Dr. Norman Wirzba, Research Professor of Theology, Ecology and Rural Life at Duke University, is coming to Tyler to discuss the oft-neglected subject of food and faith. He is the author of several books including Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating. If that’s not enough to pique your curiosity and whet your appetite for this unique seminar, read the following quote from Dr. Wirzba:
Whenever people come to the table they demonstrate with the unmistakable evidence of their stomachs that they are not self-subsisting gods. They are finite and mortal creatures dependent on God’s many good gifts: sunlight, photosynthesis, decomposition, soil fertility, water, bees and butterflies, chickens, sheep, cows, gardeners, farmers, cooks, strangers and friends (the list goes on and on). Eating reminds us that we participate in a grace-saturated world.
He will remind us that creation is both a gift and a membership, and that eating involves sacrifice and is sacramental. And he will challenge us with questions: So what is a Christ-like view of food and eating? Is our usual way of thinking about food and its production consistent with a Christian view?
The conference is hosted by Sylvania Church on Friday, October 11th and will start at 7:30 p.m. Norman will lecture for about 45 minutes, followed by a Q&A, homemade cookies, and cups of sweet nectar prepared by Caffe Tazza. There is no cost for the event.
A three-page article is available here which summarizes some of Dr. Wirzba’s main ideas.
Hope to see you there,
Randy C. Randall