In addition to classroom teaching, faculty and other academic personnel at Grebel accomplish a wide range of scholarship and service in the academy, church, and community. Here is just a sampling of recent activities and achievements:
JENNIFER BALL published a peer-reviewed book, Women, Development, and Peacebuilding: Stories from Uganda with Palgrave Macmillan. In November, she co-facilitated a Circle session entitled “Embracing the Paradigm Shift to ‘We are Enough’” at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto.
ALICIA BATTEN published “The Epistle of James” in the Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online, edited by David G. Hunter, Paul J.J. van Geest, and Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte. (Brill, 2018.)
JEREMY BERGEN published, “Theology as Interpretive, Critical, and Constructive: Presidential Addresses to the Canadian Theological Society, 1990-2016,” in Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses 48 (2019): 77-96. In January, he participated in an “Ethics of War” panel at Tyndale University College in, along with Craig Carter, Bruxy Cavey, Brad Faught, and Paul Franks. The panel discussed the question of whether or not war is ever just.
MARLENE EPP gave an invited presentation titled “Searching for ‘Mennonite Food’: De-centring and Re-claiming Ethnic Traditions” at the symposium Who Am I? Who Are We? Family, History, and Immigrant Identities at York University, May 4, 2019.
NATHAN FUNK’s chapter, “Just Peacemaking as a Bridge to Ecumenical and Interfaith Solidarity for Peace,” has been published in Pacifism’s Appeal: Ethos, History, Politics, ed. Jorg Kustermans, Tom Sauer, Dominiek Lootens, and Barbara Segaert (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).
JANE KUEPFER co-led a webinar series for Spiritual Directors International entitled “Eldering—A Webinar Series for Spiritual Companions & Seekers.” She has also opened up conversation in congregations and community groups with topics such as “Faith, Friendship & Dementia,” “Wrestling with Aging: Jacob’s Story & Ours,” and “Aging Well: What are your spiritual resources?”
REINA NEUFELDT conducted research in Haiti in November 2018, and participated in an invited panel discussion on “Development Responses in Conflict Zones” at the University of Toronto, Scarborough in February. She also co-presented two papers at the International Studies Association Convention in Toronto in March 2019.
TROY OSBORNE's book review of Bruening, Michael, ed. A Reformation Sourcebook: Documents from an Age of Debate (University of Toronto Press, 2017) was published in Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme 41.3, Summer 2018, 205-206.
CAROL PENNER is working on a collaborative project called “Together in Worship,” a worship resource website serving Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA. She was awarded a US$15,000 Teacher/Scholar Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship to develop the website, which will be launched in 2020.
MAISIE SUM will give two scholarly presentations this spring – the first at the BFE “Collaborative Ethnomusicology” Conference, where she will discuss the potential of integrating wearable technology (like heart rate monitors) into current fieldwork practices in ethnomusicology; and the second at the Canadian Society for Traditional Music Conference, where she will present “Guembri Music and Gnawa Spirits: Resilience and Sustainability in a Commodified World.”
KAREN SUNABACKA composed I will Praise the Lord as Long as I Live: Psalm 146 for the Choir of St. John the Evangelist in Kitchener to commemorate the Induction of her husband, the Reverend Dr. Preston Parsons on January 20, 2019. She also recently completed a work for viola and cello, and will be completing a work for viola d’amore and percussion by the end of April.
Suderman and Bergen taught interdisciplinary session at Waterloo
Derek Suderman and Jeremy Bergen were invited to co-teach a session on “Water and Theology” in an interdisciplinary Master’s/PhD course on water at the University of Waterloo.
Grebel Journal is Flourishing
The digital revolution has penetrated every area of life in recent decades, including the arts and humanities. Indeed, a few years ago cries of lamentation poured forth from editors of daily newspapers, monthly magazines, books, and scholarly journals alike, forecasting the imminent demise of their corner of the market.
