Newsline: Bethany Seminary to hold 2012 Presidential Forum

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl 
Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

Bethany Seminary to hold 2012 Presidential Forum

(Jan. 27, 2012) Elgin, IL -- "Joy and Suffering in the Body: Turning toward 
Each Other" is the theme of Bethany Theological Seminary's 2012 Presidential 
Forum, to be held April 13-14 at the seminary campus in Richmond, Ind.

The title of the forum refers to experiences both within individual bodies and 
our faith bodies. Ruthann Johansen, president of Bethany, describes the 
development of the theme: "For people of faith to be created in the image of 
God calls us to embrace the gifts of our sexuality and our spirituality and to 
treat our own and one another's lives with reverence. This forum topic will 
explore the intersections of human sexuality and spirituality openly to 
increase our understanding of ourselves and one another and to help us live in 
Christ-like integrity with compassion and justice toward all people."

The forum is also a response to the call stated in a report from the Standing 
Committee of district delegates to the 2011 Annual Conference of the Church of 
the Brethren--"to continue deeper conversations concerning human sexuality 
outside of the query process"--and to the recommendations of the 1983 Annual 
Conference statement, "Human Sexuality from a Christian Perspective."

James Forbes will be the keynote speaker, with an address titled "Who for the 
Joy Set Before Him." He is senior minister emeritus of Riverside Church in New 
York City and the Harry Emerson Fosdick Adjunct Professor of preaching at Union 
Theological Seminary. He is also president of the Healing of the Nations 
Foundation, which draws its mission from Revelation 22:2: "And the leaves of 
the tree are for the healing of the nations."

Panelists representing the fields of medicine, ecclesiology and sexuality, 
Christian history, religion and psychiatry, and biblical studies will round out 
leadership. They include David E. Fuchs, MD; David Hunter, Cottrill-Rolfes 
Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Kentucky; Gayle Gerber Koontz, 
professor of theology and ethics at Mennonite Biblical Seminary; Amy Bentley 
Lamborn, assistant professor of pastoral theology at General Theological 
Seminary; and Ken Stone, academic dean and professor of Hebrew Bible, culture, 
and hermeneutics at Chicago Theological Seminary. Each panelist's presentation 
will incorporate opportunity for audience discussion.

Parker Thompson, Bethany student and coordinator of the Forum Planning 
Committee, says, "Guided by the command to 'Love the Lord your God with all 
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind' (Matthew 22:37), we 
were looking for leaders who could address spirituality and sexuality in the 
full context of Christian living. In seeing Dr. Forbes preach at a conference 
in Chicago on urban ministry, I experienced him to be an amazingly embodied 
preacher with a gift and a passion for seeking healing in this broken world. 
Each of the panelists is excited about contributing her or his unique expertise 
to the forum's holistic approach to spirituality and sexuality."

As a complementing event, a Pre-Forum Gathering is planned for April 12-13, 
sponsored by Bethany's Alumni/ae Coordinating Council. "The gathering will 
bring alumni/ae and other interested persons together for educational 
presentations by faculty as well as the opportunity to reconnect and meet new 
friends," says council member Greg Davidson Laszakovits. "Rooted in the 
Presidential Forum's theme of spirituality and sexuality, this event will take 
a practical approach toward equipping participants to work with these real-life 
issues in their ministries and lives."

Attendees of the Pre-Forum Gathering will hear four sessions presented by 
faculty from Bethany and Earlham School of Religion: Julie M. Hostetter, 
director of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership; Russell Haitch, 
associate professor of Christian education and director of the Institute for 
Ministry with Youth and Young Adults at Bethany; Jim Higginbotham, assistant 
professor of pastoral care and counseling at ESR; and Dan Ulrich, professor of 
New Testament studies at Bethany. This event is the second of its kind to be 
held in conjunction with a Presidential Forum.

Continuing education units are available for both events. Those attending the 
Pre-Forum Gathering can earn 0.5 units, while forum attendees can earn up to 
0.6 units. Participants must attend all sessions on a given day to receive 
credit.

The 2012 forum is the fourth in a series begun in 2008. "The Presidential 
Forums were inaugurated to develop substantive topics that thoughtfully and 
prophetically address issues of faith and ethics and that enable the seminary 
to provide visionary, educational leadership for the church and society," 
states Johansen. In Fall 2010, Bethany received a generous grant from the 
Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to endow the Presidential Forums.

Forum and pre-forum activities will include worship services and a concert by 
the band Mutual Kumquat. The forum also will feature the artwork of ESR 
graduate Melanie Weidner, whose painting "Between Us" is serving as the feature 
piece of the forum.

The Pre-Forum Gathering will begin with dinner and fellowship on Thursday, 
April 12; the forum will likewise begin with dinner and worship on Friday, 
April 13. Discounted rates are available for students. For a complete schedule 
and session descriptions, registration information, and housing options, visit 
www.bethanyseminary.edu/forum2012. For further questions, contact 
forum@bethanyseminary.edu. Registration will be capped at 150 participants.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing 
the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith 
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 
300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 123,000 members across the United 
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, 
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

(Jenny Williams, director of communications and alumni/ae relations at Bethany 
Seminary, provided this release.)

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org