BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN
NAME:Inaugural lecture by prof.dr. D.A. Forster
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20261023T154500
DTEND:20261023T171500
DTSTAMP:20261023T154500
UID:inaugural-lecture-by-prof-dr-d@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573
CREATED:20261003T042624
LOCATION:Main building VU, 1105, Aula, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV, Amsterdam
SUMMARY:Inaugural lecture by prof.dr. D.A. Forster
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html: <html> <body> <p><p>Sawubona: (Mis)Recog
 nition and the Task of Public Theology&nbsp;</p></p> <p>Sawubona is a
 n everyday isiZulu greeting: “I/we see you.” But what happens whe
 n politics teaches us not to see people? In the Netherlands and South
  Africa, political movements increasingly invoke religious language, 
 symbols and identities to divide society between “our people” and
  threatening “others”, reducing human beings to migrants, foreign
 ers or outsiders.&nbsp;</p><p>The lecture of University Research Chai
 r (URC) of Public Theology and Ethics Dion Forster asks how religion 
 is used to sanctify exclusion, who is made invisible, and who gets to
  decide. Yet faith can also offer powerful resources for recognising 
 every person’s God-given dignity and worth. Human dignity is not so
 mething a state, party, religious community or political movement can
  grant or withdraw. Public theology seeks to expose the abuse of reli
 gion while drawing on religious traditions to help us see again: trut
 hfully, critically and humanely, fostering justice, sustainable peace
  and human flourishing.</p><p>More information about the <a data-asse
 t-id="163b7eac-e4da-4de0-b9c4-577769f6aaa7" href="https://assets-eu-0
 1.kc-usercontent.com:443/ff31ad68-341e-015e-fb52-24df7a00ecea/3fbfa91
 2-413f-4e0c-9715-52e28d15b5cf/GNPT%20Amsterdam%202026%20conference%20
 programme%2016092026.pdf">conference</a> on October 19–21 can be fo
 und here.</p> </body> </html>
DESCRIPTION: Sawubona: (Mis)Recognition and the Task of Public Theolog
 y&nbsp; Sawubona is an everyday isiZulu greeting: “I/we see you.”
  But what happens when politics teaches us not to see people? In the 
 Netherlands and South Africa, political movements increasingly invoke
  religious language, symbols and identities to divide society between
  “our people” and threatening “others”, reducing human beings
  to migrants, foreigners or outsiders.&nbsp;The lecture of University
  Research Chair (URC) of Public Theology and Ethics Dion Forster asks
  how religion is used to sanctify exclusion, who is made invisible, a
 nd who gets to decide. Yet faith can also offer powerful resources fo
 r recognising every person’s God-given dignity and worth. Human dig
 nity is not something a state, party, religious community or politica
 l movement can grant or withdraw. Public theology seeks to expose the
  abuse of religion while drawing on religious traditions to help us s
 ee again: truthfully, critically and humanely, fostering justice, sus
 tainable peace and human flourishing.More information about the <a da
 ta-asset-id="163b7eac-e4da-4de0-b9c4-577769f6aaa7" href="https://asse
 ts-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/ff31ad68-341e-015e-fb52-24df7a00ecea/
 3fbfa912-413f-4e0c-9715-52e28d15b5cf/GNPT%20Amsterdam%202026%20confer
 ence%20programme%2016092026.pdf">conference</a> on October 19–21 ca
 n be found here.
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR