Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the Church of The Epiphany will host theologian Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, who will present two lectures on inclusion and reconciliation from a liberationist perspective. In celebration of Women’s History Month, Isasi-Diaz, professor of theology and ethics at Drew University, will draw upon her own heritage and experiences with people who are oppressed to present a biblical basis for embracing diversity in an effort to change world communities.

Her lectures will be offered free of charge on March 3 at Louisville Seminary and March 4 at the Church of the Epiphany, at 7 p.m. on both evenings.

Professor Isasi-Diaz considers herself a mujerista theologian, one who combines ethics with theology and action toward a goal of liberation. More specifically, she describes this specialized theology within the community of Latina women.

“[Latina women] who are keenly aware of how sexism, ethnic prejudice, and economic oppression subjugate them, use the term mujerista to refer to themselves and use mujerista theology to refer to the explanations of their faith and its role in their struggle for liberation,” Isasi-Diaz explains. “…mujerista theology is a process of enablement for Latina women, insisting on the development of a strong sense of moral agency, and clarifying the importance and value of who they are, what they think, and what they do. … mujerista theology [also] seeks to impact mainline theologies, the theologies which support what is normative in church and, to a large degree, in society.”

From this perspective, Isasi-Diaz will speak to the Louisville community on the importance of embracing differences and seeking reconciliation in an effort to create “an all-inclusive common future.”

Isasi-Diaz was raised in a practicing Catholic home in La Habana, Cuba. After and education from the sisters of the Order of St. Ursula, she left Cuba and became a political refugee in 1960. In the United States, she entered the convent (the Order of St. Ursula), and earned a B.A. in European history from The College of New Rochelle in New York. Following college, Isasi-Diaz served as a missionary in Lima, Peru, where she “was marked for life” with a passion to help liberate the poor and oppressed.

In 1969, Isasi-Diaz returned to the United States, where she immersed herself in the feminist mission of fighting against women's oppression in churches, religion, and theology. She earned degrees (MDiv and PhD) from Union Theological Seminary in New York and began to develop a theology from a Latina perspective, called mujerista theology. Since 1991, she has taught at Drew University.

Isasi-Diaz is the author of Mujerista Theology – A Theology for the 21st Century (Orbis, 1996); En La Lucha – Elaborating a Mujerista (Fortress, 1993); and Hispanic Women: Prophetic Voice in the Church (Harper & Row, 1988).

Information about the content of the two events follows in English and Spanish.

Reconciliation as an Element of Justice in the Twenty First Century
March 3, 7 p.m.
Gardencourt, Hundley Hall
Louisville Seminary, 1044 Alta Vista Road
(Booksigning to follow in the Winn Center, where books may be purchased.)

The early church understood reconciliation to be an intrinsic element of its mission. Destructive competition, fragmentation, and division, are at the heart of today's violence and many other forms of injustice that exists in our world. In this presentation I discuss the biblical basis for reconciliation, and reconciliation as a necessary moral choice, a religious, social and civic virtue, and as a spirituality, culture and mystique that makes it possible to create an all-inclusive common future.

Spanish
Reconciliación: Elemento de la Justicia en el Siglo 21

La iglesia primitiva proclamó la reconciliación como elemento intrínseco de su misión. Hoy en día la competencia destructiva, la fragmentación social, y las divisiones a causas de prejuicios llevan a la violencia y a muchas otras formas de injusticia. En esta conferencia, después de elaborar las bases bíblicas de la reconciliación, hablaré de la misma como exigencia moral, religiosa, social y cívica, y como espiritualidad y mística que hace posible la creación de un futuro común que no excluye a nadie.

The Blessing of Differences and Diversity
March 4, 7 p.m.
Church of the Epiphany
914 Old Harrods Creek Road, Louisville
502.245.9733

Differences are present everywhere in our world and they are part of how we come to know and understand. We have chosen to understand differences as what separates and divides us, making differences the roots of violent prejudices. In this presentation I re-define differences as what brings us together and what enriches our lives: differences and diversity is what makes relationships possible.

Spanish
¡Dios Bendiga las Diferencias y La Diversidad!

Las diferencias siempre has existido, son parte de nuestro mundo, de la manera como aprendemos, y de cómo entendemos y comprendemos. Los sistemas opresivos ven las diferencias y la diversidad como lo que nos separa y divide, convirtiéndolas en las raíces de los violentos prejuicios. Esta conferencia define las diferencias como una realidad que nos une y enriquece nuestras vidas haciendo posible las relaciones humanas.

For more information, contact Louisville Seminary, 502.895.3411, ext. 460. Toll-free 800.264.1839. E-mail: lpts@lpts.edu.