Scholar-Activist Encounter: Sharon Delgado and Daryl Grigsby on "The Word of the Cross"

October 20, 2022, 7:30pm Eastern Time

How do activism and scholarship contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today?

CLBSJ and the Alternative Seminary warmly invite you to join us for a dialogue emerging from Rev. Sharon Delgado’s new book, The Cross in the Midst of Creation: Following Jesus, Engaging the Powers, Transforming the World. Joining Delgado in conversation will be Daryl Grigsby, author, community organizer and lay theologian. Both Delgado’s and Grigsby’s theological reflections are rooted in their decades of work for economic equality, climate justice, racial healing, and peace.

Today’s society is increasingly difficult to navigate, burdened as it is with violent political discourse, widening racial division and lies accepted as truth. This difficulty is compounded with increasingly virulent public manifestations of white Christian nationalism that convey exclusion and violence. Delgado and Grigsby will explore how their understanding of scriptures, spiritual practices, and lifetimes of struggle inform their mutual conviction that despite all the bad news, the message contained in Jesus’ life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection — which Paul called “the word of the cross” in 1 Corinthians 1:18 — offers good news that is deeply relevant today. How is the cross both a symbol of and a call for personal and social transformation?

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Excerpt from The Cross in the Midst of Creation: The crucifixion of Jesus is not just something that happened long ago; it is an ongoing story about the struggle between good and evil, the triumph of God over the powers of darkness, the redemption of human life, and hope for creation. Jesus’s death is redemptive for us if we see ourselves not as the privileged beneficiaries of his expedient and predetermined death but simply as members of the human family and as members of the community of life on this fragile planet earth. As we place ourselves on this side of the cross, aligning ourselves humbly with those who endure suffering while repenting and making amends for the ways in which we ourselves inflict suffering, we die to our claims of power and privilege and rise in empowerment and courage for the sake of a better world. It is time to choose. Now is the moment to decide. (page 256)

Sharon Delgado is an ordained United Methodist minister, nonviolence practitioner, and board member and founder of Earth Justice Ministries, an interfaith organization whose purpose is “to bring the resources of faith to bear as we work together with all people of faith and conscience for peace, justice, and the regeneration of the community of life.” She is working to organize the church for climate justice action through Th!rd Act Faith, the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, and beyond. Her newest book is The Cross in the Midst of Creation: Following Jesus, Engaging the Powers, Transforming the World. Previous books include Love in a Time of Climate Change: Honoring Creation, Establishing Justice (2017) and Shaking the Gates of Hell: Faith-Led Resistance to Corporate Globalization (2007, 2020). Sharon lives in a small rural community in Northern California and works locally to promote racial justice and stop the reopening of a toxic mine. Sharon’s blog is Progressive Christian Social Action.

Daryl Grigsby is a lay leader in the Catholic Church, author and community activist. Daryl has a Master’s in Pastoral Studies from The School of Theology and Ministry from Seattle University. He has written five books, including, In Their Footsteps: Inspirational Reflections on Black History for Every Day of the Year. Daryl volunteers as Bus Coordinator for Get On The Bus, connecting families with incarcerated parents, and is Board Chair for Color Me Human, a local Nevada City organization promoting equity and inclusion. He is on the Board of Directors for Leadership Foundations, a global organization empowering local individuals and organizations to resolve critical issues in their local cities. Daryl is also founder of the African-American Writers and Artists of San Diego, the Seattle Black Catholic Men’s breakfast group, and has been involved in mentoring for African-American elementary age boys in Seattle, Washington, and Pomona, California.

The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice invites you to join us for an interactive dialogue exploring the interfaces between scholarship and activism. How do these ways of being contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today? Let’s come together to learn from each other. Most events take place on the third Thursday of the month at 4:30pm Pacific Time / 7:30pm Eastern Time. We do not meet every month, and occasionally meet on a different night.

See the full schedule of the Scholar-Activist Encounter series. For questions, email info@clbsj.org.

This series is co-sponsored by the Community of Living Traditions.