As the protests in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd have unfolded, members of the College Theology Society have been gathering on Zoom for a virtual version of our annual meeting. The CTS Board (of which I am a member) drafted and released a statement on US racism. The entire text of the statement is below. I hope it may invite scholars, pastoral workers, and others who follow this blog to make similar commitments in their own communities and in their own work.
The College Theology Society (CTS) seeks to stand in solidarity with the victims of systemic racial injustice in the United States. We deplore the long history of police brutality that is a manifestation of individual and institutional racism and white supremacy. We mourn the recent police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. We lament that years of protests, demonstrations, and marches have failed to bring an end to the suffering, dehumanization, oppression, and loss of so many precious lives. We recognize our sacred obligation to work as educators and scholars to inform minds and transform hearts, to address and change cultural patterns and social systems. We commit ourselves to working in our communities, in our profession, and as a Society to dismantle the structures of white supremacy and to build a more just world for all.
We acknowledge that we have a professional and moral responsibility to expose and reform the Christian theology that supports and justifies white supremacy. We confess that white privilege has been operative within the College Theology Society so that we must increase our efforts to become more inclusive of persons of color. The 2021 CTS Annual Convention theme of “The Human in a Dehumanizing World” and the 2022 CTS Annual Convention theme of “Racism and the Church” are among the steps we are taking. We invite suggestions from members for further action items that will enable our Society to fulfill its obligations especially at this critical time in our national life.
On behalf of the College Theology Society,
Mary Doak (University of San Diego), President
Tobias Winright (Saint Louis University), Vice President
Brian Flanagan (Marymount University), President Elect
Shannon Schrein (Lourdes University), Past President
Stephen Okey (Saint Leo University), Treasurer
George Faithful (Dominican University of California), Secretary
William Collinge (Mount St. Mary’s University) Director of Research & Publications
Andrew Getz (University Health System), Executive Director, National Conventions
Dana Dillon (Providence College), Executive Coordinator, Digital Media
LaReine-Marie Mosely (Notre Dame of Maryland University), Board Member
Elena Procario-Foley (Iona College), Editor Horizons
William Clark (College of the Holy Cross), Board Member
John Sheveland (Gonzaga University), Board Member
Katherine Schmidt (Molloy College), Board Member
Elisabeth Vasko (Duquesne University), Board Member
Katherine Greiner (Carroll College), Board Member
SimonMary Aihiokhai (University of Portland), Board Member
