MTSO Events
Many campus events are presented by the Theological Commons at MTSO.
We welcome the public to MTSO events, which range from multi-day institutes and workshops to faculty and guest lectures.
Our archive features video and other resources from past events.
Schooler Institute on Preaching, led by Frank A. Thomas
Feb. 12 and 13
Thomas is the Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics and director of the Ph.D. program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary. An accomplished preacher and teacher of homiletics, he is the author of several books, including How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon.
Williams Institute Spring Lectures by Mai-Anh Le Tran
March 5 and 6
Tran, associate professor of religious education and practical theology, will deliver two lectures. The first, “To Set One’s Heart in a Violent World,” begins at 7 p.m. March 5. The second, “From My Lai to Ferguson: Militarized Orientalism, Benevolence, and Racism,” begins at 1 p.m. March 6. In addition, Tran will preach at MTSO’s chapel service at 1 p.m. March 5.
Fearless Dialogues community conversation
March 18, 7 p.m.
The 2013 verdict that found George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder in the lethal shooting of Trayvon Martin raised critical questions about the American legal system. In its wake, Fearless Dialogues, led by Gregory C. Ellison II, associate professor of pastoral care and counseling at Candler School of Theology, has created unique spaces for unlikely partners to engage in hard, heartfelt conversations that see gifts in others, hear value in stories, and work for change and positive transformation in self and other.
Francesca Nuzzolese faculty lecture
March 26, 7 p.m.
Nuzzolese, MTSO associate professor of pastoral care and counseling, will reflect on her clinical and educational work with victims of trauma, including her most recent experience in Nepal, in her lecture “Redefining the Trauma Zone: A Psycho-Spiritual Assessment of the State of the World.”
Lecture on World Religions and Interreligious Relations by Najeeba Syeed
April 4, 7 p.m.
Syeed, associate professor of interreligious education at Claremont School of Theology, will speak on the topic “The Death of Civility: On the Birth of Dignity Based Interfaith Ritual and Practices.” The lecture is presented by the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus, a collaborative effort of MTSO, Pontifical College Josephinum and Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University.
Ryan Schellenberg faculty lecture
May 7, 7 p.m.
What does it mean to read Paul’s prison letter cognizant of the over 2.2 million persons currently in jail or prison in the United States? Schellenberg, MTSO assistant professor of New Testament, considers the question in his lecture “Reading Philippians in the Age of Mass Incarceration.”
Archive and resources
Review printed material and watch video from past Theological Commons events.