Jesus Radicals � conference

Conference Communique 2010: Music to our ears

nekeisha — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:00:18 +0000

In addition to lectures, workshops and spaces for conversation, In the Beginning: Anarchism, Christianity and the Roots of Resistance will also feature a solid line-up of musicians at not one, but two evening events.

Friday will feature Seth Martin and the Menders and folk musician Bill Jolliff. The conference will also close on Saturday evening with music by theillalogicalspoon, Lesser Beggars and Portland hip-hop duo Inkre-Mentals. Soloists Michael Nolan and Heidi Vest will open each night and help us transition at specific times during each day.

For the full conference schedule, visit the sessions page.

South Pacific Christian Anarchist Gathering details

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:32:01 +0000

Tena tatou e nga hau e wha,

Only two weeks to go till the South Pacific Christian Anarchist regional gathering in Wellington. here’s the details:

WHERE: Stillwaters community, The Castle, Willis St, Te Aro, Wellington (New Zealand)
WHEN: 6pm Thursday 15 July – 1pm Sunday 18 July

THE PROGRAMME

As with other years, that’s up to us. We ask that you bring questions and contributions with you for the weekend.

On the Thursday evening, we will develop a programme of workshops for the weekend together. From this we will write the weekend’s programme which will be available from Friday morning.

In the past, topics have included: decolonisation; parenting & anarchy; I want to be an activist but I’m afraid of getting arrested; self-care in community; social enterprise as community development; Jacques Ellul & christian anarchy; stories of the [mostly failed] revolution; non-violence & social change; christianity & anarchy – an oxymoron?…

PROGRAMME FOR THE TAMARIKI

Depending on numbers, we will run a workshop stream for our tamariki. If you love or can at least put up with tamariki, bring an idea for a workshop you would like to do with children.

WE NEED TO KNOW A FEW THINGS IF YOU ARE COMING:

1) Accommodation – How many adults & children are there in your roopu? Which nights will you be here for? Do you prefer a communal, marae style stay, or a home stay?
2) Kai – are you a vegan, a vegetarian, a fruitarian, gluten free, or an equal opportunity consumer?

WE NEED YOU TO DO A FEW THINGS:

1) Koha – bring a koha for our hosts
2) Kai – bring some kai with you to contribute to the communal pool – we prefer dumpster food, preserves, home grown foods, and other lovely freegan goodies.

CONTACTS:

Jo & Graham Cameron
Cell: 027 474 0286
Email: bidoiscameron@paradise.net.nz
Twitter: @justicenet

Conference Communique: Portland Ride Board and Housing

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:38:49 +0000

Are you wondering how in the world you are going to cross the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and the numerous forests interspersed between the coasts to get to the Jesus Radicals conference in Portland August 6-7. There is a ride board where folks can try to link with one another if you want to drive or travel with others.

In addition to the housing listed on the website, if you are looking for free housing with a host in Portland in order to attend the conference, email conference [at] jesusradicals [dot] com

And be sure to register so we can prepare adequate food! (We don’t need your phone or address…that is just what the plugin asks for and we don’t know how to delete it yet…just put x’s in those slots).

2010 Conference speaker Wes Howard-Brook on Iconocast

nekeisha — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:23:34 +0000

The stellar folks at Jesus Manifesto have posted their latest Iconocast, which features educator, writer, co-founder of Abide in Me Ministries and In the Beginning: Anarchism, Christianity and the Roots of Resistance presenter Wes Howard-Brook. The interview covers a range of topics, including the “argument” within Scripture between advocates of the “religion of Empire” and the “religion of Creation,” the ethic of love (rather than nonviolence in the New Testament) and the anarchic impulses within Scripture. Wes also gives a pretty sizable sneak-peek at what he plans to present alongside his co-panelist Layla AbdelRahim at the conference. Listen to the interview below and check out the Iconocast archive.

Conference Communique 2010 — Speakers galore…

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 07:38:25 +0000

It has been a while since an update about In the Beginning: Anarchism, Christianity and the Roots of Resistance, but lack of communication doesn’t mean lack of action. For the past few months, organizers have been securing presenters for this year’s event in Portland, most of whose bios are now available on our speakers page. The current line up for the event includes (in alphabetical order):

