APCE 2019: How does Jesus respond to generational suffering?

  1. APCE 2019: Anticipation
  2. APCE 2019: “Come to the Water”
  3. APCE 2019: The tide is changing
  4. APCE 2019: Engaging young Christians in social justice
  5. APCE 2019: How does Jesus respond to generational suffering?
  6. APCE 2019: Revived at the Water’s Edge

BY VALERIE HARRISON MARKS

Needless to say I was quite excited about attending APCE and understanding how the content of the conference would impact my theological education journey. I completed my first portfolio-based assessment shortly before attending APCE, and one of the points I addressed in the portfolio is the fact that I feel drawn to social justice issues. So as I began attending the conference sessions I was looking to discern more information. And I found it in my first workshop, Spiritual Pilgrimage as Educational Model. This workshop centered on the pilgrimage of three youth pastors and a group of high school students as they journeyed to key sites of the Civil Rights movement. The young folks learned about the sinful history of racial oppression and about the brave people who pursued reconciliation.

Not surprising to me, confirmation came in my other workshops. Why Palestine Matters addressed the racism and human rights injustices of the Palestinians and their struggles involving Israel. The discussion resulting from this workshop prompts me to explore more information regarding the concepts of “settler colonization” and the “Doctrine of Discovery.” And my last workshop, The Suffering Emcee, focused on the biblical narrative of suffering as it applies to brown and black people in the US, and as expressed via the lament of hip hop music. The interaction in this workshop leaves me with the question “what does Jesus say or how does He respond to the generational suffering of groups of people in and outside of the US?

An additional observation: The workshops demonstrated experiential learning and the Spiritual Pilgrimage workshop also demonstrated embodied learning as the pilgrimage participants were able to visit the Birmingham jail cell that housed Dr. King and from which he wrote his Birmingham letter.

Valerie Harrison Marks is a student at Union Presbyterian Seminary.