New professor appointed

Monday, March 24, 2008

Conrad Grebel University College is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeremy M. Bergen as Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Theology.

It was important for us to appoint a young scholar with great potential. Professor James Reimer is retiring at the end of this school year, and he has created a strong reputation for theological teaching and research at the college. Jeremy has widely-recognized strengths in research, writing and administration, and he demonstrated that he will become a creative and thoughtful teacher. We are delighted to welcome him to our faculty,

said Jim Pankratz, Academic Dean.

Bergen describes the opportunity to teach at Grebel as “energizing” because of the

creative conversation with the interdisciplinary dimension of the university, the interfaith reality of Canadian society and the ecumenical diversity in residence and classes.

Jeremy Bergen
He will complete his PhD dissertation (The Emerging Practice of Ecclesial Repentance and the Nature and Mission of the Church) at the University of Toronto in May before beginning to teach at Grebel in September 2008. His research focuses on Christian faith communities that have expressed repentance for past actions, and how this practice shapes a church’s self-understanding and promotes reconciliation.

Bergen has strong connections to Grebel. He taught the “Introduction to Theology” course in Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo in fall of 2005. He served as the Interim Director of the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre from 2005 to 2007, and as the administrative assistant for the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre from 1999 to 2003. Bergen is married to Grebel alumna Rebecca Steinmann (BA '00).

Bergen was one of the editors of the 2007 book Creed and Conscience: Essays in Honour of A. James Reimer (Pandora) and has published articles in The Conrad Grebel Review and Journal of Ecumenical Studies, as well as in a variety of popular and scholarly publications. He is currently co-editing a collection of essays on the theology of John Howard Yoder.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Bergen worked as denominational peace and justice staff member for the Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1997-99, and has served on various committees and councils of Mennonite Church Canada. He has written curricula, led church workshops and preached regularly. He served on Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron in 1997 and 2002. He enjoys running, cooking, and watching movies. In 2007, he and his wife hiked 700 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.