Christian spiritual leaders from near and far will converge at the 2008 Religious Education Congress in Anaheim Feb. 28-March 2, sharing insights honed from ministering in the global church.

Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe, a member of the community at Blackfriars, Oxford, England, who gave the 2006 Congress keynote talk, is returning this year as a workshop presenter. He will speak on the growing problem of polarization in the church as well as the challenge of practicing non-violence.

"Polarization is against the Lord's work because the church is a sign of Christ by living in visible unity," Father Radcliffe told The Tidings via e-mail. "We are called to be one body. This is absolutely central to a Roman Catholic understanding of how we are a sign of Christ and the Gospel."

In his Feb. 29 afternoon workshop titled, "Is Dialogue Possible in the Church Today?" Father Radcliffe will address "today's prophetic challenge" to find ways to heal division among groups in the church.

In England, he noted, a recent meeting discussing Catholics in public life organized by Cherie Blair, the wife of the former prime minister, "made a serious effort to involve people from all sides, from liberal journalists to members of Opus Dei, and it worked very well.

"There was a real sense that we listened to each other, in mutual respect and made some progress toward a common position," said the Dominican preacher who has taught theology at the University of Oxford.

In his March 1 workshop, "The Challenge of Non-Violence in the Church," Father Radcliffe will share ways to create peace within a church marked by violent language and postures. Finding peace within and using individual gifts and talents to spread the Gospel is a part of that process, says the priest.

"We have to find ways of making our faith incarnate today," said Father Radcliffe. "If we retreat into a small Christian world, it may be cozy, but it will be a retreat from the mission. As the Son of God was sent into the world as a sign of God's love, so we too are sent."

Scripture scholar
Sister of St. Agnes Dianne Bergant, professor of Biblical studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, will present Congress workshops March 1 on new ways to look at familiar scripture passages such as the Book of Job. The key, according to Sister Bergant, is to shift from an anthropocentric concentration on human suffering to a theocentric reverence for God, the Creator of an evolving universe.

"Our theology comes out of a Newtonian world view where everything fits together --- this is not true," said Sister Bergant in a telephone interview with The Tidings. According to Sister Bergant, the idea of creation as a one-time act of God is outmoded.

"If you understand the cosmos as continually unfolding, we are talking about the dynamic power of God," said Sister Bergant. This understanding, fueled by the insights of new science, allows a reinterpretation of static images of God. "It's not so much I choose different images [from those of "Father" or "Protector"], it's that I now understand the images differently in a dynamic way," she explained.

Lutheran pastor
Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, Los Angeles-based executive director of CLUE-CA (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice of California) and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will speak at Congress March 1 on how people of faith can work for fair immigration policy and reach out to working-poor families.

"A part of what we can do is awaken the moral imagination," said Rev. Salvatierra. This involves changing the public debate so that immigrants are seen as children of God and not scapegoats for a stalled economy, explained the Lutheran minister who was ordained in 1987.

A former pastor of Lutheran churches in Oakland and Fresno, she became executive director of CLUE in 2002 when it was a small L.A.-based office with two organizers and a part-time administrative assistant. Now, the state-wide advocacy agency providing spiritual support and emergency assistance for low-wage workers has 11 chapters throughout the state.

"There are over 600 Scripture passages in the Old and New Testaments about helping the poor," Rev. Salvatierra pointed out. She noted approximately 40 percent of families in the greater Los Angeles area qualify as "working poor" struggling to meet basic needs. Over 70 percent of those families are immigrants, many of them undocumented parents of U.S.-born children.

She said CLUE is a lead agency for the new sanctuary movement taking place in 35 U.S. cities where people of faith support and accompany immigrant families facing deportation. It's estimated some 350,000 families in the U.S. are in danger of having family members deported.

"I'm honored to speak at Congress. I feel whenever people work together ecumenically, it's a sign of God's spirit," said Rev. Salvatierra.

Registration for the 2008 Religious Education Congress may be done online through Feb. 21 at www.recongress.org. After that date, anyone wishing to attend Congress may register on site in Anaheim, beginning Feb. 29 at 8 a.m. The fee is $70; call (213) 637-7332 for information.

Registration has closed for Youth Day, Feb. 28.