A Golden Thread Through the Maze of René Girard’s Thought: His Own Evolution—with Paul Wrightman

What are we to make of René Girard?  In this age, when many commentators think that all academic disciplines are over-specialized, what are we to do with someone who boldly connects literature, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, politics, and theology?  Should we immediately write him off? Or should we take a closer look? 

This presentation will make the case for taking a closer look.  Following the flow of Girard’s own evolution, we will see how his study of one field led him to another. . . and another. . . and another. Many consider Girard’s grand intellectual undertaking to be the most important of our time, giving us the keys to a deeper understanding of what it means to be human, and how we can keep ourselves and our world from self-destructing.  His insights are particularly relevant to the chaos of the early twenty-first century. 

Girard’s thought is controversial and offensive to some. He has a shockingly different approach to literature, human origins, myth, and the real significance of the Bible and Jesus than anyone else.  Be prepared for a lively discussion following the content section of this talk!

Paul Wrightman is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and Pastor of the Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula.  He was an undergraduate at Stanford, prepared for ministry at Chicago, and has done further graduate study at Claremont Graduate University, Mt. Angel Benedictine Seminary, and the Graduate Theological Union.  He is married to artist Elizabeth Wrightman, and he also likes to paint in his free time.

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