81.1 - Willie Jennings on Shared Perceiving

In his lecture “The Path of Shared Perceiving,” Willie Jennings speaks of how a Christian doctrine of creation requires a shared work, between Jewish and Gentile believers, of perceiving a world of belonging and interconnectedness with all creatures.

In response, Oscar García-Johnson says a deconstruction of our current doctrines of creation is the needed beginning for a new Christian vision of creation; Vince Bantu reflects on the importance of claiming—and not running from—our diverse and distinct names and identities before God; and Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen proposes a more cosmic doctrine of creation that resists an overly anthropocentric focus.

Willie Jennings is associate professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale Divinity School. Oscar García-Johnson is academic dean for the Center for the Study of Hispanic Church and Community and associate professor of theology and Latino/a studies. Vince Bantu is assistant professor of church history and Black church studies. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen is professor of systematic theology.