10 lessons to help you reimagine 2022

The Doctrine of Discovery and the Rise of Christian Nationalism

The Doctrine of Discovery is the theological justification behind discovery, Indian removal and the ethnic cleansing of Manifest Destiny, as well as slavery and Jim Crow laws. It is also the impetus behind both the implicit and explicit manifestations of Christian Nationalism and racial injustice seen throughout our county the past months and years.

Overview of the CCDA Philosophy 2021

This workshop will introduce the 8 Key Components of the Christian Community Development Philosophy. Together, attendees and facilitators will discover how this approach to ministry can restore and transform lives, communities, and systems.

Unleavened Bread: Reimagining theological faithfulness in the aftermath of deconstruction and the unveiling of whiteness

This workshop is for those who ever the past decade have been vexed by the public exposing of whiteness, devastated by toxic theology, theology, and experienced the arduous, messy process of deconstruction. We will examine what it means to build theological frameworks in light of lived experience, church history, current events, and scriptural revelation. If you are ready to reclaim and renovate a life of christian faithfulness and praxis that reminds you of Jesus and leaves your integrity intact, this workshop is for you.

Circle City: Transforming Communities and Systems through Restorative Practices

This workshop will provide an overview of RP, and give participants the opportunity to experience a Restorative Practice Circle. Dina Thompson and Marie Moy will share their wholistic approach to engage schools, organizations, the criminal justice system, and neighborhoods, which addresses racial equity and justice, and reimagines traditional means of discipline that places accountability and support in the hands of the community.

Subversive Witness: Scripture’s Call to Leverage Privilege

Instead of denying that privilege exists, sidestepping the topic, or feeling overwhelmed by its weight, the gospel demonstrates how we should deal with privilege. Scripture affirms that privilege is real and declares that while we have the option to exploit it for selfish gain or passively benefit from it, we are called to soberly acknowledge and faithfully steward it. Missionally, we are commissioned to leverage privilege to further the kingdom and love our neighbor. This workshop will address the impact of unbridled privilege but will then move towards exploring the generative potential of privilege when it is properly understood and faithfully stewarded. Come learn how privilege can become a subversive tool leveraged to engender social transformation and deeper kingdom participation.

Being a White Ally in White Spaces

White people wanting to be Allies may struggle to know when, where, and how to do their part to dismantle racism. This workshop aims to help White Allies navigate the White spaces they occupy so that they can better prepare for conflict and leverage their influence in the places where BIPOC people do not have access.

Deconstructing Privilege to Reimagine Equity

Presenters will spend a brief amount of time giving historical overview of the “created white race” formation within the US, both through supporting chattel slavery and continuing with the building of our American capitalist economy.

Pictures & media play a huge visual role in sustaining fear of “other” between Black, Indigenous, and People of Color/Culture (BIPOC) and those within the created white race in all areas of our country. So, the presenters will select a few slides showing pivotal moments in different areas of the country that highlight the historic roots of this scenario and how it manifests differently across the country… then, adding how moments shape movements to rectify or address the inequities.

Reimagining Your Relationship With Christ and the Church

The recent pandemic and events of the past few years have challenged and even shaken the faith of many. The God we met in Sunday School or Youth group or even on a college campus now seems too small, too narrow, too white or too weak to match up to the ugliness of modern-day isms and the turmoil of our adult lives. This workshop is designed to help participants reconnect with a God who right now may feel foreign or distant and to reimagine a more just, loving and prophetic church and our place in it.

From Spiritual Bypassing to Entering Into Each Other’s Pain

The recent pandemic and events of the past few years have challenged and even shaken the faith of many. The God we met in Sunday School or Youth group or even on a college campus now seems too small, too narrow, too white or too weak to match up to the ugliness of modern-day isms and the turmoil of our adult lives. This workshop is designed to help participants reconnect with a God who right now may feel foreign or distant and to reimagine a more just, loving and prophetic church and our place in it.

Reimagining Shalom: Peaceful Practices to Move Beyond Divided Politics

Can the Church withstand the divides of the current social context? Is the Church still “salt for the earth” when spiritual division within the body of Christ jeopardizes its witness? In a world and Church increasingly polarized, skills of conflict transformation and healthy dialogue are fundamental tools for living out a theology of peacemaking and reconciliation. The Church is called to creatively reimagine Shalom community by moving beyond political divides. In this workshop, participants will learn “peaceful practices” – skills for addressing divides present in their congregations and communities – as they imagine how to return hope to a splintered church.