What’s theology got
to do with it?
What is Renewal?
The Renewal Conference is Iliff’s annual community gathering to share our work, hear timely messages from a variety of experts, and spend time in fellowship. Each year, we focus on a different overall theme which is relevant to our society in those moments, and each day provides content focused on part of the conference theme. For the 2021 – 2022 season, we are considering how theology frames and is framed by world events and the role of Iliff in light of these theological connections.
Through 2021, we will continue with the monthly online event series. We will be partnering with faculty, staff, alumni, students, and community members to discuss the role theology plays in their work and in the world.
Thursday, May 26, 2022, at 6 p.m. (MST)
“What’s Theology got to do with Beer?”
Where does the history of brewing beer intersect with the history of the church? Is brewing beer a spiritual practice? Why do we flock to breweries and pubs to build community and enjoy a pint? Join Dr. Albert Hernandez and Betsy Lay as they discuss these connections at a unique Renewal event at Lady Justice Brewing company.
Enjoy an included craft beer or seltzer and snacks with your registration. Non-alcoholic drinks will be available as well.
Registration: $20 | $15 for all students and Iliff faculty and staff.
Presenters:
Dr. Albert Hernández is associate professor of the history of Christianity at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and core faculty member of the Joint Ph.D. Program in the Study of Religion at the University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology. His teaching areas include the history of Christianity from Ancient times to the Medieval and Early Modern periods. His research interests include Islam and Christianity in the middle ages, the Crusades, the history of pneumatology and Christian healing traditions, Christian mysticism and revitalization movements, the Italian Renaissance, and the history of science and medicine. During his career, he has also served in executive leadership positions such as senior vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty, chief operations officer, interim president and chief executive officer. Dr. Hernández is the author of Subversive Fire: The Untold Story of Pentecost (Emeth Press, 2010), and co-author with Miguel De La Torre of the theological best-seller: The Quest for the Historical Satan (Fortress Press, 2011).
Thursday, April 21, 2022, at 12 noon (MST)
“What’s Theology got to do with Creativity?”
How do we connect theology with creativity? In a field marked by centuries of tradition, where can we create spaces for new ideas and new ways of thinking? How do we step outside existing systems to build something new? This Renewal session will be an opportunity to hear from three Associates of the Iliff Ministry Incubator, an initiative that connects those who want to find new ways to do ministry and new spaces to serve. The panelists will share about their ministries, their experience with the Incubator, and what they plan to do next.
Presenters:
Moderator:
Elizabeth Burg (MDiv ’11) Leader of the Iliff Ministry Incubator
Panelists:
Chaune Schafer (MTS ’21) Ministry Incubator Associate
Wednesday, March 23, 2022, at 12 noon (MST)
“What’s Theology got to do with Listening to Spiritual Struggles?”
How do we connect theology with struggle? In this workshop, a follow up to the January Renewal workshop, we will explore how to use deep listening skills in conversation about spiritual struggles. After sharing research on why conversations about spiritual struggles are important, the session leaders will model how to begin a conversation with others using these two questions: “What do you struggle with in your own spirituality?” and “What helps?” This conversation guide puts into practice Iliff’s interreligious respect for each person’s practices, values, and beliefs. Participants will get a chance to use the conversation guide in breakout pairs.
Presenters:
Dr.Carrie Doehring is Iliff’s Clifford Baldridge Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling. She is a veteran pastoral theologian and a pioneer in the pastoral work of trauma care and moral injury.
Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at 12 noon (MST)
“What’s theology got to do with Congregational Vitality in the time of COVID?”
What does vitality and health look like for congregations today, and is a vital congregation also a growing one? This session will explore and challenge prevailing notions about vitality and growth, as well as offer preliminary insights from the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations and Faith Communities Today research initiatives on what vitality might look like moving forward. These insights will be placed in context by ReSource Vitality and Visioning in Rural Ministry course participant Amanda Marilyn Josiah, who will share about vitality and the pandemic in local South African church contexts.
Presenters:
Dr. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi is the Assistant Professor of Leadership and Formation and Director of the Office of Professional Formation at Iliff. Her interests include organizational leadership, ministry planning and evaluation, liberative theological and postcolonial approaches to ministry and congregational life, church vitality and growth, young adult spirituality, and intersectional pedagogical practices. Lizardy-Hajbi is the author of the report American Congregations 2015 Engaging Young Adults outlining the state of young adult presence and ministry in U.S. congregational life based on the results of the Faith Communities Today (FACT) Survey. She was also the first co-chair of the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, the multi-faith association of researchers responsible for the FACT National Survey of Congregations. In addition, Dr. Lizardy-Hajbi has contributed chapters to The Power of Story: Seeking Renewal and Wholeness in A World That Feels Divided (2018), Sacred Habits: The Rise of the Creative Clergy (2016), and How Religious Congregations Are Engaging Young Adults in America (2015) and has published articles in both theological and educational journals. She has also written numerous denominational research reports for the United Church of Christ.
