Eastern European Institute of Theology [EEIT] – Summer School

The Eastern European Institute of Theology is launching the Summer School of Theology as a form of non-formal education. Its purpose is to create a platform to support the viability of the Ukrainian theological community and its involvement in the global dialogue. 

Topic of the Summer 2022 session: Theology of the Other under the Pressure of the Empire

The theology of the Other goes hand in hand with the themes of hospitality, dialogue, and acceptance of the Other. This theology argues that true human existence is characterized by “infinite responsibility” with respect to the Other. The Other that our Self is concerned about becomes an opportunity to transform such Self by freeing up space for the Other’s otherness. The desire to dominate or appropriate the other becomes instead a recognition of this otherness. Such a transformation becomes a part of our share in building the Kingdom of God, in which a person becomes a witness to God’s hospitality. But is the Other always a guest to be received, or is the other also a threat to be overcome? This issue becomes painfully acute in the context of present-day Ukraine, which is facing the threat of conquest by Russia and currently is suffering the tragic aftermath of the full-scale war started by Russia. The pressure of the empire leads to the ethical reassessment of the Other, and, in fact, this new assessment may lead to putting pressure on the Other. No wonder one culture defends the dignity of the Other, and another, where an individual is ignored or suppressed, leads to violence and aggression against the Other.

Featured speakers 2022:

John D. Caputo (Professor of Religion Emeritus at Syracuse University)

Catherine Keller (Professor of Constructive Theology at Drew University)

Miroslav Volf (Professor of Theology at Yale University)

Marietta van der Tol (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford)

Mayron B. Penner (Rector of The Anglican Parish of St Paul, in Edmonton, Canada)

Jelle Creemers (Chair of the Department of Religious Studies & Missiology at ETF Leuven)

Joshua T. Searle (Director of Postgraduate Studies at Spurgeon’s College in London)

John R. Franke (Affiliate Professor of Theology at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis)

David P. Gushee (Chair in Christian Social Ethics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Cyril Hovorun (Professor of Ecclesiology, International Relations and Ecumenism at Stockholm School of Theology)

Daria Ziborova (Associate professor at the School of Philosophy at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University)

Andrey Shyshkov (Ph.D. student at the School of Theology and Religious Studies at University of Tartu)

Denys Kondyuk (Ph.D. student at the Theological Faculty at Charles University)

Anatoliy Denysenko (Ph.D. in Theology at National Pedagogical Dragomanov University)

Roman Soloviy (Dr. Hab in Theology at National Pedagogical Dragomanov University)

* Simultaneous Ukrainian translation of all English lectures will be provided.

School dates: July 18-23, 2022

School location: virtual (Zoom platform)

Languages: Ukrainian & English

Anyone interested in participation needs to fill out the registration form by July 5, 2022: https://forms.gle/B8zJuZ8vkNwi4CsS8

Participants will receive detailed information no later than July 12, 2022.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us: office@eeit-edu.info.

You can also find more detailed information on the website.

English: https://eeit-edu.info/en/summer-school-theology/