The Theology Workshop invites you to join us on Monday, October 31, 12:00 – 1:30 PM in Swift 106, for a presentation and discussion of the significance of place for theological anthropology. This workshop will be led by Mary Emily Duba (PhD student in theology); Jeff Fowler will respond, and the workshop will be invited to think constructively and collaboratively around our theme.

“You are here.”  Behind this simplest of sentences lies a significant theological claim: What the human being is, as a creature made in the image of God, and who the human being is, in her dignity and difference, are intimately related to where the human being lives out her “being human.”  Historically, theological anthropology has understood the human person in abstraction from the particularities of place—as rational, for example, or relational. This abstraction distorts our understanding of the human person.

From Eden, through the wilderness, in the upper room, to the New Jerusalem, the Judeo-Christian scriptures tie their theological imagination to place.  From the loss of place in modern societies to the testimonies of climate refugees, ethical anthropological reflection demands attention to human experiences of emplacement and displacement.  In this workshop,  we will explore together the possibilities and implications of “re-grounding” theological anthropology, seeking insight into what it means to be homo geographicus, dwelling under the heavens and on the earth.

This workshop is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided. Costumes optional.

Persons with a disability who believe they may need assistance, please contact Aaron Hollander at athollander@uchicago.edu or Kyle Rader at kgr@uchicago.edu in advance.