Four Monday Evenings, 7:00 – 8:15, starting 1/18 on Zoom.

An enduring characteristic of the Christian religion is its sense of social responsibility in caring for the poor and the oppressed. This civic dimension of the faith owes in no small part to the Protestant Reformation, particularly the theology of John Calvin.

Calvin is known in the popular mind for doctrines like “predestination.” It’s often missed that Calvin’s break from the Roman Catholic Church made him and his followers persecuted refugees. His is a liberation theology born in exile.

By focusing on Calvin’s ministry in Geneva—a French exile ministering to refugees from France, Poland, Spain, England, and Italy— Ruben will show how this Reformed theological tradition can identify valuable resources for engaging the contemporary public debate over questions of immigration and social welfare.

Rubén Rosario Rodríguez is Associate Professor in the Department of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University, where he also serves as International Studies Director for the Mev Puleo Scholarship Program. He is the author of Racism and God-Talk: A Latino/a Perspective and Christian Martyrdom and Political Violence: A Comparative Theology with Judaism and Islam.