Christian Theology (ed., 2003); God and the Excluded: Visions and Blindspots in Contemporary Theology (2001); and Remember the Poor: The Challenge to Theology in the Twenty-First Century (1998). His most recent book, No Rising Tide: Theology, Economics, and the Future, appeared in fall 2009. A volume that he co-authored with Brazilian theologian Jung Mo Sung and Argentinian theologian Néstor Míguez, titled Beyond the Spirit of Empire: New Perspectives in Politics and Religion, is also forthcoming in October.

The Richardson seminar was sponsored by SMU’s Perkins School of Theology;  the D. L. Dykes, Jr. Foundation (http://www.faithandreason.org); the Joe B. and Louise P. Cook Foundation; and the Progressive Christian Center of the South (http://www.pccsouth.org). Additional North Texas supporters include Arapaho United Methodist Church; the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance; the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration; First Community Church; Grace United Methodist Church; Greenland Hills United Methodist Church; Northaven United Methodist Church; Pax Christi Dallas; and the Progressive Center of Texas.

The Temple seminar was co-sponsored by the D. L. Dykes, Jr. Foundation (http://www.faithandreason.org); the Joe B. and Louise P. Cook Foundation; and the Progressive Christian Center of the South (http://www.pccsouth.org). Additional Central Texas supporters included the Discoverers Class of First United Methodist Church, Belton; the Journey of Faith United Methodist Church, Round Rock; the Sojourners Class of Foundation United Methodist Church, Temple; the Sophia Seekers of Georgetown; the Temple area Living the Questions group; and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bell County.

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