Mahle Lecture in Progressive Christian Thought

In today’s world, filled with war, religious strife, and conflict, it sometimes seems hard for people to connect and build relationships across differences. We're trying to change that.

On Tuesday, April 16, Hamline hosted its annual Mahle Lecture in Progressive Christian thought and workshop, focusing on a practice called Scriptural Reasoning. Two of the founders of Scriptural Reasoning, Dr. Peter Ochs of the University of Virginia and Dr. David Ford of the University of Cambridge, led a workshop showing how this practice works. Then, after a meal, Dr. Ford discussed this practice, how it works, and how it helps people of different faith traditions understand each other better in his keynote address entitled, "The Promise of Scriptural Reasoning."

We all want peace. Why not try reasoning?

Focusing on interreligious dialogue through study is a way to improve our ability to bring such diverse views together through respectful, rich, and non-reductive thought, practice, and pedagogy.

The Stephen and Kathi Austin Mahle Endowed Fund for Progressive Christian Thought was created to support the efforts of Hamline University toward exploring and articulating contemporary forms of Christian theology and providing students opportunities to learn its relevance to personal, social, political, and economic life.

Through the Mahle Lecture series we explore and articulate contemporary forms of Christian Theology through the lens of Lived Theology. During our annual lecture series, we explore and articulate the thought and spiritual biographies of invited activists, scholars, and community and faith leaders who are actively working to transform society based, at least in part, on their spiritual and religious convictions. The fruit of each lecture series is an articulation of spiritual visions aimed at inspiring moral imagination and civil courage as we face stark inequalities and work together to take the lead in building a more just world.

• "Teaching Religion and Race in Predominantly White Institutions," Dr. David Evans, Dr. Tobin Miller Shearer (2023)
• "Artistic Expression as Mobilization Workshop," Joe Davis (2023)
• "Introduction to Health, Wellness, and Healing from Trauma Workshop," The Irreducible Grace Foundation (2023)
• "Let's Not Go Back to Normal: Racial Reckoning, Repair, and Reconciliation," Rev. Nekima Levy Armstrong, Joe Davis, Dr. Alton B. Pollard, III, Amanzi Arnett, Dr. Iva B. Carruthers, and Rev. Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung (2022)
• "Who are We? Christian Nationalism, White Supremacy, and Pathways to Liberation," The Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, The Rev. Adam Lawrence Dryer, Robert P. Jones, and Katherine Stewart (2021)
• "Imago Dei in an Age of Selfies, Separations and Schisms," Bishop Karen P. Oliveto (2020)
• "Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology," Dr. Carol P. Christ and Dr. Judith Plaskow (2018)
• "Hearing Earth in our Time: Ecowomanism, African American Women, and Earth-Honoring Faiths," Dr. Melanie L. Harris (2018)
• “Healing, Wholeness, Holiness: Religious Responses to Trauma and Illness,” Dr. Shelly Rambo (2017)
• "Eco-Theology for the Heartland: A Bioregional Approach," Dr. Timothy Eberhart (2016)
• "Religious Life, Public Life, and the Adventure of Civility," Krista Tippett (2015)
• "Are the Gospels of Mary, Thomas and Truth Scripture? Imagining New Ways of Reading the Bible in the 21st Century," Dr. Hal Traussig (2015)
• "Becoming Buddhist When Jesus Isn't Enough: A Third Wave Womanist Negotiation of Race, Gender and Religion," Dr. Monica A. Coleman (2014)
• "Occupy Religion?: Reimagining the God of the Multitude," Dr. Joerg Rieger (2013)
• "World Balance vs. Personal Salvation in American Indian Postcolonial Perspective," Dr. George 'Tink" Tinker (2012)
• "Holy Food & Groceries: How Feeding and Healing Transforms Lives," Sara Miles (2011)
• "Finding Beauty in a Broken World," Terry Tempest Williams (2010)
• "Saving Paradise: A Life-Affirming Christianity for the 21st Century," Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock (2009)

News about the Mahle lecture