Layla AbdelRahim – anthropologist, wanderer, researcher, lecturer, writer, and unschooling mother
Nekeisha Alexis-Baker – Jesus Radicals co-founder, radical Christian writer and speaker with interests in anti-racism, animal ethics and politics.
Tre Arrow – environmental activist and former political prisoner
Wes Howard-Brook – teacher, theologian, activist and author
Liza Minno Bloom – member Black Mesa Indigenous Support collective
Jason (Bison) Morgan – environmental activist and member of Portland’s Christian anarchist Saskatoon Collective
Alice Parman – interested in green anarchy/anti-civilization critique as a spiritual movement;
Lauren Regan – Civil Liberties Defense Center founder and executive director and public interest attorney specializing in civil rights, criminal defense, and environmental law
Mary Katherine Smith – daughter of noted Big Mountain activist Katherine Smith and lifelong resister to forced Black Mesa relocation
Anthony (Ant) Villagomez – environmental activist and founding member of Rising Tide North America
John Zerzan – green anarchist/primitivist philosopher, writer and speaker

Look out for additional updates, including an updated schedule and outreach materials. And don’t forget to lend some support to keep this event free-for-all.

Peace Among Peoples

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:58:26 +0000

From July 28–31, 2010, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary will host an ecumenical conference entitled “Peace Among Peoples” on the morality of war sponsored by the National Council of Churches and other Christian groups. Among the invited speakers are Stanley Hauerwas, Brian McClaren and Mary Jo Leddy. Gerald Schlabach and Andy Alexis-Baker will present opposing sides on the concept of “just policing.”

For more information see www.peace2010.net

Conference Communique 2010 — In the Beginning: Anarchism, Christianity and the Roots of Resistance

nekeisha — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:41:53 +0000

Organizing for the eighth annual anarchism and Christianity gathering on August 6 and 7 in Portland is in full swing and we are getting more excited as we continue to plan. The theme In the Beginning: Anarchism and Christianity and the Roots of Resistance reflects the sense that too often our attempts to resist systems of domination and injustice are often hindered by a shallow understanding of how these systems began or why they persist. To that end, we are organizing sessions and workshops around three sub-themes, including “Getting at the Root,” “Examining the Fruit” and “Sowing New Seeds.” Our confirmed speakers thus far include Wes Howard Brook, author of ‘Come Out My People’: God’s Call Out of Empire in the Bible and Beyond, Anthony Villagomez of Rising Tide and Mary Katherine of the indigenous Black Mesa community.

Conference Communique 2010: We’re headed to Portland

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:44:17 +0000

Get ready folks–this year’s 8th annual anarchism and Christianity conference will be heading to Portland, Ore. on August 6th and 7th. Currently, we are in the beginning stages of the planning process. However, thanks to the work of the co-hosting community, many of the on-the-ground logistics have already begun to come together. We’ll be adding more info to the site over the course of the next seven months. So circle the dates and stay tuned!

Free-for-All Jesus Radicals conference media

nekeisha — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:34:34 +0000

We’re happy to report that we have video recordings from the anarchism and Christianity conference to share—and they are free. Thanks to videographer and producer Ljuba Miltsova (Cation Productions), you can see this year’s presentations by Layla AbdelRahim (“A Lullaby for the Planet: Undressing Ourselves for a Viable Parenthood”) and John Zerzan (“Anarcho-Primitivism versus a Darkening Reality”). Ewuare Osayande’s session on “Jesus & the Money Changers: Rioting Against the Economic Crisis” will also be posted soon.

Although the videos are available for no charge, we are asking folks to consider making a “free-will offering” toward the project and the conference. Half the funds will be given to Ljuba in gratitude for all her hard work over the past five months, and the other half will go toward next year’s event. To give a gift or to inquire about DVDs of the sessions, visit the conference video area.

In addition to the videos, the Anarchism and Christianity Primer MP3 is also available as a free-for-all download. Thanks to Jonas for the idea.

Update 1/3: Ewuare’s video has been added.

2009 conference mp3s: Open forum with John Zerzan and Layla AbdelRahim

nekeisha — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:15:19 +0000

MP3s of the Open Forum discussions with John Zerzan and Layla AbdelRahim from this year’s anarchism and Christianity conference are now available.

The Open Forum is an unstructured time at the Jesus Radicals conference for people to gather for conversation based on shared interests. This year, Layla and John agreed to have an extended conversation with attendees who were interested in their presentations, their critique of civilization and their work on alienation, domestication and anarcho-primitivism more broadly. In the first discussion, which rand for an hour and eighteen minutes, participants asked a range of questions, leading to rich discussions on everything from violence and property destruction to Derrida and post-modernism to children’s literature and zoos–and that’s in the first half-hour.

Layla and John also participated in an additional Open Forum conversation with several participants. The thirty-three minute discussion also touched on a number of issues, including international development, parenting, adoption and teaching among others.

These are the first MP3s from the conference that have been edited to get the best audio quality possible. More will be added to the conference MP3 page in the coming weeks.