Theology and Peace invites you to our next Quarterly Speakers’ Series on Nov. 6 at 7:30 PM ET, where Dr. Felicity McCallum will continue to share her unique Indigenous perspective as a follow up to our September Theology and Peace Mini-Conference on Creative Mimesis and the Practice of Gentle Action. Join us for her talk, “Stories of Creative Mimesis and Gentle Action in the Australian Context: First Contact and Today.” (The event is free, but you must sign up with Humanitix to receive the link.) Dr. McCallum will be showing how Gentle Action and acts of loving mimesis have played out in the history of Australia. She will tell us powerful stories born at moments of First Contact and stories unfolding now: stories that birth themselves in the weave between cultures, between peoples, and between Country, water systems and sky country and community. Her presentation will draw on the research of her doctoral thesis at Charles Sturt University, which explores the theological and cultural textures of First Australians’ engagement with Christian mission during the colonial era. In the story of the deep collaborative friendship between Birabahn (the Awabakal Indigenous leader of the time) and an English missionary, Lancelot Edward Threlkeld, we can find Girardian Models of loving mimesis relevant today in the quest for National Reconciliation. She will then bring this history into conversation with one of Australia’s best well-known, contemporary stories — Storm Boy — to reflect on how Gentle Action can speak powerfully in difficult times. Storm Boy, a beloved story with which many Australians have grown up, was written by Colin Thiele in 1964. It tells of a boy, a pelican, and an Aboriginal man named Fingerbone Bill, whose quiet friendship with Storm Boy stands as a tender counterpoint to the world around them. Again, in this story we find intercultural friendship and models of healing and peace. There will be a chance for small group discussion and a Q&A period after the talk. (Note: Theology and Peace will discuss the film version of “Storm Boy” at our Thursday, Dec. 4 Mimesis at the Movies monthly event. All are welcome!) Dr. Felicity McCallum is an Awabakaleen (a woman of Awaba) with cultural and spiritual responsibilities to her Indigenous community, living on traditional Awabakal Country northwest of what is now Sydney. Like many Australians, she claims both Indigenous and Celtic ancestors. She serves as Lecturer at Australian Catholic University and as an Adjunct Lecturer at Charles Sturt University (Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture). As well as being an activist for National Reconciliation, she offers a leading voice on matters of Faith and Indigenous issues in Australia. She is a member of the ongoing monthly Loving Mimesis Generative Dialogue Group. (fb)

REMINDER--This Thursday! You’re invited to join Theology and Peace on Thursday, October 2 from 7:30-9:00 PM (ET) as we meet to explore further the theme of the Sept. 13 online Mini-Conference, Creative Mimesis and the Practice of "Gentle Action.” This is our regular monthly meeting, open to all. The event is free, but you must sign up with Humanitix to receive the link. Perhaps you were at the online Mini-Conference and were inspired, intrigued, or wanting to discuss more. This is your chance to interact more with others who were there. And even if you didn’t attend, you are invited too to see what it was about! Everyone is welcome. Join us for this special Follow-up Discussion Session with plenty of time for group interaction and some additional Q&A with some of the Mini-Conference speakers, including Robin Collins, Rebecca Adams, and Felicity McCallum. Gentle Action is a concept developed by physicist David Peat based on his observation of self-organizing systems in nature. It’s an approach to organizations and problem-solving that relies not on imposing solutions from the outside, but allowing space for them to arise authentically and non-coercively from within the system itself. Gentle Action can be surprisingly effective, with small actions leading to disproportionately large, highly effective, results. Come join us to learn even more about this profound, grounded practice and how it’s related to Rene Girard’s concept of mimetic desire--especially the kind of creative desire that does not lead to rivalry. (fb)