Us vs. Them: Conflict, Theology, and the Human Brain

May 24, 2023

Us vs. Them: Conflict, Theology, and the Human Brain

In 1971, the great singer-songwriter and lyricist John Lennon released his famous utopian hymn. His moving poetry and plaintiff melody invite us to “imagine” a world in which there is no conflict—especially of the violent variety. At one point, the lyrics mention two of the systemic instigators of violent conflict which Lennon imagines will have to be eliminated in order for “all the people” to live “life in peace.” They are nation states and “religion.” In this sense, Lennon’s “Imagine” is a lyrical embodiment of the specious albeit understandable claim that ‘religion has been the cause of most of the wars in human history.’

As much as we might admire the spirit of Lennon’s motivation and vision in “Imagine,” those of us committed to faith-based ministries of restorative justice, reconciliation and peace-building are deeply invested in the idea that our religious beliefs and practices can be a source of tremendous healing and social change for greater justice. At the same time, however, many of us also find ourselves working with implicit theologies of conflict that are flawed or incomplete. We tend to be mystified by the way in which “religion” continues to fracture the human family, or we are content to participate in creating and enhancing sharp social battle lines based on our own deeply held religious convictions and values, or we do a bit of both.

This course is based on the premise that the long term efficacy of our various ministerial praxes as peace-builders is at risk as long as we continue to ignore or under appreciate what science has to teach us about the evolutionarily ingrained, and largely unconscious dynamic of “Us/Them-ing.” It is designed to provide theologians and ministers with a foundation for constructing more robust theologies of conflict and conflict transformation by introducing and exploring what certain key discoveries in contemporary neuroscience, group identity formation theory, moral foundations theory, and relevant themes in social psychology teach us about the inevitability but also the plasticity and moral potential of the processes by which we divide ourselves into “Us”es and “”Them”s.

All courses are available for audit or credit.
Audit fee is $337.50
Audit or enroll this summer!
June 1 - June 30, 2023
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