GC Faculty Assume Lead Roles at Annual Wesleyan Conference

Published: April 13, 2021

On March 2-4, faculty members of the Donald N. and Kathleen G. Bastian School of Theology, Philosophy, and Ministry contributed to the Wesleyan Theological Society's annual conference at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Bastian faculty in attendance included Christina Smerick, John Brittingham and Ben Wayman. They were joined by Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies Matt Bernico.

This year marked the 52nd annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society. The theme was The Church, the People of God with Sondra Wheeler and Phil Meadows as keynote speakers. The Wesleyan Philosophical Society, Wesleyan Historical Society, and Wesleyan Liturgical Society all held their pre-conference meetings prior to March 3.

Christina Smerick, the Shapiro chair of Jewish-Christian studies and associate professor of philosophy and theology, presented a paper entitled Ecclesiotomy: The Church as the Bodies of Christ and moderated a conference session on race. She was elected second vice president of the Wesleyan Theological Society and will plan its annual conference in 2020.

Ben Wayman, assistant professor of philosophy and theology, presented a paper, The Changing Shape of Free Methodist History, proposinga global and unifying history of the Free Methodist Church. The paper, which is the fruit of his membership on the Committee on Free Methodist History and Archives, builds on the recent work of the Free Methodist Churchs cross-cultural consultant, David Yardy.

John Brittingham, instructor of philosophy and religion, currently presides over the Wesleyan Philosophical Society. He organized the societys pre-conference meeting March 2. Brittingham provided the themephilosophy, religion and raceand invited the keynote speaker, Dr. Brian Bantum from Seattle Pacific University.

Matt Bernico, assistant professor of communication and media studies, also participated in the pre-conference meeting of the Wesleyan Philosophical Society with his paper Enclosure, Exclusion, Ecology: A More Than Structural Racism. The paper analyzes the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan, in an attempt to understand how urban infrastructure can create systems of social exclusion.

Read more about GC faculty contributions to theology and Wesleyan thought:

Hat Trick of GC Influences In Wesleyan Thought

GC Philosophy & Religion Faculty Participate in Wesleyan Dialogue on Embodiment and Atonement

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