Ghost Ranch Seminar -- July 25-31

PATHS TO A JUST AND PEACEFUL WORLD

[9-1-04]

In partnership with
The Witherspoon Society,
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
and Presbyterians for Restoring Creation

National and global events seem to be spiraling out of control, whether it is U.S. militarism/imperialism, the earth's environment, massive hunger and disease, millions of refugees and immigrants looking for survival, or the growing chasm between the rich and poor. The groups sponsoring the seminar feel it is essential that discernment and discussion take place in our congregations about a different future for our planet -- concern for the common good of all created life, for just relations between peoples and nations. Should not the church be part of the growing international movement to outlaw war and abolish the development of increasingly lethal weapons? Looking at these issues from a biblical, theological and historical background we will be led by three knowledgeable and experienced presenters. Using Colombia as a case study, we will explore how alternatives to militarism could bring peace and justice to this war-ravaged nation. Our discussions will center on what is necessary to bring the vision of a just and healthy world to fruition?

Leaders will include:

Maria Arroyo de Kemmerle, Area coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Worldwide Ministries Division of the PC(USA). She is responsible for nurturing and developing the PC(USA)'s relationships with Presbyterian and Reformed churches in the region, and she's a resource on the region for other GAC entities, presbyteries, and congregations. Born and raised in Mexico City, she has worked in Nicaragua (1986-87) and Chiapas (1988-89). She was a PC(USA) mission worker in Brazil from 1989 to 1995. She came to live in the U.S. in 1995. Married, she is the mother of two boys. In the Spring of 2004 she accompanied Moderator Susan Andrews to Colombia where they met with Colombian Presbyterians, a community of displaced people, and human rights workers to learn about the 40-year conflict the nation has suffered.

Mark Lewis Taylor, the Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Theology and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ. Among his numerous books is The Executed God: The Way of the Cross through Lockdown America (2001). His essays and organizing focus are on U.S. policy in Mesoamerica, political prisoner and criminal justice movements in the U.S., anti-war peace work and prophetic resistance to empire. During 2003-2004, he was Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki Colloquium of Advanced Studies, working on a project called "Postcolonial Theory and Liberation Theology." The research and writing for the year are reflected in a book he is now writing, Prophetic Spirit: Beyond American Empire and Romance. He has spent time in Guatemala, Chiapas and Haiti.

Anne Llewellyn Barstow, an historian and activist. Arrested at Ft. Benning for protesting its teaching of terrorism to Latin American military, she has made fifteen human rights trips to Latin America, including three to Colombia. A member of the National Committee of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, she has served the national church as a writer on the CONA document on nuclear war and the current Terrorism and Religion statement. She is the editor of War's Dirty Secret: Rape, Prostitution, and Other Crimes Against Women (2000). At the SUNY College at Old Westbury she taught Women's Studies and Peace Studies courses. She served on the board of Witness for Peace from 1990-1999, two of those years as chair.