The United Thank Offering (UTO) and Bexley Seabury Seminary are collaborating to host a Convocation and Scholars Conference on the Theology of Gratitude with Diana Butler Bass, April 23-24, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois.
“The Theology of Gratitude is based on the premise that the attitude of gratitude is a game-changer in life,” says Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, “That’s true if you listen to any of the parables of Jesus, it’s true if you read the New Testament. That gratitude as a way of living and as a way of being and as a spiritual practice that guides and directs our lives makes a difference in how we live our lives.”
Gratitude has become a phenomenon in popular culture and is written about in books ranging from self-help to the Harvard Business Review. Scholarly engagement has developed primarily in the psychological community, which has demonstrated the correlation between gratitude and improvement in personal health and the development of strong, healthy relationships. There is far less scholarship arising within the theological community.
The Convocation and Scholars Conference will feature speaker Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., Duke University, who will identify two ways in which gratitude is defined: as an exchange and as abundant grace given by God which all are called to share. Butler Bass will serve as keynote speaker and will unpack ways that gratitude is a radical practice that is needed now. Butler Bass is an award-winning author and internationally known public speaker and thought leader on issues of spirituality, religion, culture, and politics. Seminary Bookstore will have editions of her books available and she will sign them both days of the conference.
Six scholars from a wide-ranging set of disciplines, generations, and cultural groups will also present their diverse perspectives and experiences on “The Theology of Gratitude: Human Expressions While Living in a Complex World.”
The Convocation and Scholars Conference will be held at Saint James Commons, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.
There is no cost for the Convocation; the Scholars Conference costs $30 and includes lunch.