Quarterly Speaker Series
A free virtual gathering where a speaker teaches us something new and then we ask them questions about it.
First Thursdays
Once per quarter
7:30pm - 9:00pm (Eastern)
4:30pm Pacific | 5:30 pm Mountain | 6:30 pm Central
The Quarterly Speaker Series began as a way to keep our members connected to mimetic theory, to each other, and to the everyday work of peacemaking in between our in-person gatherings. We invite speakers to present on Girardian (or adjacent) topics, followed by a moderated Q&A discussion to unpack the ideas together in community.
Past speakers
have included:
“The Double Bind of Racism” with racial reconciliation minister the Rev. Dr. Julia Robinson Moore
“The Political Responsibility of the Church” with the Rev. Dr. Mark Brocker, former president of the International Bonhoeffer Society
“Somatic Body Work and Creative Resistance” with gentle change activist Andrew G. Lang
Frequently Asked Questions
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Just your time & attention! Our Quarterly Speaker Series is a free online event.
We appreciate donations that help us continue to offer this powerful content at no charge.
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All levels of familiarity with Girard’s work are welcome to attend and participate. Some topics may go beyond beginner-level subject matter, however. We recommend checking out one or two of our past Quarterly Speaker Series events on YouTube to get a sense of the format.
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No. You’re welcome to join and just listen along. The moderator will probably invite you to share at least once, just to make sure no one’s voice is being left out — but you never have to share if you don’t want to.
Additional past presentations
“Stories of Creative Mimesis and Gentle Action in the Australian Context” with indigenous theologian Dr. Felicity McCallum
“A Journey Through the Landscape of Trauma” with chaplain Ellen Corcella
“The Nothing That’s Become Something” with open & relational theologian Jonathan Foster
“The Wicked Truth: When Good People Do Bad Things” with author & speaker Suzanne Ross
“The Liberative Key to Girardian Interpretation” with professor Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw
“The Positive Mimetic Structure of Mercy” with international anti-trafficking activist Matthew C. Clarke
“Unlearning the Bible” with pastor Adam Ericksen
“The Difference Nothing Makes” with contemplative theologian Brian D. Robinette
“Christomimesis: Constructing a Hermeneutic of Love and Peace to Interpret the Bible” with professor Sharon L. Baker Putt
“Our world produces and saves more victims than any other. The two things are true at once. There is more good and more evil than ever before.”
René Girard