Garrett-Evangelical Faculty to Present at Post-Way-Forward Gathering for UM Scholars

July 24, 2019

On August 7-8, 2019, some 60 United Methodist scholars will gather at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas,

• in protest against the long-time stance of the denomination prohibiting same-sex marriage and ordination of homosexuals and the punitive measures of the traditional plan passed at the special session of the General Conference in February,
• to cast a vision for a church inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community,
• and to engage in dialogue intended to support progressive and centrists movements and congregations as they determine what might come next for the denomination.
• These scholars are laypersons, deacons, and elders. They represent approximately 20 different academic disciplines and come from over 25 different annual conferences and over 30 different seminaries, colleges, agencies, and churches.

Dr. Rolf Nolasco, a member of the steering committee for this gathering and Professor of Pastoral Theology at Garrett-Evangelical, will present. His presentation is titled, “Resisting Sacred Violence through Contemplative Practice and Positive Mimesis.” Rev. Dr. Cheryl Anderson, Professor of Old Testament at Garrett-Evangelical, will present and her presentation is titled, “More Than Meets the Eye: Why How We Read the Bible Deserves More Attention.” In addition, Dr. Jonathan LeMaster-Smith, adjunct faculty at Garrett-Evangelical, will present. His presentation is titled, “The Rural Church in Connection After General Conference 2019.” Garrett-Evangelical’s PhD candidate, Rev. Michelle Whitlock, will deliver a presentation titled, “Breaking the Baptismal Covenant.”

The UM Scholars will stream 34 presentations on the internet for live viewing and then post recordings of the presentations on YouTube for later use and to spark conversation in congregational, clergy, and organizational settings. For a schedule of the livestream of the presentations, go to llumc.org/umscholars.

For more information concerning the Gathering, go to UMScholars.org.