The 20th Annual Jarvis Lecture
March 13, 2012, 7:00 PM
Wright Auditorium

Dr. J. Kameron Carter

Title: Religion and the Post-Racial Condition

Synopsis:

Professor J. Kameron Carter teaches courses in theology and black church studies at Duke University. Working as a theologian, he addresses the basic areas of Christian thought, especially Christology (the person and work of Jesus Christ) and theological anthropology (the human being in the Christian perspective). In engaging such matters, he does so with a view not just to the church or to Christian believers, but also to the broader humanities, particularly, such fields as cultural studies, gender studies, philosophy, and literature. His most recent book is entitled, Race: A Theological Account (Oxford University Press, 2008).

Carter is working on a new book on the ideological uses of Jesus in the modern invention of the human, and thus in the making and sustaining of the present. Addressing this in its religious, secular, and now arguably post-secular forms, Professor Carter calls this the problem of “the cultural Jesus.” The cultural Jesus project provides a kind of theological archaeology which is, at the same time, a cultural archaeology uncovering and discussing layers of meaning in how contemporary culture has both shaped and been shaped by this pivotal religious figure. Professor Carter re-imagines the identity of Jesus and the politics of Jesus of Nazareth’s identity in light of shifting global realities of the twenty-first century.

Prominent speakers who have delivered the lecture include:

• Dennis Campbell, Dean, Duke Divinity School. "The Changing Role of Religion in American Culture." Fall 1992
• Martin Marty, Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Modern Christianity, University of Chicago, "What a Way to End a Millennium: Fundamentalism and Other Hardlines, Today and Tomorrow." Fall 1993
• Walter Wink, Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Auburn Theological Seminary, "Unmasking the Powers." Fall 1994
• William H. Willimon, Dean of the Chapel and Professor, Duke Divinity School, "Thinking Like a Christian in the Post-Modern World." Fall 1995
• Os Guinness, author and lecturer, "The Crisis of Cultural Authority and the Christian Faith." Spring 1997
• Nancy Tatom Ammerman, Professor Sociology of Religion, Center for Social and Religious Research, Hartford Seminary, "Christianity in a Postmodern World: Challenges and Opportunities." Spring 1998
• Bill J. Leonard, Dean, Wake Forest University Divinity School, "Spirituality in America: Faith or Fad?" Spring 1999
• Lawrence Cunningham, Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame, "Thomas Merton: Contemplative Monk as Critic of Culture." Fall 1999
• Huston Smith," Retired Professor of Religion, University of California, Berkeley, "Why Religion Matters: The Future of Faith in an Age of Disbelief." Fall 2000
• Elizabeth A. Clark, John Carlisle Kilgo Professor of Religion, Duke University, "What's the Matter with Marriage? Some Early Christian Answers." Fall 2001
• Will D. Campbell, "Speaking His Mind." Fall 2002
• Charles Kimball, chair and professor of Religion at Wake Forest University, "When Religions Become Evil." Fall 2003
• Christian Smith, Stuart Chapin Distinguished Professor of Sociology, UNC-CH, "Is 'Moralistic Therapeutic Deism' America's Real Religious Faith? Popular Religion From the Mouths of American Youth." Fall 2004
• Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke University Divinity School, "Why No One Wants to Die in America." Fall 2005
• Phyllis Trible, University Professor of Biblical Studies at Wake Forest University Divinity School, "Taking Back the Bible." Fall 2006
• William G. Dever, Distinguished Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Arizona (retired), "Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel." Spring 2008
• Marcus Borg, Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, Oregon State University (retired), "Christians in the Age of Empire." Fall 2008
• Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary (retired), "Recovery from the Long Nightmare of Amnesia." Spring 2010
• Matthew Fox, theologian and author, "Reinventing Christianity" (Fall 2010)