Thursday, November 11, 2021, at 11:30 a.m (MST)
“What’s theology got to do with Embodiment?”
How does theology play into our understanding of humanity? What is embedded theology and where does it come from? How is our theology connected to our physical bodies, and how does it frame our view of the physical bodies of others?
Join the Iliff community for our November Renewal session that asks how theology connects to embodiment, anthropology and complex humanity.
Presenters:
Dr. Lisa Dellinger (Chickasaw Nation) is the Tinker Visiting Professor for AY 2021-22. A recent Ph.D. graduate of the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, Dr. Dellinger is currently the Visiting Assistant Professor of Constructive Theologies and Louisville Postdoctoral Fellow at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
With regards to her research, Dr. Dellinger shared the following: “I take seriously the intersections and the irreconcilabilities between Native American Indian Theory and Christian Theology as they are embodied through a Native context/hermeneutic. I aspire to enrich the academy by offering scholarship that reflects the complexity of contemporary Native Peoples lives within and outside of the Christian faith.”
Register here to receive the video recording of Dr. Lisa’s presentation.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 12 noon (MST)
“What’s theology got to do with a pandemic?”
What can we learn about the COVID-19 pandemic by considering how the Renaissance responded to the Black Death? Why do pandemics seem to generate piety, and does that piety last? What are the long-term effects of pandemics—psychological, traumatic, seen and unseen? The ancient origins of the world ‘religion’ mean ‘to reconnect;’ how is reconnecting and promoting integration part of our response to pandemics, historically and today?
Join the Iliff community for our October Renewal session that asks how theology connects to pandemics historically and today.
Presenters:
Dr. Albert Hernández is associate professor of the history of Christianity at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and core faculty member of the Joint Ph.D. Program in the Study of Religion at the University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology. His teaching areas include the history of Christianity from Ancient times to the Medieval and Early Modern periods. His research interests include Islam and Christianity in the middle ages, the Crusades, the history of pneumatology and Christian healing traditions, Christian mysticism and revitalization movements, the Italian Renaissance, and the history of science and medicine. During his career, he has also served in executive leadership positions such as senior vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty, chief operations officer, interim president and chief executive officer. Dr. Hernández is the author of Subversive Fire: The Untold Story of Pentecost (Emeth Press, 2010), and co-author with Miguel De La Torre of the theological best-seller: The Quest for the Historical Satan (Fortress Press, 2011).
Melissa Scott-Dixon is a mental health therapist in private practice and a third year Journey MDiv Student at Iliff School of Theology. She writes and presents regularly on the intersections of faith, mental health, and justice. A candidate for ordained ministry in the UMC, she seeks to create trauma-informed and radically inclusive faith spaces to meet the needs of 21st-century spiritual seekers.
Bjorn Holmquist is a student in the joint PhD program and is currently composing a post-humanist theology around materiality and unconditional love, which expresses creativity as a way towards actualizing social justice.
Inspired by a curiosity about other cultures, Kathi Schlegel has spent the last 30 years traveling, reading and exploring how people see the world through the lens of family, food, music, social interactions and religion. After raising three responsible and curious children, Kathi embarked on an academic journey to dig deeper into various aspects of religious studies. The experience as a masters student has provided a broad stroke across many subjects within the discipline, which has been both fascinating and sometimes frustrating for her, as so many classes have been intriguing for future study. As she completes the final quarter of her Masters in Theological Studies at Iliff School of Theology, Kathi is motivated to hone her studies, focusing on the intersection of psychology and religion with emphasis on well-being, and religious/spiritual practices that expand resilience, particularly in the healthcare field, especially with those experiencing trauma and burnout. Kathi will write her thesis for her masters this fall quarter on this subject, using research from scholars such as Kenneth Pargament, Tyler VanderWeele, Julie Exline and Anthony Petro; with the intention of expanding the exploration through a doctoral program. Kathi is active in the Denver philanthropic community, participates in a quarterly Salon that she organized focused on discussing books, art and music, and enjoys hiking, fishing and skiing in the Colorado mountains with her husband of 32 years.
Carolyn PIttman is an African American female, retired military, and Licensed Local Pastor UMC of a small African American elderly congregation. She is in the final two quarters of her MDiv at Iliff. She has served as a clinical chaplain at a Methodist hospital in San Antonio, TX, for several years, and has seen first-hand the health inequities of African Americans, brought to the forefront in the COVID pandemic. She is continuing to work with the Wesley community nurse and Methodist healthcare ministries to integrate spirituality with clinical care for underserved communities.